Simple configuration to generate short bursts of picosecond optical pulses

We have developed an efficient method of generating short bursts of picosecond optical pulses. The multiplying stage consists of simple optical elements, including 50/50 beam splitters and a 100% reflecting mirror. Time delay between the pulses can be adjusted by changing the incident angle of the beam or the separation of the splitters. The multiplying scheme has been successfully applied to the output of a cw mode-locked Nd:YAG laser at 82 MHz. Multiplication of beam pulses up to a factor of 8 was demonstrated. This technique promises to increase the repetition rate of laser pulses up to hundreds of gigahertz.