Multi-rod single pump source laser

Claim 1

A multi-rod single pump source laser comprising: an optical pumping means; a plurality of rods comprising a quality of lasing material, said rods arranged in a circular configuration about said pumping means wherein the longitudinal axes of said rods and said pumping means are parallel; a Fabry-Perot plate reflector for forming in conjunction with each rod a portion of a FabryPerot cavity; reflecting means used transiently by each of said rods to form another portion of said cavity such that said rods undergo lasing action and produce a beam when transiently pumped by said pumping means; said optical pumping means comprising a lamp, a first U-shaped reflector rotatable about said lamp, a second U-shaped reflector disposed about each of said rods, means for transiently energizing said lamp to produce optical energy, and means for rotating said first reflector whereby said lamp is energized as the open end of said first U-shaped reflector aligns with the open ends of said second U-shaped reflectors; said reflecting means comprising a first right prism disposed at a first end of each of said rods, and a totally internal reflecting (TIR) prism rotatably disposed about an axis coincident with the axis of said pumping means such that the hypotenuse of said TIR prism is parallel to said axis, wherein said TIR prism optically aligns, as it rotates, with each of said rods by way of said first right prisms such that any light energy emerging from said rod is reflected by said first right prism into said TIR prism and from said TIR prism back to said rod by way of said first right prism.