Raman Fiber Oscillators and Amplifiers Pumped by Semiconductor Disk Lasers

Optical pumping of Raman fiber lasers and amplifiers with semiconductor disk lasers represents novel advantageous approach as compared with conventional pumping techniques based on diode lasers and/or fiber converters. Short pulse generation and low-noise amplification are experimentally demonstrated using this pumping concept. High-power, low-noise, and diffraction-limited beam quality, naturally attributed to disk laser geometry, promises significant and positive impact on the optical amplifier technology.