The
catheter system 100 includes a power source 124, a controller 123, and a
light guide 122. The power source 124 generates a plurality of energy pulses 242B, 342B. The controller 123 controls the power source 124 so that the plurality of energy pulses 242B, 342A-B cooperate to generate composite energy pulses 348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F having a
composite pulse shape. The
light guide 122 receives the composite energy pulses 348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F. The
light guide 122 radiates
optical energy away from the light guide 122 to generate
plasma pulses 246A-B, 346A-B away from the light guide 122. The power source 124 can be a
laser, and the light guide 122 can be an
optical fiber. Each of the energy pulses 242B, 342A-B has a pulse width, and the energy pulses 242B, 342A-B are added together such that the resulting energy pulse 348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F has a pulse width longer than the pulse width of any of the energy pulses 242B, 342A-B. The at least two energy pulses 242B, 342A-B can have the same
wavelength or different wavelengths.