Patent ID: 7352784

Claim:
A method for controlling heat loading of a laser gain medium, comprising the steps of: applying a burst of energy to the laser gain medium, by applying a pulse of pumping power to the gain medium with one or more sources of pumping energy, wherein the burst of energy heats the gain medium; and underheating the laser gain medium sufficiently to bring a thermal condition on the laser gain medium to a predetermined substantially steady state by reducing the pumping power applied to the gain medium below a steady state power before applying a subsequent burst of heat to the laser gain medium, wherein the steps of applying a burst of energy to the laser gain medium and underheating the laser gain medium are performed by: applying a pulse of current at a first current level I 1 to a laser diode coupled to the gain medium for a first time interval Δt 1 , where I 1 exceeds a nominal current value I nom by an amount Δt 1 ; reducing the current to the laser diode to a second current level I 2 for a second time interval Δt 2 , where I nom exceeds I 2 by an amount ΔI 2 ; and after applying the pulse of current at the first current level I 1 , and before or after reducing the current to the second level I 2 , applying the nominal current to the laser diode for a third time interval Δt 3 before applying another pulse of current to the laser diode.