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Normal incidence stack architecture coupled with the development of diode array pumping enables the power/energy per disk to be increased, a reduction in beam distortions by orders of magnitude, a beam propagation no longer restricted to only one direction of polarization, and the laser becomes so m

Normal incidence stack architecture coupled with the development of diode array pumping enables the power/energy per disk to be increased, a reduction in beam distortions by orders of magnitude, a beam propagation no longer restricted to only one direction of polarization, and the laser becomes so much more amendable to robust packaging.

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1. An apparatus, comprising:a laser gain medium having a front entry surface and a back entry surface, a source of electromagnetic radiation directed at said front entry surface and said back entry surface so as to provide a selected wavelength band for optically pumping said gain medium at a design

1. An apparatus, comprising:a laser gain medium having a front entry surface and a back entry surface, a source of electromagnetic radiation directed at said front entry surface and said back entry surface so as to provide a selected wavelength band for optically pumping said gain medium at a designed angle θ with respect to said front and said back entry surfaces of said gain medium, where θ is greater than 0 °, an optical cavity, further comprising said gain medium, wherein said gain medium is oriented substantially normal to an incident light having a predetermined wavelength and wherein said incident light beam is resonant within said optical cavity and amplified in energy due to the optical pumping of said gain medium from said radiation source; and an optical means for extracting said amplified light beam from said optical cavity. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium is oriented between about 0 degrees and plus or minus about 15 degrees along a horizontal axis with respect to said incident light beam.3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation emits said selected wavelength band at said designed angle θ between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to said incident light beam.4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation band further comprises one or more laser diodes arranged as one or more pump array surfaces to provide said selected wavelength band at said designed angle θ.5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said one or more laser diodes further comprise a plurality of laser diode bars arranged as one or more pump array surfaces to provide said selected wavelength at said designed angle θ.6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said designed angle θ for said laser diodes is predetermined by said laser diodes being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said designed angle θ for said laser diode bars are predetermined by said laser diode bars being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical cavity further comprises one or more reflective surfaces such that said light beam will pass through gain medium at least once and will be reflected off of said one or more reflective surfaces at least once such that said light beam will execute two or more approximately closed path cycles within said cavity.9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic radiation is directed to pump said front and back surfaces of said gain medium to establish a predetermined gain volume of excited state ions, wherein said light beam of said predetermined wavelength is capable of being emitted and is capable of being amplified by said gain medium in response to said electromagnetic radiation.10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium includes a laser gain material selected from the group consisting of Neodymium(Nd)-doped glass, Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride, Nd:GCG, Yb:glass, and Yb:YAG.11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation further comprises at least one pump array surface to said gain medium.12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation further comprises four pump array surfaces to pump said gain medium.13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation further comprises at least one pump array surface to pump said gain medium.14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation further comprises four pump array surfaces to pump said gain medium.15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium is cooled during laser operation.16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium is cooled after laser operation.17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said medium is cooled by flowing a gas, wherein a gas supply plenum provides said gas to a flow channel constructed to provide said gas to a flow window adapted on said front and back surfaces of said laser gain medium to produce a laminar flow of said gas.18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a liquid mist is introduced during an increased flow velocity of said gas to produce a turbulent flow at a boundary on said front and back surfaces of said gain medium so that said laser gain medium is cooled rapidly.19. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said one or more reflective surfaces further comprises a pair of highly reflective surfaces at said predetermined wavelength to produce at least two passes through said gain medium, and a partial reflective surface at said predetermined wavelength, wherein said partial reflective surface is capable of transmitting an output amplified beam.20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical means for extracting said amplified light beam further comprises a passive quarter wave rotator and a polarizing beamsplitter.21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said reflective surfaces are configured as an unstable resonator cavity.22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said reflective surfaces are adapted to provide a folded cavity.23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein optical distortion of a transmitted wavefront through said gain medium is minimized, astigmatism is minimized and wherein said transmitted wavefront is less than three times diffraction limited.24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein Amplified Spontaneous Emission within said gain medium that is oriented substantially normal to said incident light beam, is minimized and wherein a resultant higher gain and energy storage within said gain medium is maximized.25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein energy extraction from gain medium is independent of an input beam polarization.26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium further comprises a laser gain material having transverse dimensions between about 1 cm×1 cm and about 40 cm×40 cm and a thickness of up to 4 cm.27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gain medium has an anti-reflection coating applied to said front and back surfaces for said predetermined wavelength and for said selected wavelength band for optically pumping.28. An apparatus, comprising:one or more laser gain disks, each having a front entry planar surface and a back planar entry surface, one or more diode pump array surfaces configured to provide a selected wavelength band that is directed at said front and back planar entry surfaces of said one or more laser gain disks at a designed angle θ, so as to pump and establish a predetermined gain volume of excited state ions, an optical cavity, defined along an optic axis, containing said one or more laser gain disks that are each oriented substantially normal to an incident light beam collinear with said optic axis, and including one or more reflective surfaces such that said light beam will pass through said one or more laser gain disks at least once and will be reflected off of said one or more reflective surfaces at least once such that said light beam will execute two or more approximately closed path cycles within said cavity, wherein said light beam is amplified because of the interaction with said gain volume of excited state ions in each of said one or more laser gain disks; and an optical means for extracting said amplified light beam from said optical cavity. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said designed angle θ for said diode pump array sources is predetermined by a plurality of laser diodes being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said designed angle θ for said diode pump array sources is predetermined by a plurality of laser diode bars being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said designed angle θ is between about 30 and about 40 degrees with respect to said light beam.32. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising four pump array surfaces to pump each of said one or more laser gain disks.33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said laser diodes further comprise semi-conductor material selected from the group consisting of GaP, GaAs, GaAsP, GaAlAs, AlAs, GaInP, InP, InAsP, InGaAs, and In Ga AsP.34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said apparatus is capable of producing single shot operation up to a repetition rate of about 10 kHz with a high average power of at least 5 kW watts.35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more laser gain disks further comprises an optical laser gain material selected from the group consisting of Nd:GGG, Neodymium(Nd)-doped glass, Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride Yb:glass, and Yb:YAG.36. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled during laser operation.37. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled after laser operation.38. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled by flowing a gas, wherein a gas supply plenum provides said gas to a flow channel constructed to provide said gas to a flow window adapted on said front and back surfaces of said laser gain disks to produce a laminar flow of said gas.39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein a liquid mist is introduced during an increased flow velocity of said gas to produce a turbulent flow at a boundary on said surfaces of said laser gains disks such that said laser gain disks are rapidly cooled.40. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said reflective surfaces are adapted to provide an unstable resonator cavity.41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said reflective surfaces are adapted to provide a folded cavity.42. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein optical distortion of a transmitted wavefront through said laser gain disks is minimized, Amplified Spontaneous Emission and astigmatism is minimized and wherein said transmitted wavefront is less than three times diffraction limited.43. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein energy extraction from said one or more laser gain disks are independent of an input beam polarization.44. A method comprising:optically pumping one or more substantially normal incidence laser gain disks by directing a predetermined wavelength band at a front entry surface and a back entry surface from one or more diode pump array surfaces at a designed angle θ, wherein said laser gain disks are contained within an optical cavity, passing a light beam of a predetermined wavelength through said one or more laser gain disks at least once, reflecting said light beam off of one or more reflective surfaces at least once such that said light beam will execute two or more approximately closed path cycles within said optical cavity, wherein said light beam is amplified by said optically pumped laser disks; and extracting an amplified light beam by an optical means. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are oriented between about 0 degrees and plus or minus about 15 degrees along a horizontal axis with respect to said light beam.46. The method of claim 44, wherein said diode pump array surfaces emits a selected wavelength band at an angle between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to said light beam.47. The method of claim 44, wherein said designed angle θ for said diode pump array surfaces is predetermined by a plurality of laser diodes being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.48. The method of claim 44, wherein said designed angle θ for said diode pump array surfaces is predetermined by a plurality of laser diode bars being fixedly attached to a plurality of V-groove <111> planes on one or more silicon substrates.49. The method of claim 44, wherein said one or more laser gain disks further comprises an optical laser gain material selected from the group consisting of Nd:GGG, Neodymium(Nd)-doped glass, Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride Yb:glass, and Yb:YAG.50. The method of claim 44, further comprising four pump array surfaces to optically pump each of said one or more laser gain disks.51. The method of claim 44, wherein the step of optically pumping includes optically pumping said gain disk in a format selected from the group consisting of Q-switched, mode locked, free running, continuous wave and cavity dumped.52. The method of claim 44, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled during laser operation.53. The method of claim 44, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled after laser operation.54. The method of claim 44, wherein said one or more laser gain disks are cooled by flowing a gas, wherein a gas supply plenum provides said gas to a flow channel which is constructed to provide said gas to a flow window adapted on said front and back surfaces of said laser gain disks to produce a laminar flow of said gas.55. The method of claim 54, wherein a liquid mist is introduced during an increased flow velocity of said gas to produce a turbulent flow at a boundary on said surfaces of said laser gains disks such that said laser gain disks are rapidly cooled.56. The method of claim 44, wherein said method is capable of producing single shot operation up to a repetition rate of about 10 kHz with a high average power of at least 5 kW watts.57. The method of claim 44, wherein said optical cavity further comprises one or more reflective surfaces such that said light beam will pass through each of said laser gain disks at least once and will be reflected off of said one or more reflective surfaces at least once such that said light beam will execute two or more approximately closed path cycles within said cavity.58. The method of claim 44, wherein said pump array surfaces are thermoelectrically cooled.