| CPC H01S 3/0057 (2013.01) [G02F 1/3536 (2013.01); G02F 1/365 (2013.01); H01S 3/0085 (2013.01); H01S 3/067 (2013.01); H01S 3/0912 (2013.01); H01S 3/094015 (2013.01); H01S 3/0941 (2013.01); H01S 3/108 (2013.01); H01S 5/0092 (2013.01); H01S 3/1123 (2023.01)] | 15 Claims |

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1. A device for the compression of laser pulses of the order of the nanosecond and consequent generation of ultrashort pulses down to durations of the order of 100 femtoseconds comprising an oscillator, formed by:
reflective end elements of the oscillator;
a first and a second non-overlapping transmission band-pass filter;
optically transparent means with non-linear Kerr coefficient χ(3) different from zero configured to achieve a spectral broadening by self-phase modulation of the signal transiting through these means;
an active optical waveguide that produces a positive gain;
a node configured to receive a trigger signal designed to establish the operation of the oscillator;
a trigger signal generating device, characterised in that the trigger signal generating device comprises:
a laser source, configured to generate a laser pulse having a duration of the order of the nanosecond, which is required to trigger the oscillator;
a coupling system designed to introduce the laser pulse into a waveguide made of an optically transparent material characterised by a non-linear Kerr coefficient χ(3) different from zero, which is configured to produce two distinct effects in order to spectrally broaden the pulse generated by the laser source, and precisely:
a) self-phase modulation; and
b) four-wave mixing;
the output of the waveguide supplying the trigger signal to said node.
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