Selectively triggered, high contrast laser

An apparatus for producing optical pulses comprising:

• a. optical pulses generating means for producing a series of optical pulses including means to vary at least one pulse characteristic selected from among pulse width, interpulse spacing, and pulse intensity;
• b. first amplification means to increase pulse energy;
• c. bandwidth generation means to increase the spectral bandwidth of the pulse;
• d. first compression means to compress the stretched pulse;
• e. intensity discrimination means to transmit a major portion of the peak intensity of the pulse and to prevent transmission of a major portion of the lower intensities of the pulse, to increase pulse contrast;
• f. stretching means to decrease pulse intensity while increasing pulse width of the high contrast pulse;
• g. second amplification means to increase pulse energy of the high contrast pulse;
• and
• h. second compression means to compress the high contrast, amplified pulse, thereby providing a series of selectively triggered, high contrast pulses.

A method for producing an optical pulse which comprises the steps of:

• a. generating a series of optical pulses while varying at least one of pulse width, interpulse spacing, and pulse intensity to produce pulse width of a nanosecond or less;
• b. increasing one or more of the following for each of said generated pulses (i) pulse energy, (ii) spectral bandwidth, and (iii) the pulse width, to produce pulses of one nJ (nanojoule) or greater;
• c. increasing pulse contrast by transmitting a major portion of the peak intensity of a pulse while preventing transmission of a major portion of the lower intensities of the pulse;
• and
• d. increasing pulse energy and decreasing pulse width by chirped pulse amplification of each of the pulses;
• said chirped pulse amplification comprising the steps of chirping the pulse to stretch it temporally and to decrease its peak power, amplifying the chirped pulse, and then compressing the chirped and amplified pulse.