Patent ID: 7289548
Filing Date: 2007-10-30
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A laser oscillator, comprising: an optical resonator; an optical amplifier element on an optical path inside the optical resonator, (i) the optical path in the optical resonator having an even number of optical reflections per resonator circuit or round-trip, (ii) the transverse mode pattern of the laser light in the optical resonator rotating with each resonator circuit or round-trip by a rotation angle other than zero degrees, 90 degrees or 180 degrees, the cumulative rotation angle increasing or decreasing monotonically as the number of circuits or round-trips increases; and (iii) polarization maintaining means that maintains the polarization direction of the laser light through one resonator circuit or round-trip, wherein the optical path in the optical resonator of the laser oscillator comprises a plurality of optical path segments between reflection points on a plurality of reflectors that are connected together into a ring, in which a segment of an optical path on one plane is equivalent to an optical path substituted by an optical path inserted into a Dove prism.