Patent ID: 8724203

Claim:
A light pulse stretching unit comprising: a first beam splitter; a first delay line; the first beam splitter configured to receive an input light beam and direct a portion of the input light beam along an output path and to direct a remaining portion of the input light beam onto a first delayed path created by the first delay line; the first beam splitter is configured to receive the remaining portion of the input light beam that traversed the first delayed path and direct a portion of the input light beam that traversed the first delayed path onto the output path and direct a remaining portion of the input light beam that traversed the first delayed path back onto the first delayed path; the first beam splitter is configured to continually direct a portion of the remaining portion of the input light beam which traversed the first delayed path back onto the first delayed path and a remaining portion of the remaining portion of the input light beam which traversed the first delayed path onto the output path, where the remaining portions of the input light beam that are on the output path collectively form an output beam which has a specific temporal profile; and a reconfiguration device configured to interact with the first beam splitter to change the specific temporal profile of the output beam by repositioning the first beam splitter which has a multi-reflective coating thereon such that the first beam splitter which had a first reflectivity when originally positioned to receive the input light beam would have a second reflectivity after being repositioned to receive the input light beam.