Common-resonator pre-locked laser

A common resonator pre-locked laser comprising

• (a) an optical resonator;
• (b) an active medium placed in said optical resonator;
• (c) a pumping laser for optically pumping said active medium, said pumping laser including a Q-switch to provide a pump beam having a relatively low power for a first time period and a substantially higher power for a second time period immediately following said first time period so as to produce a population inversion of optically excitable states in the active medium for generating stimulated emission of radiation of a given wavelength of low power during said first time period followed by a proportionately higher power emission of radiation at said wavelength during said second time period;
• and means for coupling said radiation out of said resonator.

A method for generating high power narrow band laser radiation comprising

• (a) injecting into an optical resonator, resonant at a given wavelength and containing an active medium having an emission band coincident with said wavelength, radiation from a first pumping means for pumping the full extent of said active medium with relatively low power optical radiation within a corresponding absorption band of said active medium to produce a population inversion of optically excitable states within said emission band for generating stimulated emission of radiation;
• (b) injecting into said optical resonator radiation from a second pumping means for pumping the full extent of said active medium with relatively high power optical radiation within said absorption band to generate strong laser radiation at said wavelength in the active medium;
• and
• (c) decoupling the radiation from said resonator.