A method for generating, using a laser, an emitted laser field having a different spatial intensity profile than the internal mode of the laser, the method comprising: disposing a laser gain medium within a laser cavity structure comprising an output coupler ; arranging an interferometric device comprising optical components to form said output coupler , wherein the interferometric device receives an input beam from laser oscillation in the laser cavity structure, splits the input beam into two sub-beams, and recombines the two sub-beams to provide an optical feedback beam to sustain laser oscillation; configuring the optical components that comprise the interferometric device to provide relative misalignment of the two sub-beams that are produced internally to the interferometric device ; using at least a first output port of the interferometric device to provide an output beam of the laser having a different spatial intensity profile than the internal mode of the laser; and using at least a second output port of the interferometric device to provide the optical feedback beam to the laser cavity structure that sustains laser oscillation with a spatial intensity profile that substantially preserves that of the internal mode of the laser; wherein relative misalignment of the optical components in the interferometric device causes either a symmetric lateral displacement (+d, -d) of each of the two sub-beams in one plane that is less than half the beam field waist radial size (w), or a symmetric angular offset (+θ, -θ) of each of the two sub-beams in one plane that is less than half the divergence angle (θ G ) of the internal mode of the laser; wherein the internal mode of the laser is a Gaussian beam, and a mode transformed Hermite-Gaussian beam HG 01 or HG 10 is generated and emitted from the first output port of the interferometric device . disposing a laser gain medium within a laser cavity structure comprising an output coupler ; arranging an interferometric device comprising optical components to form said output coupler , wherein the interferometric device receives an input beam from laser oscillation in the laser cavity structure, splits the input beam into two sub-beams, and recombines the two sub-beams to provide an optical feedback beam to sustain laser oscillation; configuring the optical components that comprise the interferometric device to provide relative misalignment of the two sub-beams that are produced internally to the interferometric device ; using at least a first output port of the interferometric device to provide an output beam of the laser having a different spatial intensity profile than the internal mode of the laser; and using at least a second output port of the interferometric device to provide the optical feedback beam to the laser cavity structure that sustains laser oscillation with a spatial intensity profile that substantially preserves that of the internal mode of the laser; wherein relative misalignment of the optical components in the interferometric device causes either a symmetric lateral displacement (+d, -d) of each of the two sub-beams in one plane that is less than half the beam field waist radial size (w), or a symmetric angular offset (+θ, -θ) of each of the two sub-beams in one plane that is less than half the divergence angle (θ G ) of the internal mode of the laser; wherein the internal mode of the laser is a Gaussian beam, and a mode transformed Hermite-Gaussian beam HG 01 or HG 10 is generated and emitted from the first output port of the interferometric device . <EOS>