In this whitepaper we discuss one of the important methods in the field of cold atoms – atom trapping, cooling and manipulation by using far-detuned, off-resonant laser light. We review the techniques and main applications of the optical dipole traps, evaporative cooling and optical lattices and discuss the stringent requirements these techniques put on the laser systems used. We also provide an insight into the technology behind Coherent’s ultra-low noise continuous-wave laser product line that is successfully used in the discussed applications.