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Thiré N, Chatterjee G, Pertot Y, Albert O, Karras G, Zhang Y, Wyatt AS, Towrie M, Springate E, Greetham GM, Forget N. A versatile high-average-power ultrafast infrared driver tailored for high-harmonic generation and vibrational spectroscopy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18874. [PMID: 37914852 PMCID: PMC10620204 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46325-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We report on an ultrafast infrared optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA), pumped by a 200-W thin-disk Yb-based regenerative amplifier at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The OPCPA is tunable in the spectral range 1.4-3.9 [Formula: see text]m, generating up to 23 W of < 100-fs signal and 13 W of < 200-fs idler pulses for infrared spectroscopy, with additional spectral filtering capabilities for Raman spectroscopy. The OPCPA can also yield 19 W of 49-fs 1.75-[Formula: see text]m signal or 5 W of 62-fs 2.8-[Formula: see text]m idler pulses with active carrier-to-envelope-phase (CEP) stabilisation for high-harmonic generation (HHG). We illustrate the versatility of the laser design, catering to various experimental requirements for probing ultrafast science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Thiré
- Fastlite, 165 route des cistes, 06600, Antibes, France.
| | - Gourab Chatterjee
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK.
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA.
| | - Yoann Pertot
- Fastlite, 165 route des cistes, 06600, Antibes, France
| | | | - Gabriel Karras
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Yu Zhang
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Adam S Wyatt
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Michael Towrie
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Emma Springate
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Gregory M Greetham
- STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Nicolas Forget
- Fastlite, 165 route des cistes, 06600, Antibes, France
- CNRS UMR7010 INPHYNI, 1361 route des Lucioles, 06560, Valbonne, France
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Zhang X, Ye J, Luo X, Chen X, Zhang L, Xu X, Ren H, Lu Y, Ma Y, Gao Q, Sun J, Wang W. 300 W two-stage Nd:YAG Innoslab microsecond amplifier. APPLIED OPTICS 2021; 60:971-975. [PMID: 33690406 DOI: 10.1364/ao.414813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, a two-stage partially pumped slab (Innoslab) microsecond amplifier at 1064 nm is reported. The 4.4-W single-frequency seed laser is amplified to 303.6 W, with an overall optical-optical efficiency of 25.7%. The overlapping efficiency of the first- and second- amplifier stage is 67% and 55.6%, respectively. The pulse width is 145.0 µs, at a repetition rate of 500 Hz, and the beam quality factor of M2 is 1.84 and 1.71 in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. With higher overlap between the pump volume and the seed laser mode, the output power and optical-optical efficiency can be further improved.
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3
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Wang Y, Chi H, Baumgarten C, Dehne K, Meadows AR, Davenport A, Murray G, Reagan BA, Menoni CS, Rocca JJ. 1.1 J Yb:YAG picosecond laser at 1 kHz repetition rate. OPTICS LETTERS 2020; 45:6615-6618. [PMID: 33325852 DOI: 10.1364/ol.413129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the generation of 1.1 J pulses of picosecond duration at 1 kHz repetition rate (1.1 kW average power) from a diode-pumped chirped pulse amplification Yb:YAG laser. The laser employs cryogenically cooled amplifiers to generate λ=1030nm pulses with average power of up to 1.26 kW prior to compression with excellent beam quality. Pulses are compressed to 4.5 ps duration with 90% efficiency. This compact picosecond laser will enable a variety of applications that require high energy ultrashort pulses at kilohertz repetition rates.
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4
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Mackonis P, Rodin AM. OPCPA investigation with control over the temporal shape of 1.2 ps pump pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:12020-12027. [PMID: 32403703 DOI: 10.1364/oe.383754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We report a study of a compact, scalable up to TW peak power OPCPA with ∼1.2 ps pump pulses delivered from a Yb:YAG laser. Passive synchronization was ensured by using a small portion of the energy to generate a stable supercontinuum in the YAG, and the rest was directed to pump the three OPCPA stages. The temporal shape of the pump pulse was controlled by the degree of depletion of fundamental radiation in a two-cascade second harmonic converter. Under optimal conditions, the energy of amplified pulses reached ∼2.1 mJ with the support of a spectral bandwidth sufficient for a transform-limited pulse width of 8.6 fs.
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5
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Mackonis P, Rodin AM. Laser with 1.2 ps, 20 mJ pulses at 100 Hz based on CPA with a low doping level Yb:YAG rods for seeding and pumping of OPCPA. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:1261-1268. [PMID: 32121840 DOI: 10.1364/oe.380907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report on a picosecond two-stage double-pass chirped pulse amplifier based on a low doping level Yb:YAG rods. After compression, it provides output pulses with a pulsewidth of 1.15 ps and an energy of more than 20 mJ at a repetition rate of 100 Hz with a beam quality of M2 ∼1.05. These pulses were frequency doubled in a two-cascaded second harmonic converter based on LBO and BBO crystals with an output energy of 12 mJ and 5 mJ at 515 nm, suitable for simultaneously pumping OPCPA cascades.
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6
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Demirbas U, Cankaya H, Thesinga J, Kärtner FX, Pergament M. Efficient, diode-pumped, high-power (>300W) cryogenic Yb:YLF laser with broad-tunability (995-1020.5 nm): investigation of E//a-axis for lasing. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:36562-36579. [PMID: 31873432 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.036562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We present, what is to our knowledge, the first detailed lasing investigation of cryogenic Yb:YLF gain media in the E//a-axis. Compared to the usually employed E//c-axis, the a-axis of Yb:YLF provides a much broader and smooth gain profile, but this comes at the expense of reduced gain product. We have shown that, despite the lower gain, which (i) increases susceptibility to cavity losses, (ii) raises lasing threshold, and (iii) inflates thermal load, efficient and high-power lasing could be achieved in the E//a axis as well. A record continuous-wave (cw) powers above 300 W, cw slope efficiencies of 73%, and a tuning range covering the 995-1020.5 nm region were demonstrated. In quasi-cw lasing experiments, via minimization of thermal effects, slope efficiencies can be scaled up to 85%. In gain-switched operation, sub-50-µs long pulses with a peak power exceeding 2.5 kW at multi-kHz repetition rate were attained. We measured a beam quality factor below 1.5 for laser average powers up to 100 W and below 3 for laser average powers up to 300 W. Power scaling limits due to thermal effects, laser dynamics in pulsed pumping, and multicolor lasing operation potential were also investigated. The detailed results presented in this manuscript will pave the way towards development of high-power and high-energy Yb:YLF oscillators and amplifiers with sub-500-fs pulse duration.
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7
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Puppin M, Deng Y, Nicholson CW, Feldl J, Schröter NBM, Vita H, Kirchmann PS, Monney C, Rettig L, Wolf M, Ernstorfer R. Time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of solids in the extreme ultraviolet at 500 kHz repetition rate. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2019; 90:023104. [PMID: 30831759 DOI: 10.1063/1.5081938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) employing a 500 kHz extreme-ultraviolet light source operating at 21.7 eV probe photon energy is reported. Based on a high-power ytterbium laser, optical parametric chirped pulse amplification, and ultraviolet-driven high-harmonic generation, the light source produces an isolated high-harmonic with 110 meV bandwidth and a flux of more than 1011 photons/s on the sample. Combined with a state-of-the-art ARPES chamber, this table-top experiment allows high-repetition rate pump-probe experiments of electron dynamics in occupied and normally unoccupied (excited) states in the entire Brillouin zone and with a temporal system response function below 40 fs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Puppin
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Y Deng
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - C W Nicholson
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - J Feldl
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - N B M Schröter
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - H Vita
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - P S Kirchmann
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - C Monney
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - L Rettig
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - M Wolf
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - R Ernstorfer
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Alismail A, Wang H, Brons J, Fattahi H. 20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28745636 PMCID: PMC5612272 DOI: 10.3791/55717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
This is a report on a 100 W, 20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier. A homemade Yb:YAG thin-disk, Kerr-lens mode-locked oscillator with turn-key performance and microjoule-level pulse energy is used to seed the regenerative chirped-pulse amplifier. The amplifier is placed in airtight housing. It operates at room temperature and exhibits stable operation at a 5 kHz repetition rate, with a pulse-to-pulse stability less than 1%. By employing a 1.5 mm-thick beta barium borate crystal, the frequency of the laser output is doubled to 515 nm, with an average power of 70 W, which corresponds to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 70%. This superior performance makes the system an attractive pump source for optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers in the near-infrared and mid-infrared spectral range. Combining the turn-key performance and the superior stability of the regenerative amplifier, the system facilitates the generation of a broadband, CEP-stable seed. Providing the seed and pump of the optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) from one laser source eliminates the demand of active temporal synchronization between these pulses. This work presents a detailed guide to set up and operate a Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier, based on chirped-pulse amplification (CPA), as a pump source for an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayman Alismail
- Department of Physics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Physics and Astronomy Department, King Saud University
| | - Haochuan Wang
- Department of Physics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics
| | | | - Hanieh Fattahi
- Department of Physics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics;
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9
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Alismail A, Wang H, Altwaijry N, Fattahi H. Carrier-envelope phase stable, 5.4 μJ, broadband, mid-infrared pulse generation from a 1-ps, Yb:YAG thin-disk laser. APPLIED OPTICS 2017; 56:4990-4994. [PMID: 29047647 DOI: 10.1364/ao.56.004990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report on a simple scheme to generate broadband, μJ pulses centered at 2.1 μm with an intrinsic carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stability from the output of a Yb:YAG regenerative amplifier delivering 1-ps pulses with randomly varying CEP. To the best of our knowledge, the reported system has the highest optical-to-optical efficiency for converting 1-ps, 1 μm pulses to CEP stable, broadband, 2.1 μm pulses. The generated coherent light carries an energy of 5.4 μJ, at 5 kHz repetition rate, that can be scaled to higher energy or power by using a suitable front end, if required. The system is ideally suited for seeding broadband parametric amplifiers and multichannel synthesizers pumped by picosecond Yb-doped amplifiers, obviating the need for active timing synchronization. Alternatively, this scheme can be combined with high-power oscillators with tens of μJ energy to generate CEP stable, multioctave supercontinua, suitable for field-resolved and time-resolved spectroscopy.
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10
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Nubbemeyer T, Kaumanns M, Ueffing M, Gorjan M, Alismail A, Fattahi H, Brons J, Pronin O, Barros HG, Major Z, Metzger T, Sutter D, Krausz F. 1 kW, 200 mJ picosecond thin-disk laser system. OPTICS LETTERS 2017; 42:1381-1384. [PMID: 28362774 DOI: 10.1364/ol.42.001381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report on a laser system based on thin-disk technology and chirped pulse amplification, providing output pulse energies of 200 mJ at a 5 kHz repetition rate. The amplifier contains a ring-type cavity and two thin Yb:YAG disks, each pumped by diode laser systems providing up to 3.5 kW power at a 969 nm wavelength. The average output power of more than 1 kW is delivered in an excellent output beam characterized by M2=1.1. The output pulses are compressed to 1.1 ps at full power with a pair of dielectric gratings.
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11
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Budriūnas R, Stanislauskas T, Adamonis J, Aleknavičius A, Veitas G, Gadonas D, Balickas S, Michailovas A, Varanavičius A. 53 W average power CEP-stabilized OPCPA system delivering 5.5 TW few cycle pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate. OPTICS EXPRESS 2017; 25:5797-5806. [PMID: 28380838 DOI: 10.1364/oe.25.005797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We present a high peak and average power optical parametric chirped pulse amplification system driven by diode-pumped Yb:KGW and Nd:YAG lasers running at 1 kHz repetition rate. The advanced architecture of the system allows us to achieve >53 W average power combined with 5.5 TW peak power, along with sub-220 mrad CEP stability and sub-9 fs pulse duration at a center wavelength around 880 nm. Broadband, background-free, passively CEP stabilized seed pulses are produced in a series of cascaded optical parametric amplifiers pumped by the Yb:KGW laser, while a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser system provides multi-mJ pump pulses for power amplification stages. Excellent stability of output parameters over 16 hours of continuous operation is demonstrated.
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12
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Indra L, Batysta F, Hříbek P, Novák J, Hubka Z, Green JT, Antipenkov R, Boge R, Naylon JA, Bakule P, Rus B. Picosecond pulse generated supercontinuum as a stable seed for OPCPA. OPTICS LETTERS 2017; 42:843-846. [PMID: 28198879 DOI: 10.1364/ol.42.000843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We present a stable supercontinuum (SC) generated in a bulk YAG crystal, pumped by 3 ps chirped pulses at 1030 nm. The SC is generated in a loose focus geometry in a 13 cm long YAG crystal, allowing for stable and robust single-filament generation. The SC energy stability exceeds that of the pump laser by almost a factor of 3. Additionally, we show that the SC spectrum has long-term stability and that the SC is coherent and compressible by compressing the portions of SC spectra close to the corresponding Fourier limit. This makes the picosecond-pulse-driven SC a suitable stable seed for OPCPA amplifiers.
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13
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Morrissey FX, Fan TY, Miller DE, Rand D. Picosecond kilohertz-class cryogenically cooled multistage Yb-doped chirped pulse amplifier. OPTICS LETTERS 2017; 42:707-710. [PMID: 28198845 DOI: 10.1364/ol.42.000707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A multistage cryogenic chirped pulse amplifier has been developed, utilizing two different Yb-doped gain materials in subsequent amplifier stages. A Yb:GSAG regenerative amplifier followed by a Yb:YAG power amplifier is able to deliver pulses with a broader bandwidth than a system using only one of these two gain media throughout. We demonstrate 90 mJ of pulse energy (113 W of average power) uncompressed and 67 mJ (84 W of average power) compressed at 1.25 kHz pulse repetition frequency, 3.0 ps FWHM Gaussian pulse width, and near-diffraction-limited (M2<1.3) beam quality.
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14
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Buberl T, Alismail A, Wang H, Karpowicz N, Fattahi H. Self-compressed, spectral broadening of a Yb:YAG thin-disk amplifier. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:10286-10294. [PMID: 27409853 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.010286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate pulse shortening of 1-ps Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier to 500 fs by cross-polarized wave generation (XPW) in a 6 mm BaF2 crystal. The process is self-compressed and has 8.5% conversion efficiency corresponding to 18 µJ energy. Our theoretical and experimental investigation shows that the factor of 3 spectral broadening and pulse shortening in ps-XPW-generation only happens in unsaturated regime. We demonstrate that the initial spectral chirp affects the spectral broadening and pulse shortening of XPW pulses.
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15
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Novák J, Green JT, Metzger T, Mazanec T, Himmel B, Horáček M, Hubka Z, Boge R, Antipenkov R, Batysta F, Naylon JA, Bakule P, Rus B. Thin disk amplifier-based 40 mJ, 1 kHz, picosecond laser at 515 nm. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:5728-5733. [PMID: 27136770 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.005728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We report on a frequency-doubled picosecond Yb:YAG thin disk regenerative amplifier, developed as a pump laser for a kilohertz repetition rate OPCPA. At a repetition rate of 1 kHz, the compressed output of the regenerative amplifier has a pulse duration of 1.2 ps and pulse energy of 90 mJ with energy stability of σ < 0.8% and M2 < 1.2. The pulses are frequency doubled in an LBO crystal yielding 42 mJ at 515 nm.
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16
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Chen W, Song Y, Jung K, Hu M, Wang C, Kim J. Few-femtosecond timing jitter from a picosecond all-polarization-maintaining Yb-fiber laser. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:1347-1357. [PMID: 26832515 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.001347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We characterize the timing jitter of a picosecond all-polarization-maintaining (all-PM) Yb-fiber laser using the optical cross-correlation method. For the 10 MHz all-normal dispersion mode-locked laser with ~0.5 nm spectral bandwidth, the measured high-frequency jitter is as low as 5.9 fs (RMS) when integrated from 10 kHz to the Nyquist frequency of 5 MHz. A complete numerical model with ASE noise is built to simulate the timing jitter characteristics in consideration of intracavity pulse evolution. The mutual comparison among simulation result, analytical model and experiment data indicate that the few femtosecond timing jitter from the picosecond fiber laser is attributed to the complete elimination of Gordon-Haus jitter by narrow bandpass filtering by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The low level of timing jitter from this compact and maintenance-free PM picosecond fiber laser source at a low MHz repetition rate is promising to advance a number of femtosecond-precision timing and synchronization applications.
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17
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Diode-Pumped High Energy and High Average Power All-Solid-State Picosecond Amplifier Systems. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/app5041590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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18
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Lesparre F, Gomes JT, Délen X, Martial I, Didierjean J, Pallmann W, Resan B, Eckerle M, Graf T, Abdou Ahmed M, Druon F, Balembois F, Georges P. High-power Yb:YAG single-crystal fiber amplifiers for femtosecond lasers in cylindrical polarization. OPTICS LETTERS 2015; 40:2517-2520. [PMID: 26030546 DOI: 10.1364/ol.40.002517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate a three-stage diode-pumped Yb:YAG single-crystal-fiber amplifier to generate femtosecond pulses at high average powers with linear or cylindrical (i.e., radial or azimuthal) polarization. At a repetition rate of 20 MHz, 750-fs pulses were obtained at an average power of 85 W in cylindrical polarization and at 100 W in linear polarization. The report includes investigations on the use of Yb:YAG single-crystal fibers with different length/doping ratio and the zero-phonon pumping at a wavelength of 969 nm in order to optimize the performance.
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19
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Chang CL, Krogen P, Hong KH, Zapata LE, Moses J, Calendron AL, Liang H, Lai CJ, Stein GJ, Keathley PD, Laurent G, Kärtner FX. High-energy, kHz, picosecond hybrid Yb-doped chirped-pulse amplifier. OPTICS EXPRESS 2015; 23:10132-10144. [PMID: 25969056 DOI: 10.1364/oe.23.010132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We report on a diode-pumped, hybrid Yb-doped chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser system with a compact pulse stretcher and compressor, consisting of Yb-doped fiber preamplifiers, a room-temperature Yb:KYW regenerative amplifier (RGA), and cryogenic Yb:YAG multi-pass amplifiers. The RGA provides a relatively broad amplification bandwidth and thereby a long pulse duration to mitigate B-integral in the CPA chain. The ~1030-nm laser pulses are amplified up to 70 mJ at 1-kHz repetition rate, currently limited by available optics apertures, and then compressed to ~6 ps with high efficiency. The near-diffraction-limited beam focusing quality is demonstrated with M(x)(2) = 1.1 and M(y)(2) = 1.2. The shot-to-shot energy fluctuation is as low as ~1% (rms), and the long-term energy drift and beam pointing stability for over 8 hours measurement are ~3.5% and <6 μrad (rms), respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this hybrid laser system produces the most energetic picosecond pulses at kHz repetition rates among rod-type laser amplifiers. With an optically synchronized Ti:sapphire seed laser, it provides a versatile platform optimized for pumping optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification systems as well as driving inverse Compton scattered X-rays.
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20
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Puppin M, Deng Y, Prochnow O, Ahrens J, Binhammer T, Morgner U, Krenz M, Wolf M, Ernstorfer R. 500 kHz OPCPA delivering tunable sub-20 fs pulses with 15 W average power based on an all-ytterbium laser. OPTICS EXPRESS 2015; 23:1491-7. [PMID: 25835905 DOI: 10.1364/oe.23.001491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
An optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier fully based on Yb lasers at 500 kHz is described. Passive optical-synchronization is achieved between a fiber laser-pumped white-light and a 515 nm pump produced with a 200 W picosecond Yb:YAG InnoSlab amplifier. An output power up to 19.7 W with long-term stability of 0.3% is demonstrated for wavelength tunable pulses between 680 nm and 900 nm and spectral stability of 0.2%; 16.5 W can be achieved with a bandwidth supporting 5.4 fs pulses. We demonstrate compression of 30 µJ pulses to sub-20 fs duration with a prism compressor, suitable for high harmonic generation.
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21
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Fattahi H, Schwarz A, Geng XT, Keiber S, Kim DE, Krausz F, Karpowicz N. Decoupling chaotic amplification and nonlinear phase in high-energy thin-disk amplifiers for stable OPCPA pumping. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:31440-31447. [PMID: 25607094 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.031440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics of chirped pulse amplification in thin-disk regenerative amplifiers relevant to the pumping of optical parametric chirp pulse amplification systems are described. It is shown that the suitability for reproducible pumping of subsequent nonlinear processes requires a balance between the demands of avoiding chaotic pulse train dynamics and providing a reproducible spectral phase. We describe measures that may be taken to ensure that a laser system operates in the desired stable regime.
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22
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Prinz S, Häfner M, Schultze M, Teisset CY, Bessing R, Michel K, Kienberger R, Metzger T. Active pump-seed-pulse synchronization for OPCPA with sub-2-fs residual timing jitter. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:31050-31056. [PMID: 25607054 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.031050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Short-pulse-pumped optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) requires a precise temporal overlap of the interacting pulses in the nonlinear crystal to achieve stable performance. We present active synchronization of the ps-pump pulses and the broadband seed pulses used in an OPCPA system with a residual timing jitter below 2 fs. This unprecedented stability was achieved utilizing optical parametric amplification to generate the error signal, requiring less than 4 pJ of seed- and 10 µJ of pump-pulse-energy in the optical setup. The synchronization system shows excellent long-term performance and can be easily implemented in almost any OPCPA system.
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23
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Schneider W, Ryabov A, Lombosi C, Metzger T, Major Z, Fülöp JA, Baum P. 800-fs, 330-μJ pulses from a 100-W regenerative Yb:YAG thin-disk amplifier at 300 kHz and THz generation in LiNbO₃. OPTICS LETTERS 2014; 39:6604-7. [PMID: 25490632 DOI: 10.1364/ol.39.006604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Yb:YAG thin-disk lasers offer extraordinary output power, but systems delivering femtosecond pulses at a repetition rate of hundreds of kilohertz are scarce, even though this regime is ideal for ultrafast electron diffraction, coincidence imaging, attosecond science, and terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. Here we describe a regenerative Yb:YAG amplifier based on thin-disk technology, producing 800-fs pulses at a repetition rate adjustable between 50 and 400 kHz. The key design elements are a short regenerative cavity and fast-switching Pockels cell. The average output power is 130 W before the compressor and 100 W after compression, which at 300 kHz corresponds to pulse energies of 430 and 330 μJ, respectively. This is sufficient for a wide range of nonlinear conversions and broadening/compression schemes. As a first application, we use optical rectification in LiNbO₃ to produce 30-nJ single-cycle THz pulses with 6 W pump power. The electric field exceeds 10 kV/cm at a central frequency of 0.3 THz, suitable for driving structural dynamics or controlling electron beams.
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24
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Bradler M, Riedle E. Sub-20 fs μJ-energy pulses tunable down to the near-UV from a 1 MHz Yb-fiber laser system. OPTICS LETTERS 2014; 39:2588-2591. [PMID: 24784052 DOI: 10.1364/ol.39.002588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Optical parametric amplifiers render widely tunable ultrashort pulses, but for full spectral coverage, complex mixing schemes are needed. In particular, the blue and near-UV part of the spectrum is not directly reached with the 800 nm pump from Ti:sapphire systems or the 1030 nm pump of Yb-based lasers. We combine third harmonic pumping at 343 nm with seeding by a second harmonic (SH) pumped continuum to tune a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier down to 395 nm. Together with a SH pumped branch, the full range from 395 to 970 nm is covered with 20 fs pulse length or less. Pulse energies up to the μJ-level with an average power of up to 200 mW at 200 kHz and 480 mW at 1 MHz are achieved. With additional frequency doubling, the full range down to 210 nm is reached without gap. Two-photon absorption in the amplifier crystal is discussed as the critical issue in UV-pumped systems.
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25
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Riedel R, Stephanides A, Prandolini MJ, Gronloh B, Jungbluth B, Mans T, Tavella F. Power scaling of supercontinuum seeded megahertz-repetition rate optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers. OPTICS LETTERS 2014; 39:1422-1424. [PMID: 24690803 DOI: 10.1364/ol.39.001422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers with high average power are possible with novel high-power Yb:YAG amplifiers with kW-level output powers. We demonstrate a compact wavelength-tunable sub-30-fs amplifier with 11.4 W average power with 20.7% pump-to-signal conversion efficiency. For parametric amplification, a beta-barium borate crystal is pumped by a 140 W, 1 ps Yb:YAG InnoSlab amplifier at 3.25 MHz repetition rate. The broadband seed is generated via supercontinuum generation in a YAG crystal.
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26
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Prandolini MJ, Riedel R, Schulz M, Hage A, Höppner H, Tavella F. Design considerations for a high power, ultrabroadband optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:1594-1607. [PMID: 24515165 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.001594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A conceptual design of a high power, ultrabroadband optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) was carried out comparing nonlinear crystals (LBO and BBO) for 810 nm centered, sub-7.0 fs pulses with energies above 1 mJ. These amplifiers are only possible with a parallel development of kilowatt-level OPCPA-pump amplifiers. It is therefore important to know good strategies to use the available OPCPA-pump energy efficiently. Numerical simulations, including self- and cross-phase modulation, were used to investigate the critical parameters to achieve sufficient spectral and spatial quality. At high output powers, thermal absorption in the nonlinear crystals starts to degrade the output beam quality. Strategies to minimize thermal effects and limits to the maximum average power are discussed.
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27
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Angelov IB, von Pechmann M, Trubetskov MK, Krausz F, Pervak V. Optical breakdown of multilayer thin-films induced by ultrashort pulses at MHz repetition rates. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21:31453-31461. [PMID: 24514719 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.031453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Multilayer coatings composed of TiO(2), Ta(2)O(5), HfO(2), or Al(2)O(3) as high-index materials and SiO(2) as low-index material were investigated for laser-induced damage using 1 ps, 5 µJ pulses generated by a mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator operating at a wavelength of 1030 nm and repetition rate of 11.5 MHz. Previously reported linear band gap dependence of damage threshold at kHz repetition rates was confirmed also for the MHz regime. Additionally, we studied the effect of electric field distribution inside of the layer stack. We did not observe any significant influence of thermal effects on the laser-induced damage threshold in this regime.
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28
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Riedel R, Schulz M, Prandolini MJ, Hage A, Höppner H, Gottschall T, Limpert J, Drescher M, Tavella F. Long-term stabilization of high power optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21:28987-28999. [PMID: 24514414 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.028987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The long-term stability of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers is hindered by thermal path length drifts affecting the temporal pump-to-signal overlap. A kilowatt-pumped burst amplifier is presented delivering broadband 1.4 mJ pulses with a spectral bandwidth supporting sub-7 fs pulse duration. Active temporal overlap control can be achieved by feedback of optical timing signals from cross-correlation or spectral measurements. Using a balanced optical cross-correlator, we achieve a pump-to-signal synchronization with a residual jitter of only (46 ± 2) fs rms. Additionally, we propose passive pump-to-signal stabilization with an intrinsic jitter of (7.0 ± 0.5) fs rms using white-light continuum generation.
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29
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Noom DWE, Witte S, Morgenweg J, Altmann RK, Eikema KSE. High-energy, high-repetition-rate picosecond pulses from a quasi-CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG system. OPTICS LETTERS 2013; 38:3021-3023. [PMID: 24104637 DOI: 10.1364/ol.38.003021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We report on a high-power quasi-CW pumped Nd:YAG laser system, producing 130 mJ, 64 ps pulses at 1064 nm wavelength with a repetition rate of 300 Hz. Pulses from a Nd:YVO(4) oscillator are first amplified by a regenerative amplifier to the millijoule level and then further amplified in quasi-CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG modules. Pulsed diode pumping enables a high gain at repetition rates of several hundred hertz, while keeping thermal effects manageable. Birefringence compensation and multiple thermal-lensing-compensated relay-imaging stages are used to maintain a top-hat beam profile. After frequency doubling, 75 mJ pulses are obtained at 532 nm. The intensity stability is better than 1.1%, which makes this laser an attractive pump source for a high-repetition-rate optical parametric amplification system.
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30
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Délen X, Zaouter Y, Martial I, Aubry N, Didierjean J, Hönninger C, Mottay E, Balembois F, Georges P. Yb:YAG single crystal fiber power amplifier for femtosecond sources. OPTICS LETTERS 2013; 38:109-111. [PMID: 23454931 DOI: 10.1364/ol.38.000109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate a versatile femtosecond power amplifier using a Yb:YAG single crystal fiber operating from 10 kHz to 10 MHz. For a total pump power of 75 W, up to 30 W is generated from the double-pass power amplifier. At a repetition rate of 10 kHz, an output energy of 1 mJ is obtained after recompression. In this configuration, the pulse duration is 380 fs, corresponding to a peak power of 2.2 GW. The M2 beam quality factor is better than 1.1 for investigated parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Délen
- Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d’Optique, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Palaiseau, France.
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31
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Pelletier E, Sell A, Leitenstorfer A, Miller RJD. Mid-infrared optical parametric amplifier based on a LGSe crystal and pumped at 1.6 μm. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:27456-27464. [PMID: 23262695 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.027456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the generation of 22.6 μJ of combined energy at 3 μm for sub-300fs pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz using a LGSe optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The LGSe OPA is pumped by the 140-fs 1.6 μm pulses from a 300-mW KTA optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) based on an all-optical synchronization scheme. By using a highly-nonlinear fiber, the output of an erbium-doped fiber laser operating at 1560 nm is shifted to 1050 nm in order to coherently seed a Nd:YLF regenerative amplifier. The LGSe OPA is seeded using the MIR coming from the amplification of the 1.6 μm in the OPCPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Pelletier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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32
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Schulz M, Riedel R, Willner A, Düsterer S, Prandolini MJ, Feldhaus J, Faatz B, Rossbach J, Drescher M, Tavella F. Pulsed operation of a high average power Yb:YAG thin-disk multipass amplifier. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:5038-5043. [PMID: 22418308 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.005038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
An Yb:YAG thin-disk multipass laser amplifier system was developed operating in a 10 Hz burst operation mode with 800 µs burst duration and 100 kHz intra-burst repetition rate. Methods for the suppression of parasitic amplified spontaneous emission are presented. The average output pulse energy is up to 44.5 mJ and 820 fs compressed pulse duration. The average power of 4.45 kW during the burst is the highest reported for this type of amplifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Schulz
- Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
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33
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Schwarz A, Ueffing M, Deng Y, Gu X, Fattahi H, Metzger T, Ossiander M, Krausz F, Kienberger R. Active stabilization for optically synchronized optical parametric chirped pulse amplification. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20:5557-5565. [PMID: 22418362 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.005557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The development of new high power laser sources tends toward optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) in recent years. One of the difficulties in OPCPA is the the temporal overlap between pump and seed pulses. In this work we characterize our timing jitter on a single-shot basis using spectrally resolved cross-correlation in combination with a position sensitive detector. A commercial beam stabilization is adapted to actively enhance temporal overlap. This delay-stabilizer reduces the RMS jitter from σ = 127 fs down to σ = 24 fs. The enhanced temporal overlap is demonstrated in our frontend and we propose the scheme to be applicable in many optically synchronized high-repetition-rate OPCPA systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Schwarz
- Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
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34
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Rothhardt J, Hädrich S, Carstens H, Herrick N, Demmler S, Limpert J, Tünnermann A. 1 MHz repetition rate hollow fiber pulse compression to sub-100-fs duration at 100 W average power. OPTICS LETTERS 2011; 36:4605-4607. [PMID: 22139257 DOI: 10.1364/ol.36.004605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We report on nonlinear pulse compression at very high average power. A high-power fiber chirped pulse amplification system based on a novel large pitch photonic crystal fiber delivers 700 fs pulses with 200 μJ pulse energy at a 1 MHz repetition rate, resulting in 200 W of average power. Subsequent spectral broadening in a xenon-filled hollow-core fiber and pulse compression with chirped mirrors is employed for pulse shortening and peak power enhancement. For the first time, to our knowledge, more than 100 W of average power are transmitted through a noble-gas-filled hollow fiber. After pulse compression of 81 fs, 93 μJ pulses are obtained at a 1 MHz repetition rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rothhardt
- Institute of Applied Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 07745 Jena, Germany. jan.rothhardt@uni‐jena.de
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