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Zhao Y, Wu F, Wang C, Hu J, Zhang Z, Liu X, Yang X, Bai P, Chen H, Qian J, Gui J, Xu Y, Leng Y, Li R. Spatiotemporal aberrations due to the groove density mismatching of compression gratings in ultra-intense femtosecond lasers. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18231. [PMID: 39107388 PMCID: PMC11303380 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68833-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The groove density mismatching of compression gratings, an often-neglected key issue, can induce significant spatiotemporal aberrations especially for super-intense femtosecond lasers. We mainly investigate the angular chirp and the consequent degradation of the effective focused intensity introduced by the groove density mismatching of compression gratings in ultra-intense femtosecond lasers. The results indicate that the tolerances of grating groove density mismatching will rapidly decrease with the beam aperture or spectral bandwidth increases. For our 100PW laser under construction, the grating groove density mismatching should be as small as 0.001 gr/mm if the drop of effective focused intensity has to be controlled below 15%. More importantly, new angular chirp compensation schemes are proposed for both double-grating and four-grating compressors. This work reveals the importance of groove density matching of compression gratings, and can provide helpful guidelines for the design of ultra-intense femtosecond lasers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhao
- School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Fenxiang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Jiabing Hu
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Zongxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Xingyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Xiaojun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Peile Bai
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Haidong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Jiayi Qian
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Jiayan Gui
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Yi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
| | - Yuxin Leng
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
| | - Ruxin Li
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-Intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
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Lehmann G, Spatschek KH. Plasma-grating-based laser pulse compressor. Phys Rev E 2024; 110:015209. [PMID: 39161034 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.110.015209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
To avoid damage in high-power laser systems, a chirped plasma-based grating is proposed for compressing laser pulses that have been previously stretched and amplified. This chirped grating is generated through the interaction of chirped pump laser pulses in a plasma slab. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate that the grating exists for a duration sufficient to be utilized in the final chirped pulse amplification (CPA) stage. The generation of the grating is quite flexible, as several parameters can be adjusted, such as plasma density, chirp, length, and intensity of the pump laser. To begin, the structure of the grating is analyzed in terms of ponderomotive effects of the pump laser pulses. The primary application of the chirped plasma-based grating lies in compressing laser pulses to large amplitudes and short durations after they have been stretched and amplified beforehand. The compression factor is explored in connection with potential grating parameters. Reflectivity and effective bandwidth of chirped plasma gratings are parameters to be optimized. However, the grating spectral bandwidth can only be increased at the expense of reflectivity. The PIC results are made understandable through model calculations based on coupled mode equations.
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Ichiji N, Yessenov M, Schepler KL, Abouraddy AF, Kubo A. Exciting space-time surface plasmon polaritons by irradiating a nanoslit structure. JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. A, OPTICS, IMAGE SCIENCE, AND VISION 2024; 41:396-405. [PMID: 38437427 DOI: 10.1364/josaa.508044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Space-time (ST) wave packets are propagation-invariant pulsed optical beams that travel freely in dielectrics at a tunable group velocity without diffraction or dispersion. Because ST wave packets maintain these characteristics even when only one transverse dimension is considered, they can realize surface-bound waves (e.g., surface plasmon polaritons at a metal-dielectric interface, which we call ST-SPPs) that have the same unique characteristics as their freely propagating counterparts. However, because the spatiotemporal spectral structure of ST-SPPs is key to their propagation invariance on the metal surface, their excitation methodology must be considered carefully. Using finite-difference time-domain simulations, we show that an appropriately synthesized ST wave packet in free space can be coupled to an ST-SPP via a single nanoscale slit inscribed in the metal surface. Our calculations confirm that this excitation methodology yields surface-bound ST-SPPs that are localized in all dimensions (and can thus be considered as plasmonic "bullets"), which travel rigidly at the metal-dielectric interface without diffraction or dispersion at a tunable group velocity.
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Luo Y, Liang Z, Mo Z, Shi J, Huang J, Yang Y, Lin X, Ruan Z, Wang C, Ouyang M, Deng D. (3+1)-dimensional Pearcey-Gaussian wave packet with arbitrary velocity driven by flying focus. OPTICS LETTERS 2024; 49:290-293. [PMID: 38194550 DOI: 10.1364/ol.514338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The group velocity (GV) modulation of space-time wave packets (STWPs) along the transverse and longitudinal directions in free space is constrained by various factors. To surmount this limitation, a technique called "flying focus" has been developed, which enables the generation of laser pulses with dynamic focal points that can propagate at arbitrary velocities independent of GV. In this Letter, we propose a (3+1)-dimensional Pearcey-Gauss wave packet based on the "flying focus" technique, which exhibits superluminal propagation, transverse focus oscillation, and longitudinal periodic autofocusing. By selecting appropriate parameters, we can flexibly manipulate the position, the size, and the number of focal points- or make the wave packet follow a desired trajectory. This work may pave the way for the advancement of space-time structured light fields.
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Bienert F, Röcker C, Dietrich T, Graf T, Ahmed MA. Detrimental effects of period-chirped gratings in pulse compressors. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:40687-40704. [PMID: 38041362 DOI: 10.1364/oe.505875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
We present a comprehensive simulative and experimental investigation of how period-chirped pulse compression gratings affect the compressed pulses. A specifically developed ray-tracing tool was used for the simulative investigations. It is shown that the chirp creates a characteristic spatio-spectral error pattern, which leads to a degradation of the beam quality and an increase of the pulse duration. The experimental investigations, for which both a narrow-bandwidth continuous-wave and a pulsed laser beam were guided through a Treacy-compressor comprised of period-chirped gratings, confirm the simulation results and present methods on how to identify the chirp's characteristic error pattern in practice.
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Werle CM, Braun C, Eichner T, Hülsenbusch T, Palmer G, Maier AR. Out-of-plane multilayer-dielectric-grating compressor for ultrafast Ti:sapphire pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:37437-37451. [PMID: 38017872 DOI: 10.1364/oe.501093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Extreme heat loads on optics, in particular the final pulse compression gratings, are a major hurdle to overcome in the ongoing push towards high average power (kW) and high repetition rate (kHz) operation of terawatt-class Ti:sapphire lasers. Multilayer dielectric (MLD) diffraction gratings have been suggested as a potential alternative to traditionally gold-coated compressor gratings, which are plagued by high energy absorption in the top gold layer. However, to support the required bandwidth (and ultimately the desired pulse duration) with MLD gratings, the gratings have to be operated in an out-of-plane geometry near the Littrow angle. Here, we report on the design of an MLD-based out-of-plane test compressor and a matching custom stretcher. We present a full characterization of the MLD compressor, focusing on its spectral transmission and the significance of laser pulse polarization in the out-of-plane geometry. To demonstrate compression of 40 μJ pulses centered at 800 nm wavelength to 26 fs pulse duration, we use the compressor with an MLD and gold grating configuration, and fully characterize the compressed pulses. Extrapolating our results indicates that MLD-grating-based out-of-plane compressors can support near-transform-limited pulses with sub-30 fs duration and good quality, demonstrating the viability of this concept for kW-level ultrafast Ti:sapphire laser systems.
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Weisse N, Esslinger J, Howard S, Foerster FM, Haberstroh F, Doyle L, Norreys P, Schreiber J, Karsch S, Döpp A. Measuring spatio-temporal couplings using modal spatio-spectral wavefront retrieval. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:19733-19745. [PMID: 37381382 DOI: 10.1364/oe.483801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of spatio-temporal couplings such as pulse-front tilt or curvature is important to determine the focused intensity of high-power lasers. Common techniques to diagnose these couplings are either qualitative or require hundreds of measurements. Here we present both a new algorithm for retrieving spatio-temporal couplings, as well as novel experimental implementations. Our method is based on the expression of the spatio-spectral phase in terms of a Zernike-Taylor basis, allowing us to directly quantify the coefficients for common spatio-temporal couplings. We take advantage of this method to perform quantitative measurements using a simple experimental setup, consisting of different bandpass filters in front of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. This fast acquisition of laser couplings using narrowband filters, abbreviated FALCON, is easy and cheap to implement in existing facilities. To this end, we present a measurement of spatio-temporal couplings at the ATLAS-3000 petawatt laser using our technique.
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Power EP, Bucht S, Kafka KRP, Bromage J, Zuegel JD. Design and characterization of "flow-cell" integrated-flow active cooling for high-average-power ceramic optics. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:42525-42540. [PMID: 36366705 DOI: 10.1364/oe.473479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We used COMSOL Multiphysics to design a prototype actively cooled "flow-cell" substrate targeted at high-average-power applications, fabricated the prototype from cordierite ceramic, and tested the substrate under load in our thermal loading test stand. Sub-aperture testing revealed average-power handling up to 3.88-W/cm2 absorbed power density, in excellent agreement with model predictions. Gratings fabricated on 2-in.-diam cordierite coupons were subjected to laser-damage testing and showed a damage threshold of 250 mJ/cm2.
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Li Z, Liu J, Xu Y, Leng Y, Li R. Simulating spatiotemporal dynamics of ultra-intense ultrashort lasers through imperfect grating compressors. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:41296-41312. [PMID: 36366611 DOI: 10.1364/oe.473439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The upcoming 100 Petawatt (PW) laser is going to provide a possibility to experimentally study vacuum physics. Pulse compression and beam focusing, which can be affected by the spatiotemporal coupling, are two key processes of generating a 100 PW laser and then determine whether its physical objective can be achieved or not. We improved our previous model of the spatiotemporal coupling where only the grating wavefront error and the output optical field of a common compressor configuration were included, and in the improved model, the grating amplitude modulation, the spatio-spectral clipping, and the optical field inside the compressor were added. By using it, we theoretically investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of an ultra-intense ultrashort laser passing through an imperfect grating compressor for different cases, especially the spatio-temporal/spectral coupling and the on-target intensity variation induced by the phase and amplitude modulation at different grating positions in two different compressor configurations. This study is of importance for both engineering development and physical application of the upcoming Exawatt-class laser.
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Eichner T, Hülsenbusch T, Dirkwinkel J, Lang T, Winkelmann L, Palmer G, Maier AR. Spatio-spectral couplings in saturated collinear OPCPA. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:3404-3415. [PMID: 35209599 DOI: 10.1364/oe.448551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafast laser pulses featuring both high spatio-temporal beam quality and excellent energy stability are crucial for many applications. Here, we present a seed laser with high beam quality and energy stability, based on a collinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) stage, delivering 46 µJ pulses with a 25 fs Fourier limit at 1 kHz repetition rate. While saturation of the OPCPA stage is necessary for achieving the highest possible energy stability, it also leads to a degradation of the beam quality. Using simulations, we show that spectrally dependent, rotationally symmetric aberrations dominate the collinear OPCPA in saturation. We experimentally characterize these aberrations and then remove distinct spatial frequencies to greatly improve the spectral homogeneity of the beam quality, while keeping an excellent energy stability of 0.2 % rms measured over 70 hours.
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Kim YG, Kim JI, Yoon JW, Sung JH, Lee SK, Nam CH. Single-shot spatiotemporal characterization of a multi-PW laser using a multispectral wavefront sensing method. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:19506-19514. [PMID: 34266059 DOI: 10.1364/oe.429891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The single-shot spatiotemporal characterization of an ultrahigh intensity laser pulse was performed using a multispectral wavefront sensor. For the measurement of the spatio-spectral electric field, a femtosecond laser pulse was spectrally modulated and separated by a Fabry-Perot etalon coupled with a grating pair, and its spatio-spectral electric field was measured with a wavefront sensor. The spatiotemporal electric field was reconstructed from the measured spatio-spectral electric field of a multi-PW laser pulse. We found that the spatiotemporal distortion could reduce the focused laser intensity by 15%, compared to the case of a diffraction-limited and transform-limited laser pulse.
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Liu J, Shen X, Du S, Li R. Multistep pulse compressor for 10s to 100s PW lasers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:17140-17158. [PMID: 34154263 DOI: 10.1364/oe.424356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
High-energy tens (10s) to hundreds (100s) petawatt (PW) lasers are key tools for exploring frontier fundamental researches such as strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED), and the generation of positron-electron pair from vacuum. Recently, pulse compressor became the main obstacle on achieving higher peak power due to the limitation of damage threshold and size of diffraction gratings. Here, we propose a feasible multistep pulse compressor (MPC) to increase the maximum bearable input and output pulse energies through modifying their spatiotemporal properties. Typically, the new MPC including a prism pair for pre-compression, a four-grating compressor (FGC) for main compression, and a spatiotemporal focusing based self-compressor for post-compression. The prism pair can induce spatial dispersion to smooth and enlarge the laser beam, which increase the maximum input and output pulse energies. As a result, as high as 100 PW laser with single beam or more than 150 PW through combining two beams can be obtained by using MPC and current available optics. This new optical design will simplify the compressor, improve the stability, and save expensive gratings/optics simultaneously. Theoretically, the output pulse energy can be increased by about 4 times using the MPC method in comparison to a typical FGC. Together with the multi-beam tiled-aperture combining method, the proposed tiled-grating based tiled-aperture method, larger gratings, or negative chirp pulse based self-compression method, several 100s PW laser beam is expected to be obtained by using this MPC method in the future, which will further extend the ultra-intense laser physics research fields.
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Simulating an ultra-broadband concept for Exawatt-class lasers. Sci Rep 2021; 11:151. [PMID: 33420259 PMCID: PMC7794522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80435-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid development of the optical-cycle-level ultra-fast laser technologies may break through the bottleneck of the traditional ultra-intense laser [i.e., Petawatt (PW, 1015 W) laser currently] and enable the generation of even higher peak-power/intensity lasers. Herein, we simulate an ultra-broadband concept for the realization of an Exawatt-class (EW, 1018 W) high peak-power laser, where the wide-angle non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (WNOPCPA) is combined with the thin-plate post-compression. A frequency-chirped carrier-envelope-phase stable super-continuum laser is amplified to high-energy in WNOPCPA by pumping with two pump-beamlets and injected into the thin-plate post-compression to generate a sub-optical-cycle high-energy laser pulse. The numerical simulation shows this hybrid concept significantly enhances the gain bandwidth in the high-energy amplifier and the spectral broadening in the post-compression. By using this concept, a study of a prototype design of a 0.5 EW system is presented, and several key challenges are also examined.
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Shalloo RJ, Dann SJD, Gruse JN, Underwood CID, Antoine AF, Arran C, Backhouse M, Baird CD, Balcazar MD, Bourgeois N, Cardarelli JA, Hatfield P, Kang J, Krushelnick K, Mangles SPD, Murphy CD, Lu N, Osterhoff J, Põder K, Rajeev PP, Ridgers CP, Rozario S, Selwood MP, Shahani AJ, Symes DR, Thomas AGR, Thornton C, Najmudin Z, Streeter MJV. Automation and control of laser wakefield accelerators using Bayesian optimization. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6355. [PMID: 33311487 PMCID: PMC7732832 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20245-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Laser wakefield accelerators promise to revolutionize many areas of accelerator science. However, one of the greatest challenges to their widespread adoption is the difficulty in control and optimization of the accelerator outputs due to coupling between input parameters and the dynamic evolution of the accelerating structure. Here, we use machine learning techniques to automate a 100 MeV-scale accelerator, which optimized its outputs by simultaneously varying up to six parameters including the spectral and spatial phase of the laser and the plasma density and length. Most notably, the model built by the algorithm enabled optimization of the laser evolution that might otherwise have been missed in single-variable scans. Subtle tuning of the laser pulse shape caused an 80% increase in electron beam charge, despite the pulse length changing by just 1%.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Shalloo
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - S J D Dann
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - J-N Gruse
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - C I D Underwood
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - A F Antoine
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2099, USA
| | - C Arran
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - M Backhouse
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - C D Baird
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - M D Balcazar
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2099, USA
| | - N Bourgeois
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - J A Cardarelli
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2099, USA
| | - P Hatfield
- Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
| | - J Kang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - K Krushelnick
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2099, USA
| | - S P D Mangles
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - C D Murphy
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - N Lu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - J Osterhoff
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - K Põder
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - P P Rajeev
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - C P Ridgers
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - S Rozario
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - M P Selwood
- Department of Physics, York Plasma Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - A J Shahani
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - D R Symes
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - A G R Thomas
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2099, USA
| | - C Thornton
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Z Najmudin
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - M J V Streeter
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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Liu J, Shen X, Si Z, Wang C, Zhao C, Liang X, Leng Y, Li R. In-house beam-splitting pulse compressor for high-energy petawatt lasers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:22978-22991. [PMID: 32752549 DOI: 10.1364/oe.398668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
One of the most significant bottlenecks in achieving kilojoule-level high-energy petawatt (PW) to hundreds-petawatt (100PW) lasers is the requirement of as large as meter-sized gratings so as to avoid the laser-induced damage in the compressor. High-quality meter-sized gratings have so far been difficult to manufacture. This paper proposes a new in-house (intra-) beam-splitting compressor based on the property that the damage threshold of gratings depends on the pulse duration. The proposed scheme will simultaneously improve the stability, save on expensive gratings, and simplify compressor size because the split beams share the first two parallel gratings. Furthermore, as the transmitted wavefront of a glass plate can be better and more precisely controlled than the diffraction wavefront of a large grating, we propose glass plates with designed transmitted wavefront to compensate for the wavefront distortion introduced by the second and third gratings, and other in-house optics, such as the beam splitter. This simple and economical method can compensate for the space-time distortion in the compressor, and thus improve focal intensity, which otherwise cannot be compensated by a deformable mirror outside the compressor. Together with a multi-beam tiled-aperture combining scheme, the proposed novel compressor provides a new scheme for achieving high-energy PW-100PW lasers or even exawatt lasers with relatively small gratings in the future.
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