Optical pulse lasers

1. A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:

(a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical path where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips; wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip path length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;

(b) one or more pump light sources;

(c) one or more optical couplers for coupling pump light from the pump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;

(d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and

(e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, and wherein at least one of the non-linear optical or saturable absorber elements is a mode locker and the laser is self-starting and mode-locked.

2. The laser of claim 1 further comprising a wavelength tuning element optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path.

3. The laser of claim 1 wherein the one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements comprising carbon nanotubes is positioned within one of the one or more optical resonators or within closed optical path.

4. The laser of claim 1 wherein the wavelength tuning element is positioned within one of the one or more optical resonators or within the closed optical path.

5. The laser of any of claim 1 in a hybrid mode-locking configuration, which further comprises an active mode-locking device which cooperates with the one more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber element to produce optical pulses.

6. A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:

(a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical oath where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips; wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip oath length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency:

(b) one or more rump light sources:

(c) one or more optical couplers for coupling rump light from the rump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;

(d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and

(e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, which is passively Q-switched wherein the one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements is employed as a Q-spoiler.

7. The laser of any of claim 1 capable of generating optical pulses of length about 1 picosecond or less.

8. A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:

(a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical oath where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips; wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip oath length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;

(b) one or more rump light sources;

(c) one or more optical couplers for coupling rump light from the rump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;

(d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical oath and

(e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements comprise carbon nanotubes, wherein the laser is capable of generating pulses having energy higher than about 35 pJ per pulse or capable of generating pulses having a peak power higher than about 35 W.

9. The laser of any of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanotubes comprise single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT).

10. The laser of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanotubes are provided in a layer less than or equal to about 10 microns in thickness.

11. A laser for generating light pulses at a selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths and a selected fundamental repetition frequency comprising:

(a) one or more optical resonators or a closed optical path where a light pulse can build up over multiple round trips; wherein the one or more resonators or the closed optical path comprises one or more gain mediums and wherein the round trip path length is selected to give the selected fundamental repetition frequency;

(b) one or more pump light sources;

(c) one or more optical couplers for coupling pump light from the pump light source into the one or more gain mediums to provide optical gain at the selected operating wavelength or range of wavelengths;

(d) one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements optically coupled with the one or more optical resonators or the closed optical path and

(e) one or more optical couplers for coupling light pulses out of the laser wherein one or more of the saturable absorber elements or devices comprise carbon nanotubes;

wherein the carbon nanotubes are provided in a layer the thickness of which is varied to adjust the mode-locking and Q-switching threshold optical energy.

12. The laser of any of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanotubes comprise 50% or more by weight of semiconductor carbon nanotubes.

13. The laser of any of claim 1 wherein the diameters of the carbon nanotubes are selected to exhibit an exciton absorption in the operating wavelength range of the laser.

14. A laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes; wherein the lesser mode locking element is optically coupled to the resonator of the lesser and operating the lesser in the mode-locked regime.

15. The element of claim 14 wherein the carbon nanotubes are SWNTs.

16. The element or device of any of claim 14 wherein the diameter of the carbon nanotubes are selected so that the element absorbs within a desired operating wavelength range.

17. The element of claim 14 wherein the carbon nanotubes are selected to have a range of different diameters to provide a wide operating bandwidth.

18. The element of claim 14 capable of operation in both reflection and transmission mode.

19. A laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes; wherein the carbon nanotubes are provided in a layer the thickness of which is varied to adjust the mode-locking and/or Q-switching threshold optical energy.

20. The element of claim 14 wherein a layer of carbon nanotubes is provided on a substrate surface.

21. The element of claim 20 wherein the other surface of the substrate is provided with an AR (anti-reflection) coating, a bandpass filter, or a half-mirror.

22. A mode-locked pulsed laser comprising a laser-mode locking element comprising one or more layers containing carbon nanotubes which functions for mode-locking of the pulsed laser; wherein the lesser mode locking element is optically coupled to the resonator of the lesser.

23. A method for generating light pulses in a laser which comprises the step of providing a laser-mode locking element of claim 14 which comprises carbon nanotubes and which is optically coupled to the resonator of the laser and operating the laser in the mode-locked regime.

24. A method for generating optical pulses in a laser which comprises the step of Q-switching a laser of claim 1 .

25. The laser of claim 1 wherein the one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements containing carbon nanotubes are waveguides.

26. The laser of claim 1 wherein the one or more nonlinear optical or saturable absorber elements containing carbon nanotubes are optical fibers.

27. The element of claim 14 wherein the carbon nanotubes are in a waveguide.

28. The element of claim 14 wherein the carbon nanotubes are in an optical fiber.

29. A mode-locked pulsed laser comprising the mode-locking element of claim 19 .

30. A mode-locked pulsed laser of claim 1 operating in the picosecond or sub-picosecond regimes.

31. A mode-locked pulsed laser of claim 22 operating in the picosecond or sub-picosecond regimes.

32. The laser of claim 1 which is an Er-doped fiber laser.

33. The laser of claim 32 which is a ring laser.