Passively cavity-dumped laser apparatus, system and methods

A method of operating a cavity dumped laser including:

• a plurality of mirrors defining a resonator characterized by a beam path;
• a laser gain medium positioned along a substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator;
• an optical element positioned within the beam path of the resonator and comprising a crystal;
• and
• an optical release mechanism positioned within the beam path of the resonator;
• the method comprising:
• receiving, using the laser gain medium, optical energy from at least one of an excitation source and the plurality of mirrors;
• forming from the optical energy, using the laser gain medium, a stored optical energy positioned within the beam path and characterized by a variable optical intensity;
• receiving, using the crystal, an electric field in an illuminated portion of the crystal proximate the beam path, defined as an illuminated path;
• creating in a first light wave of the stored optical energy, using an electro-optic property of the crystal as applied to the electric field, an initial polarization state;
• creating, using a photoconductive property of the crystal as applied to an absorbed portion of the stored optical energy and at a trigger intensity of the crystal, an electrical conductivity;
• diminishing, using the crystal, the electric field by the electrical conductivity along the illuminated path to define a collapsed electric field;
• creating in a second light wave of the stored optical energy, using the electro-optic property of the crystal as applied to the collapsed electric field, an orthogonal polarization state;
• passing, using a beam splitting property of the optical release mechanism applied to the initial polarization state, the first light wave into the beam path along the substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator;
• and
• refracting, using the beam splitting property of the optical release mechanism applied to the orthogonal polarization state, an extracted portion of the stored optical energy including the second light wave out of the beam path at an angle to the substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator, to define a dumped laser pulse.

An optical switch for use with a cavity-dumping laser comprising:

• a plurality of mirrors defining a resonator characterized by a beam path;
• a laser gain medium positioned along a substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator and configured to amplify optical energy received from at least one of an excitation source and the plurality of mirrors to form within the beam path a stored optical energy characterized by a variable optical intensity;
• and
• an optical release mechanism positioned within the beam path of the resonator, and configured to:
• pass, based on a beam splitting property of the optical release mechanism applied to an initial polarization state, a first light wave into the beam path along the substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator;
• and
• refract, based on the beam splitting property of the optical release mechanism applied to an orthogonal polarization state, an extracted portion of the stored optical energy including a second light wave out of the beam path at an angle to the substantially-longitudinal axis of the resonator, to define a dumped laser pulse;
• the optical switch positioned within the beam path of the resonator, and comprising a crystal configured to:
• receive an electric field in an illuminated portion of the crystal proximate the beam path, defined as an illuminated path;
• create in the first light wave of the stored optical energy, based on an electro-optic property of the crystal as applied to the electric field, the initial polarization state;
• create, based on a photoconductive property of the crystal as applied to an absorbed portion of the stored optical energy and at a trigger intensity of the crystal, an electrical conductivity;
• diminish the electric field by the electrical conductivity along the illuminated path to define a collapsed electric field;
• and
• create in the second light wave of the stored optical energy, based on the electro-optic property of the crystal as applied to the collapsed electric field, the orthogonal polarization state.