Patent ID: 8891162

Claim:
An optical amplifier, including: a gain medium operable to impart gain on a seed laser pulse; a pump laser cavity operable to propagate a pump laser pulse through the gain medium multiple times; and a seed laser cavity operable to propagate the seed laser pulse through the gain medium multiple times, wherein the gain medium is configured in a portion of the pump laser cavity that coincides with a portion of the seed laser cavity and wherein the pump laser pulse and the seed laser pulse propagate through the gain medium along a same general beam path, wherein the gain medium includes a Raman interaction cell operable to provide Raman interaction between the seed laser pulse and the pump laser pulse, wherein the optical amplifier further includes a mirror for injecting the pump laser pulse and the seed laser pulse into a first port of the Raman interaction cell and a mirror for injecting the pump laser pulse and the seed laser pulse into a second port opposite the first port of the Raman interaction cell, wherein the mirrors are configured to control shapes of the pulses to increase an amount of energy transferred from the pump laser pulse to the seed laser pulse during the Raman interaction, wherein the optical amplifier further includes a mirror for injecting the pump laser pulse and the seed laser pulse into a first port of the Raman interaction cell and a mirror for injecting the pump laser pulse and the seed laser pulse into a second port opposite the first port of the Raman interaction cell, and wherein the mirrors are configured to control shapes of the pulses to increase an amount of energy transferred from the pump laser pulse to the seed laser pulse during the Raman interaction.