A mechanical Q-switch for use with lasers. The Q-switch has a spinning disk mounted to a motor. The disk has a slot notched out of the disk. In some cases, the slot is located on the perimeter of the disk. In other cases, the slot is spaced away from the perimeter of the disk. The slot rotates through the focal point of the laser to provide Q-switching capability. In some cases, the disk is translated in a first direction or a second direction to intercept the focal point with the slot to provide Q-switching capability. The mechanical Q-switch is added onto a pre-aligned optical bench and provides very inexpensive and very fast switching,

A mechanical Q-switch for use with lasers. The Q-switch has a spinning disk mounted to a motor. The disk has a slot notched out of the disk. In some cases, the slot is located on the perimeter of the disk. In other cases, the slot is spaced away from the perimeter of the disk. The slot rotates through the focal point of the laser to provide Q-switching capability. In some cases, the disk is translated in a first direction or a second direction to intercept the focal point with the slot to provide Q-switching capability. The mechanical Q-switch is added onto a pre-aligned optical bench and provides very inexpensive and very fast switching,

The present invention relates to a laser system and a method of generating a defined spatial mode-shaped laser beam using an unstable laser resonator layout. The laser system for mode shaping of a laser beam within an unstable optical resonator layout comprising an active medium, characterized in that, the active media comprises a pumped area, wherein the gain distribution is generated by an optical pump beam's spatially intensity profile. In a preferred embodiment, the system may further comprise an end-pumped layout to deliver the spatially shaped optical pump beam to the active medium; and/or an active element and/or a passive element for modifying the resonator losses; and/or means of output coupling of a laser beam from said unstable resonator layout. The system according to the present invention is suitable to deliver a top-hat beam profile.

The present invention relates to a laser system and a method of generating a defined spatial mode-shaped laser beam using an unstable laser resonator layout. The laser system for mode shaping of a laser beam within an unstable optical resonator layout comprising an active medium, characterized in that, the active media comprises a pumped area, wherein the gain distribution is generated by an optical pump beam's spatially intensity profile. In a preferred embodiment, the system may further comprise an end-pumped layout to deliver the spatially shaped optical pump beam to the active medium; and/or an active element and/or a passive element for modifying the resonator losses; and/or means of output coupling of a laser beam from said unstable resonator layout. The system according to the present invention is suitable to deliver a top-hat beam profile.

A Q switch resonator includes: an optical resonator comprising at least two mirrors, and configured to accumulate power of a continuous wave or an intermittent continuous wave incident from an outside; and a switching element provided in the optical resonator. The switching element is configured such that, when the power accumulated in the optical resonator increases to a predetermined level, the switching element outputs an optical pulse by lowering a Q factor from a first level to a second level lower than the first level.

A Q switch resonator includes: an optical resonator comprising at least two mirrors, and configured to accumulate power of a continuous wave or an intermittent continuous wave incident from an outside; and a switching element provided in the optical resonator. The switching element is configured such that, when the power accumulated in the optical resonator increases to a predetermined level, the switching element outputs an optical pulse by lowering a Q factor from a first level to a second level lower than the first level.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for active saturable absorbance of an optical beam. An active saturable absorber may comprise an optical input to receive an optical beam, and one or more lengths of fiber between the optical input and an optical output. At least one of the lengths of fiber comprises a confinement region that is optically coupled to the output. The active saturable absorber may further comprise an optical detector to sense a characteristic of the optical beam, such as power. The active saturable absorber may further comprise a perturbation device to modulate, through action upon the one or more lengths of fiber, a transmittance of the beam through a fiber confinement region from a lower transmittance level to a higher transmittance level based on an indication of the characteristic sensed while the transmittance level is low.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for modulation of a laser beam. An optical modulator may comprise an optical input to receive an optical beam, and one or more lengths of fiber between the optical input and an optical output. At least one of the lengths of fiber comprises a confinement region that is optically coupled to the output. The optical modulator may further comprise a perturbation device to modulate, through action upon the one or more lengths of fiber, a transmittance of the beam through the confinement region from a first transmittance level at a first time instance to a second transmittance level at a second time instance. The optical modulator may further comprise a controller input coupled to the perturbation device, wherein the perturbation device is to act upon the one or more lengths of fiber in response to a control signal received through the controller input.

A method of operating a q-switch RE,XAB laser includes: providing a pump bias current to a pump source, the pump source directed to an RE:XAB gain medium, the RE:XAB gain medium within a resonator cavity, where X is selected from Ca, Lu, Yb, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Ga, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and where RE is selected from Lu, Y, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Pr, Tm, Cr, Ho, with a bias current level below a lasing threshold of the RE:XAB gain medium; providing a pump pulse to the gain medium, the pump pulse of the lasing threshold of the RE:XAB gain medium, the pump pulse causing the RE:XAB gain medium to emit a laser pulse; and reducing the pump bias current to at least below the gain medium lasing threshold, the combination of the pump bias, the pump pulse, and the pump reduction having a current profile.