Optically pumped laser system having extracavity pulse smoother

A laser system includes a pulse smoother device positioned outside the laser cavity and in the path of the laser pump beam. A highly reflecting mirror and a partially reflecting mirror receive the pumping beam which has the temporal intensity fluctuations. Upon impinging on the partially reflecting mirror, some of the beam passes through to a lens. Other parts of the beam are reflected back onto the highly reflecting mirror which in turn, reflects the light back onto the partially reflecting mirror. This process is repeated throughout the lengths of the mirrors and the light exiting the beam smoothing device is combined. That is, the delayed and undelayed beams are added in the lens and focused upon the laser gain medium, providing a composite beam of light with reduced fluctations. This process has the effect that the pumped laser output beam has a smoother output.