Patent ID: 7756167

Claim:
A system for producing a laser light pulse, said system including a travelling wave or ring laser incorporating a gain medium, said system including: polarizing means for introducing substantially polarized radiation having a first polarization state into said travelling wave laser; output coupling means to substantially output couple radiation having an output polarization state from said travelling wave laser; polarization changing means incorporated into an optical path of said travelling wave laser for changing the polarization of radiation having said first polarization state to a seeding polarization state, wherein radiation with said seeding polarization state seeds said gain medium for producing said laser light pulse; and radiation intensity modulation means for modulating an intensity of radiation in said travelling wave laser to vary the feedback of said radiation into said gain medium, wherein said radiation intensity modulation means also modulates said radiation with respect to said output coupling means thereby modulating a degree of output coupling of radiation from said travelling wave laser.