Abstract: An electro-optic deflector 51 has an electro-optic material body 519 through which an optical beam 46 is passed. The deflector has no more than three longitudinal electrodes, of which no more than two electrodes 511, 512 have arcuate transverse cross-sections. The electrodes are arranged to create an electric field substantially transverse to a direction of the optical beam to deflect the optical beam passing between the electrodes. The electro-optic deflector has particular application in a Q-switched laser for generating sub-nanosecond optical pulses.

Abstract: An optically pumped solid-state laser in which an oscillator and optical amplifier are pumped by a common laser diode pump, with the pump beam first pumping the optical amplifier and a residual pump beam transmitted through the amplifier pumping the oscillator. Such an arrangement permits the use of high power laser diode arrays with poor focusability beams to be used as the laser pump to produce high energy laser pulses at least an order of magnitude greater than provided by the prior art and greatly expands the applications of such a solid-state laser.