Laser apparatus

Claim 2

In laser apparatus, a working element capable of laser action and including a light transmissive face, reflective shutter means for reflecting radiation emitted by said working element back onto said face, comprising a rotatable mirror disposed and operative in one of its rotated positions to reflect radiation emitted by said element, means for establishing the rotational speed of said mirror, and means operable optically to modify the operating speed of said shutter means, comprising telescope means interposed between the said face of said working element and said mirror, and operative to magnify the width of the beam reflected onto the face of said working element, said telescope means including an eyepiece lens of substantially the same crosssectional area as said face and an objective lens of substantially the same cross-sectional area as said rotatable mirror.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the eyepiece lens of said telescope is formed integrally with the light transmissive face of said working element, and the objective lens is formed integrally with said rotatable mirror.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 and characterized in that the eyepiece lens of said telescope is concave.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized in that said working element is an elongated crystal generally rectangular in cross section, and the light transmissive face comprises a concave eyepiece lens for said telescope, said face being formed as a section of a cylinder formed about an axis of curvature generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotatable mirror, and said rotatable mirror being formed as a cylindrical section having its axis of curvature substantially parallel with the axis of rotation of the mirror.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized in that the working element is of a generally rectangular cross section, the telescope eyepiece being concave and formed integrally with the light transmissive face of the working element, the objective lens being formed integrally wIth the rotating mirror, said rotating mirror comprising a roof prism rotatable about an axis parallel to the centers of curvature of the objective lens and the eyepiece lens.

Claim 7

In laser apparatus, a working element capable of laser action, reflective shutter means for reflecting radiation emitted by said working element back into the latter, means for establishing the operating speed of said shutter means, and optical means operable to modify the operating speed of said shutter means, said apparatus being further characterized in that said shutter means comprises a rotatable mirror disposed to reflect radiation by said element in one of its rotated positions, and said optical means comprises telescope means interposed between said working element and said mirror and operative to magnify the width of the beam reflected onto said working element.

Claim 8

In laser apparatus, a working element capable of laser action, reflective shutter means for reflecting radiation emitted by said working element back into the latter, means for establishing the operating speed of said shutter means, and optical means operable to modify the operating speed of said shutter means, said apparatus being further characterized in that said shutter means comprises a rotatable mirror disposed to reflect radiation by said element in one of its rotated positions, and said optical means comprises telescope means interposed between said working element and said mirror and operative to magnify the width of the beam reflected onto said working element.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 and further characterized in that said telescope comprises an eyepiece lens substantially of the diameter of the working element, and an objective lens, said rotating mirror and said objective lens being of a diameter greater than that of the working element, the magnification being a function of said differences in diameters of the recited lenses.

Claim 10

In laser apparatus, a generally cylindrically shaped ruby crystal capable of laser action having substantially planar, opposite end face portions, one face portion having partially light reflective means associated therewith and the other face portion being substantially totally light transmissive, a source of light energy for irradiating said ruby crystal to effect emission of a light beam by said other face portion, rotatable mirror means disposed for optical alignment with said other face portion in one of its rotated positions for returning the emitted light to said other face portion, means for rotating said mirror means at a predetermined rotational speed, means for intermittently energizing said source of energy in substantial synchronism with the recited optically aligned position of said mirror means, and means operable optically to modify the apparent rotational speed of said rotatable mirror means, said last recited means comprising means defining a telescope interposed between said crystal and said rotatable mirror means and operative to magnify the width of the beam of light as it is returned to said other face portion.

Claim 11

In laser apparatus, a generally cylindrically shaped ruby crystal capable of laser action having substantially planar, opposite end face portions, one face portion having partially light reflective means associated therewith and the other face portion being substantially totally light transmissive, a source of light energy for irradiating said ruby crystal to effect emission of a light beam by said other face portion, rotatable mirror means disposed for optical alignment with said other face portion in one of its rotated positions for returning the emitted light to said other face portion, means for rotating said mirror means at a predetermined rotational speed, means for intermittently energizing said source of energy in substantial synchronism with the recited optically aligned position of said mirror means, and means operable optically to modify the apparent rotational speed of said rotatable mirror means, said last recited means comprising means defining a telescope interposed between said crystal and said rotatable mirror means and operative to magnify the width of the beam of light as it is returned to said other face portion.

Claim 12

A laser generator comprising: an active laser component having opposite ends disposed within an optically resonant cavity; means for pumping said component so that a population inversion results thereby producing a negative temperature medium and means for emitting resulting laser light energy from said optically resonant cavity, said laser component having a first reflector proximate to one end and a second reflector spaced from the opposite end; means for rotating said second reflector; means for synchronizing said pumping means and said second reflector for attaining a maximum population inversion in said laser component; and a telescope system, said telescope system having a power greater than unity when viewed from said laser component toward said second reflector, said telescope system being disposed within said cavity between said second reflector and said opposite end.

Claim 13

A laser generator comprising: an active laser component having opposite ends disposed within an optically resonant cavity; means for pumping said component so that a population inversion results thereby producing a negative temperature medium and means for emitting resulting laser light energy from said optically resonant cavity, said laser component having a first reflector proximate to one end and a second reflector spaced from the opposite end; means for rotating said second reflector; means for synchronizing said pumping means and said second reflector for attaining a maximum population inversion in said laser component; and a telescope system, said telescope system having a power greater than unity when viewed from said laser component toward said second reflector, said telescope system being disposed within said cavity between said second reflector and said opposite end.

Claim 14

A laser generator as set forth in claim 9 wherein said telescope system comprises a Galilean telescope system including a first negative lens and a second lens.

Claim 15

The laser generator as set forth in claim 9 wherein said second reflector is a substantially totally reflecting prism.

Claim 16

The laser generator as set forth in claim 9 wherein said telescope system comprises first and second lenses, spatially disposed within said cavity along the cavity axis by an amount equal to the sum of the focal lengths of said lenses, so that the focal points of said lenses are a common point.

Claim 17

A laser structure comprising: a laser component providing a segament of a wave-energy propagation path; mEans for energizing said component to establish an inversion of energy states and thereby produce a negative temperature medium and means for emitting resulting laser light energy from said laser component; a first wave-energy reflector terminating a first end of said propagation path; means for terminating a second end of said propagation path including a second wave-energy reflector, rotatable to undergo angular displacement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said laser component into and out of position reflectively terminating said second end of said propagation path; means for effecting said angular displacement of said second wave-energy reflector successively into and out of said position to control the value of the ratio of wave-energy storage to wave-energy dissipation per wave-energy cycle within said path for wave-energy propagation along said path, and a telescope system, said telescope system having a power greater than unity when viewed from said laser component toward said second wave-energy reflector, said telescope system being disposed between said second reflector and said laser component.

Claim 18

A laser structure comprising: a laser component providing a segament of a wave-energy propagation path; mEans for energizing said component to establish an inversion of energy states and thereby produce a negative temperature medium and means for emitting resulting laser light energy from said laser component; a first wave-energy reflector terminating a first end of said propagation path; means for terminating a second end of said propagation path including a second wave-energy reflector, rotatable to undergo angular displacement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said laser component into and out of position reflectively terminating said second end of said propagation path; means for effecting said angular displacement of said second wave-energy reflector successively into and out of said position to control the value of the ratio of wave-energy storage to wave-energy dissipation per wave-energy cycle within said path for wave-energy propagation along said path, and a telescope system, said telescope system having a power greater than unity when viewed from said laser component toward said second wave-energy reflector, said telescope system being disposed between said second reflector and said laser component.

Claim 19

The laser structure as set forth in claim 13 wherein said telescope system is a Galilean telescope system including a first negative lens and a second lens.

Claim 20

The laser structure as set forth in claim 13 wherein said second wave-energy reflector is a substantially totally reflecting prism.

Claim 21

The laser structure as set forth in claim 13 wherein said telescope comprises first and second lenses, spatially disposed along said path by an amount equal to the sum of the focal lengths of said lenses, so that the focal points of said lenses are a common point.

Claim 22

A laser light source comprising: a body of laser material capable of population inversion between a normal and a higher energy state; pumping means for attaining a population inversion in the laser material; two reflectors arranged to define a resonant cavity about the laser material; means for rapidly moving one of the reflectors in such manner as to produce a sudden increase in the Q of the resonant cavity immediately after a maximum population inversion has been attained in the laser material; and characterized by an afocal magnifying optical system disposed within the resonant cavity in an optical path between the body of laser material and the movable reflector.

Claim 23

A laser light source comprising: a body of laser material capable of population inversion between a normal and a higher energy state; pumping means for attaining a population inversion in the laser material; two reflectors arranged to define a resonant cavity about the laser material; means for rapidly moving one of the reflectors in such manner as to produce a sudden increase in the Q of the resonant cavity immediately after a maximum population inversion has been attained in the laser material; and characterized by an afocal magnifying optical system disposed within the resonant cavity in an optical path between the body of laser material and the movable reflector.

Claim 24

A laser according to claim 17, in which the afocal magnifying optical system comprises the two lenses of a Galilean telescope.

Claim 25

A laser light source comprising: a rod of laser material such as ruby; pumping means for attaining a population inversion in that rod; two reflectors arranged to define a resonant cavity about the said rod; means for rotating one of the said reflectors in phase with the laser pumping means so as to produce a sudden increase in the Q of the resonant cavity immediately after a maximum population inversion has been attained in the rod; and characterized by the disposition of the two lenses of Galilean afocal telescope in an optical path between the laser rod and the rotatable reflector.

Claim 26

A laser light source comprising: a rod of laser material such as ruby; pumping means for attaining a population inversion in that rod; two reflectors arranged to define a resonant cavity about the said rod; means for rotating one of the said reflectors in phase with the laser pumping means so as to produce a sudden increase in the Q of the resonant cavity immediately after a maximum population inversion has been attained in the rod; and characterized by the disposition of the two lenses of Galilean afocal telescope in an optical path between the laser rod and the rotatable reflector.

Claim 27

A laser according to claim 19, in which the rotatable reflector has the form of a roof prism and in which the positive and negative optical surfaces of the Galilean telescope are formed on the roof prism and on the laser rod respectively.