Control of average wavelength-converted power and/or wavelength converted
pulse energy is described. One or more seed pulses may be generated and
amplified with an optical amplifier to produce one or more amplified
pulses. The amplified pulses may be wavelength converted to produce one
or more wavelength converted pulses characterized by an average
wavelength-converted power or pulse energy. Wavelength-converted power or
pulse energy may be controlled by adjusting wavelength conversion
efficiency without substantially changing the amplified power or pulse
energy. Average wavelength-converted power may be controlled over a time
scale comparable to a pulse period of the amplified pulses without
adjusting an average power of the amplified pulses over the time scale
comparable to a pulse period of the amplified pulses. A
wavelength-converted optical system, may comprise a seed source, an
optical amplifier optically coupled to the seed source, a wavelength
converter optically coupled to the optical amplifier; and a controller
operably coupled to the seed source and/or optical amplifier and/or
wavelength converter. The controller may include logic adapted to control
an average wavelength-converted power of an output of the wavelength
converter over a time scale comparable to a pulse period of amplified
pulses from the optical amplifier without adjusting an average power of
the amplified pulses over that time scale. Alternatively, the controller
logic may be adapted to control wavelength-converted pulse energy by
adjusting the wavelength conversion efficiency without substantially
changing the pulse energy of the amplified pulses.