Method and system for generating laser pulses

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This patent describes a method and system for generating laser pulses with precise, user-defined characteristics—specifically amplitude, phase, and polarization—delivered through an optical fiber. The invention uses a pulse shaper that modulates input laser pulses based on feedback and compensation for distortions introduced by the fiber, ensuring that the pulses arrive at the end of the fiber with the desired properties. The system accounts for fiber-specific physical parameters and can dynamically adapt to changes (such as bending or temperature effects), employing measurement and feedback to optimize the output pulses' shape and quality.

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• Medical devices, particularly in endoscopic surgery or diagnostics, where precise delivery of laser energy inside the body is needed.
• Industrial laser processing, including micromachining and material treatment, requiring exact laser pulse control at the workpiece.
• Remote sensing and spectroscopy, where shaped laser pulses are delivered via fiber to remote or hazardous environments.
• Quantum optics and coherent control experiments that need precise amplitude, phase, and polarization control at the output of a fiber.
• Manufacture of optical solitons or vector solitons in fiber optics research and communication systems.
• Near-field microscopy techniques (e.g., SNOM) that require finely controlled pulsed light at fiber tips for high-resolution imaging.

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• Enables compensation for optical fiber-induced distortions, ensuring accurate delivery of laser pulse shape, phase, and polarization at the output.
• Allows real-time or iterative adjustment, adapting to environmental changes affecting the fiber (such as bending, temperature, or strain).
• Supports the generation of complex pulse sequences (including sub-pulses with custom properties) for advanced applications.
• Facilitates high-precision operations in medical and industrial contexts, improving safety and efficacy.
• Enhances remote or difficult-to-access laser applications by ensuring the intended pulse characteristics reach the target, regardless of fiber nonidealities.
• Flexible system design supports different fiber types (standard, birefringent, hollow-core, etc.) and integration with other optical components.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention inter alia relates to a method of generating laser pulses having a predefined amplitude, phase and/or polarization at a distal end of an optical transmission system, which comprises at least one optical fiber, the method comprising the steps of: generating laser pulses and inputting the laser pulses into a pulse shaper; calculating a control signal for controlling the pulse shaper, wherein at least one physical parameter of the optical fiber is taken into account; applying the control signal to the pulse shaper and modulating the amplitude, phase and/or polarization of the laser pulses whereby modulated laser pulses are formed; and inputting the modulated laser pulses into a proximal end of the optical transmission system.