Optical parametric amplification can give particularly high values for gain, gain bandwidth, energy, efficiency, and wave-front quality. In combination with chirped pulse amplification, in a technique we call optical parametric chirped pulse amplification, it offers the prospect of generating peak powers up to 100 PW and intensities greater than 1024 W/cm2 with existing technology. Here we study the technique in detail using both analytical and computational techniques, and the limit of validity of the analytical approach is identified. The effects of spectral phase, energy extraction, signal pulse chirp, and pump pulse nonuniformity are analyzed, and optimization techniques are proposed and discussed.

Analysis and optimization of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

A misaligned stretcher or compressor in a chirped pulse amplification laser introduces residual angular dispersion into the beam, resulting in temporal distortion of the pulse. We demonstrate that an imaging spectrograph is capable for measuring the angular dispersion of a laser beam by an accuracy of 0.2 /spl mu/rad/nm. Using this technique, the analytical expressions of residual angular dispersion of misaligned prism and grating compressors are experimentally proved. Temporal degradations of short pulses due to angular dispersion are studied by measuring the temporal stretch of 16-fs pulses, while the issues of contrast deterioration are also discussed. It is proved that the simultaneous measurement of angular dispersion and pulse duration offers the most precise alignment procedure of prismatic and grating compressors.

Angular dispersion and temporal change of femtosecond pulses from misaligned pulse compressors

Lasers and Coherent Light Sources

We report on an experimental study of the “coherent” contrast feature that frequently appears in petawatt(PW)-class laser pulses as an exponentially-rising pedestal within a few tens of picoseconds of the compressed pulse. We show that scattering from the diffraction gratings in the stretcher is the principal source of this feature. Replacing the gratings by new, higher-quality components resulted in an order-of-magnitude reduction in the intensity of the pedestal.

Improving coherent contrast of petawatt laser pulses

This review is concerned with pulse stretchers and compressors as key components of ultra-high power laser facilities that take advantage of chirped-pulse amplification. The potentialities, characteristics, configurations and methods for the matching and alignment of these devices are examined, with particular attention to the history of the optics of ultra-short, ultra-intense pulses before and after 1985, when the chirped-pulse amplification method was proposed, which drastically changed the view of the feasibility of creating ultra-high power laser sources. The review is intended primarily for young scientists and experts who begin to address the amplification and compression of chirped pulses, experts in laser optics and all who are interested in scientific achievements in the field of ultra-high power laser systems.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/QE2014v044n05ABEH015429/pdf

Stretchers and compressors for ultra-high power laser systems

The temporal contrast is classified into two main regimes, the nanosecond-scale and the picosecond-scale contrast prior to the main pulse. The Lund terawatt laser system is shown to be improved on the nano- and picosecond-scale by a factor of 10 and 50, respectively, when it was optimized for contrast but not for energy. Calculations are also presented to emphasize the role of angular dispersion on the picosecond contrast. Finally we show a compromise between the duration and contrast of femtosecond laser pulses amplified in an optical parametric (chirped pulse) amplifier.

/pdf/on-the-temporal-contrast-of-high-intensity-femtosecond-laser-v4fjc6oy10.pdf

On the temporal contrast of high intensity femtosecond laser pulses

Broad-band amplification of femtosecond laser pulses using the scheme of noncollinear optical chirped pulse parametric amplification is modeled. The effect of two-photon absorption at the pump wavelength was also taken into account. The signal pulses range from 220 to 410 nm with pump pulses at 267, 248, and 213 nm. The best four crystals chosen among 12 possible ones are BBO, KDP, CLBO, and LB4. In an experiment, 30-fs laser pulses at 400 nm were amplified in a BBO crystal pumped by 267 nm pulses, exhibiting a single pass gain of 3550. The gain was found spectrally flat within the available 17-nm bandwidth of the signal pulse.

/pdf/optical-parametric-amplification-of-femtosecond-ultraviolet-4v0arxl8cv.pdf

Optical parametric amplification of femtosecond ultraviolet laser pulses

Femtosecond pulses at 400 nm were amplified using a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier pumped by picosecond pulses at 267 nm. A flat spectral gain exceeding 3500 was achieved in single pass within the available 17 nm bandwidth of the signal pulse. The effect of pump depletion, group delay difference, and the geometry of the interacting pulses on the spectral gain are also investigated.

Demonstration of high gain amplification of femtosecond ultraviolet laser pulses

Broadband amplification of laser pulses at 400 nm is demonstrated with a maximum gain of 3550 using non-collinear optical parametric amplification. Without depleting the pump, the spectral gain was found to be almost flat along the available 17-nm-wide spectrum of the signal pulse. It is also shown that the group velocity difference between the signal and pump pulses eventually results in an even broader amplified spectrum. The extension of this technique to other UV wavelengths can also be accomplished, so that femtosecond laser pulses between 300–400 nm can be directly amplified.

Broadband amplification of ultraviolet laser pulses

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