Circuit for synchronizing a mode-locked oscillator-amplifier dye laser with a streak camera detection system

Claim 1

A mode-locked oscillator-amplifier dye laser system synchronized with a streak camera detection system comprising: a mode-locked continuous wave laser; a dye laser pumped by said mode-locked continuous wave laser; an optical amplifier chain to amplify the pulse output of said dye laser; a Nd:YAG laser to pump said optical amplifier chain; a synchronization circuit which drives said Nd;YAG laser using a lamp out signal from said Nd:YAG laser and a sync signal from a mode-lock driver which drives said mode-locked continuous wave laser such that the pump pulse from said Nd:YAG to said optical amplifier chain overlaps with the pulse output of said dye laser as the pulse output arrives in each stage of said optical amplifier chain; a streak camera triggered by a pulse obtained by deflecting a portion of the output of said optical amplifier chain with a beam-splitter to a photodiode; a silicon intensified target detector to receive the output of said streak camera; an optical delay line after said beam-splitter to compensate for electronic delays in said streak camera; a computer to enable said synchronization circuit and said silicon intensified target detector and to receive data from said silicon intensified target detector said synchronization circuit comprising: means for counting down said lamp out signal from said Nd:YAG laser to produce a divided output signal; means for delaying and divided output signal to produce a delay signal; means for converting said delay signal into a delayed sync signal; means for combining said delayed sync signal with said sync signal from said mode-lock driver to produce a coincidence signal; means for forming a Q-switch signal from said coincidence signal to pulse said Nd:YAG laser; and means for inhibiting said converting means until a start signal is received from said computer.