THERMO-OPTIC INTRACAVITY BEAM SHAPING AND MODE CONTROL WITH DOPED OPTICAL MATERIALS

A laser beam shaping system which has a laser resonator configured to operate at a resonating, first wavelength range to produce an intracavity resonating beam and a laser gain material, configured to produce gain and to amplify the first wavelength range within the laser resonator. The system has at least one doped medium, which is optically transparent at the first wavelength range, which is doped with a dopant, and which is provided intracavity in the laser resonator and at least one absorbed beam input or coupling configured to generate or receive at least one absorbed beam at a second wavelength range which is different from the first wavelength range and which is directed towards the doped medium. The doped medium has a higher absorption characteristic at the second wavelength range than at the first wavelength range, causing the absorbed beam to have a higher absorption than the resonating beam in the doped medium, but which does not provide gain in the first wavelength range. Optical surfaces of the doped medium are coated to be anti-reflective at the first wavelength range and highly transmissive at the second wavelength range.