We present experimental results that show how diode-pumped Tm:YLF can be used to develop the next generation of lasers with high peak and high average power. We demonstrate the production of broad bandwidth, λ≈ 1.9 μm wavelength, high energy pulses with up to 1.6 J output energy and subsequent compression to sub-300 fs duration. This was achieved using a single 8-pass amplifier to boost stretched approximately 50 μJ pulses to the Joule-level. Furthermore, we show the average power capability of this material in a helium gas-cooled amplifier head, achieving a heat removal rate almost ten times higher than the state-of-the-art, surpassing 20 W/cm2. These demonstrations illustrate the capabilities of directly diode-pumped Tm:YLF to support TW to PW-class lasers at kW average power.
The Matter in Extreme Conditions Upgrade (MEC-U) project is a major upgrade to the MEC instrument on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) user facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The MEC instrument combines the XFEL with a high-power, short-pulse laser and high energy shock driver laser to produce and study high energy density plasmas and materials found in extreme environments such as the interior of stars and fusion reactors, providing the fundamental understanding needed for applications ranging from astronomy to fusion energy. When completed, this project will significantly increase the power and repetition rate of the MEC high intensity laser system to the petawatt level at up to 10 Hz, increase the energy of the shock-driver laser to the kilojoule level, and expand the capabilities of the MEC instrument to support groundbreaking experiments enabled by the combination of high-power lasers with the world’s brightest X-ray source. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a directly diode-pumped, 10 Hz repetition rate, 150 J, 150 fs, 1 PW laser system to be installed in the upgraded MEC facility. This laser system is an implementation of LLNL’s Scalable High power Advanced Radiographic Capability (SHARC) concept and is based on chirped pulse amplification in the diode-pumped, gas-cooled slab architecture developed for the Mercury and HAPLS laser systems. The conceptual design and capabilities of this laser system will be presented.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
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.