Abstract: A stringed cat toy to encourage playful activity and exercise in cats and healthy interaction between cat owners and their pets. The cat toy comprises an elongated music string with a small handle securely connected at one end and an object which is attractive to cats secured at the opposite end. The preferred cat toy string is selected from a group of composite strings used for instruments such as the cello, bass or violin, which are of low tensile strength and are designed for low-frequency vibration on the order of about 100 Hertz or less. The dynamic properties of the composite string facilitate interesting movements of the attractor, preferably a horse hair tassel, when the handle is rotated. The motion of the attractor appears to be a life-like and erratic movement that simulates prey and stimulates natural predatory instincts within the cat to encourage the animal to leap at the object. Such playful activity both exercises the cat and promotes beneficial interaction between cat and owner.

Abstract: A stringed cat toy to encourage playful activity and exercise in cats and healthy interaction between cat owners and their pets. The cat toy comprises an elongated music string with a small handle securely connected at one end and an object which is attractive to cats secured at the opposite end. The preferred cat toy string is selected from a group of composite strings used for instruments such as the cello, bass or violin, which are of low tensile strength and are designed for low-frequency vibration on the order of about 100 Hertz or less. The dynamic properties of the composite string facilitate interesting movements of the attractor, preferably a horse hair tassel, when the handle is rotated. The motion of the attractor appears to be a life-like and erratic movement that simulates prey and stimulates natural predatory instincts within the cat to encourage the animal to leap at the object. Such playful activity both exercises the cat and promotes beneficial interaction between cat and owner.

Abstract: A diode pumped, high power (at least 20W), short pulse (up to 2 ps), chirped pulse amplified laser using Yb:YAG as the gain material is employed for material processing. Yb:YAG is used as the gain medium for both a regenerative amplifier and a high power 4-pass amplifier. A single common reflective grating optical device is used to both stretch pulses for amplification purposes and to recompress amplified pulses before being directed to a workpiece.

Abstract: The present invention provides an easily aligned, all-reflective, aberration-free pulse stretcher-compressor in a compact geometry. The stretcher-compressor device is a reflective multi-layer dielectric that can be utilized for high power chirped-pulse amplification material processing applications. A reflective grating element of the device is constructed: 1) to receive a beam for stretching of laser pulses in a beam stretcher beam path and 2) to also receive stretched amplified pulses to be compressed in a compressor beam path through the same (i.e., common) reflective multilayer dielectric diffraction grating. The stretched and compressed pulses are interleaved about the grating element to provide the desired number of passes in each respective beam path in order to achieve the desired results.

Abstract: The present invention provides an easily aligned, all-reflective, aberration-free pulse stretcher-compressor in a compact geometry. The stretcher-compressor device is a reflective multi-layer dielectric that can be utilized for high power chirped-pulse amplification material processing applications. A reflective grating element of the device is constructed: 1) to receive a beam for stretching of laser pulses in a beam stretcher beam path and 2) to also receive stretched amplified pulses to be compressed in a compressor beam path through the same (i.e., common) reflective multilayer dielectric diffraction grating. The stretched and compressed pulses are interleaved about the grating element to provide the desired number of passes in each respective beam path in order to achieve the desired results.

Abstract: A diode pumped, high power (at least 20W), short pulse (up to 2 ps), chirped pulse amplified laser using Yb:YAG as the gain material is employed for material processing. Yb:YAG is used as the gain medium for both a regenerative amplifier and a high power 4-pass amplifier. A single common reflective grating optical device is used to both stretch pulses for amplification purposes and to recompress amplified pulses before being directed to a workpiece.