Patent ID: 8238399

Claim:
A method for obtaining an optimal wedge lateral dihedral angle for suppressing parasitic amplified spontaneous emission in a wedged slab of laser active material, said method comprising the steps of: providing a simulator slab of the laser active material providing first and second simulator mirrors highly reflective at a lasing wavelength; configuring a simulation laser amplifier by positioning said first and second simulator mirrors so as to enclose said simulator slab, and orienting said first and second simulator mirrors so as to form a mirror dihedral angle; generating a gain sheet in said simulator slab using a source of pump power; directing an input laser beam into said gain sheet such that said input laser beam follows a zigzag path between said first and second simulator mirrors and emerges from said simulator slab as an amplified laser beam; testing for the presence of parasitic amplified spontaneous emission in said simulation amplifier; if said step of testing indicates a parasitic amplified spontaneous emission, signal exceeding a predetermined level, repeatedly increasing said mirror dihedral angle and repeating said step of testing until an optimal mirror dihedral angle is determined, such that said parasitic amplified spontaneous emission signal is indicated to be at or below said predetermined level at said optimal mirror dihedral angle; and specifying said optimal mirror dihedral angle as the optimal wedge lateral, dihedral angle for suppressing parasitic amplified spontaneous emission in the wedged slab of laser active material.