White coherent laser light launched into nano fibers for surgical illumination

1. A surgical illumination system comprising:

a first laser configured to emit a first light beam having a first spectral range;

a second laser configured to emit a second light beam having a second spectral range;

a beam combiner arranged in an optical path between at least one of the first and second lasers and an illumination probe, the beam combiner configured to:

combine the first and second light beams; and

emit a third light beam having a third spectral range that includes the first spectral range and the second spectral range; and

the illumination probe comprising a fiber optic cable for delivering at least a portion of the third light beam to a surgical site.

2. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber optic cable includes a fiber optic core having a diameter of 100 microns or less.

3. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber optic cable includes a fiber optic core with a contoured end for emitting the at least a portion of the third light beam.

4. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first spectral range extends over at least a portion of the visible spectrum.

5. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first spectral range extends over substantially the entire visible spectrum.

6. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first laser is a supercontinuum laser.

7. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , further comprising an optical coupler for optically connecting the third light beam to the illumination probe.

8. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , further comprising a dispersive element for selectively adjusting a time domain of the third light beam, the dispersive element arranged in an optical path between the first laser and the illumination probe.

9. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , further comprising a surgical probe integrated with the illumination probe.

10. The surgical illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second spectral ranges at least partially overlap.

11. A surgical illumination system comprising:

a light engine comprising:

a first laser configured to emit a first light beam having a first spectral range;

a second laser configured to emit a second light beam have a second spectral range; and

a beam combiner arranged in the optical path of at least one of the first and second lasers and operable to combine the first and second light beams to generate a third light beam having a third spectral range that includes the first spectral range of the first light beam and the second spectral range of the second light beam;

an illumination probe including a fiber optic core having a diameter of 100 microns or less;

an optical coupler optically coupling the fiber optic core of the illumination probe to the light engine.

12. The surgical illumination system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first laser and the second laser is configured as a supercontinuum laser.

13. The surgical illumination system of claim 11 , further comprising at least one of a dispersion element and a despeckling element arranged an optical path between the light engine and the illumination probe.

14. The surgical illumination system of claim 11 , wherein the first spectral range includes substantially the entire visible spectral range.

15. The surgical illumination system of claim 11 , wherein an intensity distribution of the first beam of light is shaped to achieved a desired output pattern.

16. The surgical illumination system of claim 11 , wherein the first spectral range overlaps the second spectral range.