1. A fiber laser for generating light pulses having an adjustable pulsewidth, the fiber laser comprising:
a laser cavity comprising optical fiber arranged in a figure-of-eight configuration defining a non-reciprocal loop having a propagation direction therein and a reciprocal loop having opposite propagation directions therein, said laser cavity further comprising a main coupler interconnecting said loops;
a gain medium provided in said reciprocal loop at an asymmetrical position with respect to the main coupler selected so that said light pulses counter-propagating within said reciprocal loop have a phase relationship at the main coupler favoring coupling into the propagation direction of the non-reciprocal loop;
a pump source coupled to the reciprocal loop for launching a pump light beam in the gain medium, the pump light beam having a pump power value;
pump control means for controlling the pump power value of the pump source within a range extending above an operational lasing threshold of the laser cavity, wherein changing the pump power value of the pump source within said range changes the pulsewidth of the light pulses without modifying a peak power of said light pulses.
2. The fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber of the laser cavity is polarization-maintaining fiber.
3. The fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber of the laser cavity is normal dispersion fiber.
4. The fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber of the laser cavity is polarization-maintaining normal dispersion fiber.
5. The fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocal loop has a length and the gain medium has a length which is significantly shorter than the length of the reciprocal loop.
6. The fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocal loop comprises opposite extremities connected to the main coupler, said main coupler coupling light into said opposite extremities according to a ratio of substantially 5050.
7. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising an isolator provided in the non-reciprocal loop and positioned therein to prevent light propagation in a direction opposite the propagation direction.
8. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising:
an additional gain medium provided in the non-reciprocal loop; and
an additional pump source coupled to the non-reciprocal loop for launching an additional pump light beam in the additional gain medium.
9. The fiber laser according to claim 8, further comprising additional pump control means for controlling a pump power value of the additional pump source, wherein changing the pump power value of the additional pump source changes the peak power of the light pulses.
10. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising a narrowband filter provided within said laser cavity and selecting a spectral band of operation of said laser.
11. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising a polarizer disposed within said laser cavity imposing a linear state of polarization to the light pulses propagating therein.
12. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising a pulse extraction assembly connected to the non-reciprocal loop for extracting a number of said light pulses from the laser cavity.
13. The fiber laser according to claim 12, wherein the pulse extraction assembly comprises:
an output fiber; and
an output coupler disposed in said non-reciprocal loop downstream the coupler of the laser cavity along said propagation direction, said output coupler coupling said number of said light pulses into the output fiber.
14. The fiber laser according to claim 13, wherein the pulse extraction assembly comprises an output modulator disposed in the output fiber for selecting a pattern of output light pulses from said light pulses.
15. The fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising mode-locking means for initiating a mode-locked state within said cavity.
16. The fiber laser according to claim 15, wherein the mode-locking means comprise a mode-locking modulator disposed within said non-reciprocal loop and actuated at a modulator frequency defining a repetition rate on the light pulses in said laser cavity corresponding to an integer multiple of a fundamental repetition rate of said laser cavity.
17. The fiber laser according to claim 15, wherein the mode-locking modulator is a phase modulator.
18. The fiber laser according to claim 16, wherein the mode-locking modulator is an amplitude modulator.
19. The fiber laser according to claim 16, wherein said mode-locking means comprise a feedback loop for locking the modulator frequency on the repetition rate of the light pulses.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus configured to couple a component to an archery bow, the archery bow defining a bore extending at least partially through the archery bow and a slot in communication with the bore, said apparatus comprising:
a collar positioned within the slot and extending into the bore, said collar defining at least one first passage configured to receive the component; and
a base positioned within the bore and configured to retain said collar within the slot.
2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said base is movably positioned within the bore.
3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said base is removably positioned within the bore.
4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said base further comprises a first portion at least partially positioned within the bore and a second portion at least partially positioned within the bore and coupled to said first portion.
5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said second portion is movably coupled to said first portion.
6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first portion is coupled to said second base portion using a fastener.
7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said fastener further comprises one of a screw and a pin.
8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 further comprising at least one first opening defined through said first portion and at least one corresponding second opening defined at least partially through said second portion, said fastener positioned within said first opening and said second opening to facilitate coupling said first portion to said second portion.
9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first portion is compression fitted with said second portion.
10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first portion defines a depression forming at least one edge.
11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein, with said first portion at least partially positioned within the bore, a wall at least partially defining the bore is positioned within said depression to facilitate securing said first portion at least partially within the bore.
12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said at least one edge interferes with the wall to limit rotational movement of said first portion within the bore.
13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein, with said collar extending into the bore, at least one of said first portion and said second portion configured to secure said collar within the slot.
14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said collar forms at least one projection cooperating with at least one of said first portion and second base portion.
15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 14 wherein said projection is positioned within a void defined within at least one of said first portion and said second portion.
16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the archery bow defines a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis coplanar with and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a z-axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the lateral axis, said base movable within the bore with respect to at least one of the longitudinal axis, the lateral axis and the z-axis.
17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein an end portion of said collar is positioned within a second passage defined within said base.
18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said collar further comprises a head portion positioned within an indentation formed in the archery bow and surrounding the slot to facilitate guiding movement of said collar within the slot to facilitate adjusting an angular position of the component with respect to an axis defined by the archery bow.
19. An apparatus configured to couple a component to an archery bow, the archery bow defining a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis coplanar with and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the archery bow defining an opening extending at least partially through the archery bow and a slot in communication with the opening, said apparatus comprising:
a collar positioned within the slot and extending into the opening, said collar defining a first passage configured to receive the component;
a first base portion positioned within the opening; and
a second base portion positioned within the opening and coupled to said first base portion to retain said collar within the slot.
20. A method for manufacturing an archery bow, the archery bow defining a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis coplanar with and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a z-axis intersecting the longitudinal axis and the lateral axis and perpendicular thereto, said method comprising:
defining a first opening extending at least partially through the archery bow;
defining a second opening in the archery bow, the second opening in communication with the first opening;
positioning a collar within the second opening, said collar extending into the first opening and defining a first passage configured to receive a component; and
positioning a base in the first opening, the base retaining the collar within the second opening.
21. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein defining a first opening further comprises defining a bore extending along the lateral axis and at least partially through the archery bow.
22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein defining a second opening further comprises defining a slot along a centerline coplanar with the longitudinal axis and the z-axis, the slot intersecting with the bore to provide communication between the bore and the slot.
23. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein said positioning a base in the first opening further comprises:
positioning a first base portion in the first opening;
positioning a second base portion in the first opening; and
coupling the second base portion to the first base portion to retain the collar within the second opening.