Patent ID: 6931047

Claim:
A laser light source comprising: a laser medium for emitting light upon pumping; a saturable absorber for receiving said light emitted by said laser medium, said saturable absorber yielding a lower absorption as the incident light power is greater, said saturable absorber being transparent when the incident light power exceeds an absorption saturation threshold; a resonator having said laser medium and said saturable absorber on a resonating optical path, said resonator resonating light emitted from said laser medium and outputting a part of said light from an output end when said saturable absorber is transparent; pumping means for pumping said laser medium in a pulsing manner; and control means for controlling the pumping of said laser medium effected by said pumping means; wherein said control means causes said pumping means to pump said laser medium in a state with a predetermined value or lower in a first period from time T 1 when said pumping means starts pumping said laser medium to time T 2 , so as to make the light incident on said saturable absorber after being emitted from said laser medium have a power not greater than said absorption saturation value and suppress a laser oscillation; and causes said pumping means to pump said laser medium in a state exceeding said predetermined value in a second period from said time T 2 to time T 3 , so as to make the light incident on said saturable absorber after being emitted from said laser medium have a power exceeding said absorption saturation threshold and generate a laser oscillation.