0.5 terawatt laser based on a hybrid architecture for high energy diode-pumped lasers delivering sub-500 fs pulses

Jean-Gabriel Brisset; Magali Durand; Emilien Gontier; Abdelhak Saci; Pierre Sevillano; Bastien Gavory; Antoine Courjaud

doi:10.1117/12.2544955

21 February 2020 0.5 terawatt laser based on a hybrid architecture for high energy diode-pumped lasers delivering sub-500 fs pulses

Jean-Gabriel Brisset, Magali Durand, Emilien Gontier, Abdelhak Saci, Pierre Sevillano, Bastien Gavory, Antoine Courjaud

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11259, Solid State Lasers XXIX: Technology and Devices; 112591I (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2544955
Event: SPIE LASE, 2020, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

An increasing number of scientific applications require highly energetic ultrafast laser system like OPA pumping, THz generation or filamentation. To address their requirements, a compact diode-pumped Terawatt-class laser was developed, this laser can deliver 220 mJ pulses at 50 Hz repetition rate and 415 fs pulse duration. The system is based on a CPA scheme starting with a synchronizable oscillator, a spectral shaper, then a regenerative amplifier and two multipass amplifiers. The laser’s modular structure allows for an upgrade with additional amplification stage. In order to maintain a large spectrum throughout the whole amplification, a spectrum modulator is used to shape the spectral amplitude of the seeded pulses. It allows the versatile shaping of the spectral bandwidth to efficiently compensate the spectral narrowing induced by the amplifiers. This spectrally shaped pulse is then seeded to a regenerative amplifier based on a Yb:CaF2 crystal. Thanks to its wide emission cross section and excellent storage efficiency, the pulse energy reached 30 mJ with a spectral bandwidth of 6nm centered at 1030 nm. This spectral shape is adapted to the two amplification stage which are based on Yb:YAG crystal. The first amplification multipass stage allows to increase the pulse energy to 90 mJ. The main amplification stage then increases the energy to 250 mJ. The energy is compressed by a pair of highly efficient gratings. The pulses are successfully compressed down to 415 fs with an output energy of 220 mJ. The beam after compression has an excellent spatial Gaussian shape, a remarkable pointing stability and a high Strehl ratio.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Jean-Gabriel Brisset, Magali Durand, Emilien Gontier, Abdelhak Saci, Pierre Sevillano, Bastien Gavory, and Antoine Courjaud "0.5 terawatt laser based on a hybrid architecture for high energy diode-pumped lasers delivering sub-500 fs pulses", Proc. SPIE 11259, Solid State Lasers XXIX: Technology and Devices, 112591I (21 February 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2544955

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available