Sharp edge broad band lasers for "white light" cooling in storage rings

We have developed broad-band laser sources which show a sharp edge in their spectra and are particularly suitable for ''white-laser'' cooling of ions in storage rings. They allow for a very large velocity capture range by maintaining the same cooling rate allowed by the single mode lasers. A large fraction of the circulating ions are expected to be cooled both in coasting and bunched beams. The device, which does not use an active medium, can easily operate at any frequency from UV to IR spectral region.