Thales Holdings UK Plc

Stephen Lee

Andrew Borthwick

Trevor Cook

Mark Silver

Gerald Byrne

An optical apparatus comprises an optical resonator defining an optical resonator path for an optical resonator beam and an optical beam expander optically coupled to the optical resonator, the optical beam expander defining an optical beam expander path for an optical beam expander beam. The optical resonator path and the optical beam expander path may be configured such that the optical resonator beam and the optical beam expander beam at least partially intersect. Such an optical apparatus may be configured for use as a laser target designator or a laser range finder.

Optical apparatus

A side pumped laser comprises an elongated gain medium () provided between an output coupler () and a counter reflector () and a pump source () configured to provide radiation to the gain medium () along a side axis of the gain medium, wherein the laser is configured such that radiation from the pump source is directly incident on the gain medium; and the pump source is provided proximate, adjacent or in contact with the gain medium. The laser material and compositions, geometries and dimensions are designed to both maximize laser performance and to permit the use of construction techniques commonplace in the production of equipment designed for optical telecoms systems to facilitate low cost high volume and miniaturization. The elongated gain medium () may have a polygonal cross-section with a non-coated side surface () receiving pump light emitted by a laser diode bar () while the other, non-emitting surfaces are coated with for example a gold coating () for pump light recycling and cooling of the gain medium by heat conduction. The counter reflector () may be provided on one facet of a passive Q-switch () and the output coupler () on a facet () of the gain medium ().

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Glasgow, United Kingdom

Stephen Lee