High-power pulsed laser device
OwnerRobert Frankel, John Hooseinventors
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Abstract
A high-power pulsed laser source has a plurality of synchronized gain elements, such as optical fibers, wherein the radiation emitted by the gain elements is combined into an overlapping output beam having a predetermined temporal characteristic. The multi-element laser source can be injection-seeded by short pulses from a seed laser or can operate as a synchronized Q-switched source. The disclosed laser source is suitable for optical pumping of short wavelength plasma sources.
Claims17
A device for producing a pulsed optical output beam from a pulsed optical seed beam, comprising:
- a plurality of optically pumped gain elements;
- a seed laser having a spectral bandwidth and a pulse duration and producing the pulsed optical seed beam;
- at least one diffracting element that diffracts the pulsed optical seed beam to produce a plurality of diffracted seed beams having a spectral bandwidth smaller than the spectral bandwidth of the seed laser;
- wherein the plurality of optically pumped gain elements receive and amplify the plurality of diffracted seed beams to produce amplified output beams having a pulse duration that is longer than the pulse duration of the pulsed seed beam.
An optically pumped plasma source for generating electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
- a plasma target;
- and
- an optical pump producing a high-energy pulsed optical output beam which is intercepted by said target, the optical pump comprising:
- a plurality of optically pumped gain elements;
- a seed laser having a spectral bandwidth and producing a pulsed optical seed beam with a pulse duration;
- a diffracting element that diffracts the pulsed optical seed beam to produce a plurality of diffracted seed beams having a smaller spectral bandwidth;
- wherein the plurality of optically pumped gain elements receive and amplify the diffracted seed beams to produce an overlapping amplified output beam having a pulse duration that is longer than the pulse duration of the pulsed seed beam.
A multi-wavelength pulsed laser device comprising:
- a free space external cavity comprising
- a plurality of optically pumped gain elements disposed in said cavity, each gain element capable of emitting optical radiation at a specified wavelength;
- a diffracting element intercepting and diffracting the emitted optical radiation to form an overlapping beam;
- and
- a Q-switch disposed inside the external cavity and intercepting the overlapping beam,
- wherein said Q-switch synchronizes said optical radiation emitted by the gain element to form the overlapping beam in form of a synchronized overlapping pulsed beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.