Hybrid chirped-pulse amplification

Conversion efficiency in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification is limited by spatiotemporal characteristics of the pump pulse. We have demonstrated a novel hybrid chirped-pulse amplification scheme that uses a single pump pulse and combines optical parametric amplification and laser amplification to achieve high gain, high conversion efficiency, and high prepulse contrast without utilization of electro-optic modulators. We achieved an overall conversion efficiency of 37% from the hybrid amplification system at a center wavelength of 820nm. Generation of multiterawatt pulses is possible by use of this simple method and commercial Q -switched pump lasers.     

光参量啁啾脉冲饱和放大的增益稳定性

 光参量啁啾脉冲放大（OPCPA）在饱和放大区存在一个增益稳定点，据此设计了一个输出稳定的三级OPCPA系统；第一、二、三级分别选用准相位匹配的周期极化钛氧磷酸钾（PPKTP）晶体、LBO晶体和KDP晶体作为增益介质。饱和放大时，增益随泵浦光强度变化时的增益输出稳定性明显改善，在泵浦光强度抖动低于6%的情况下，各级光参量放大器OPA输出的增益抖动小于1%。前级采用准相位匹配的PPKTP晶体作为增益介质，在远低于破坏阈值的30MW/cm²的泵浦功率密度下，可得到2×10⁵的饱和放大增益和20%的能量转换效率。     

High-power and high-contrast optical parametric chirped pulse amplification in beta-BaB2O4 crystal

We have developed a high-power laser system based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification in a beta-BaB2O4 crystal. The system provides gain of 10(8), a conversion efficiency of approximately 23%, an output energy of -65 mJ, and good amplified beam quality. The prepulse ratio has been measured to be 1.5 x 10(-8) or less. The spectral width was as broad as 16.5 nm centered at 1053 nm.     

5 Hz, > 250 mJ optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier at 1053 nm

A 250 mJ, 5 Hz repetition rate optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier with near-Fourier-transform-limited, 430 fs pulses and a beam that can be focused to near the diffraction limit is demonstrated. A pump laser with engineered spatial and temporal profiles allows an overall pump-to-signal conversion efficiency of 34% to be achieved.     

Wavelength-tunable high-power picosecond pulses from a fiber-pumped diode-seeded high-gain parametric amplifier

We describe a high-gain optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and optical parametric generator (OPG) system pumped by a fiber chirped-pulse amplification source based on novel large-mode-area fiber components. 45-nJ OPG thresholds and 34% pump-signal conversion efficiencies are obtained for ~4-ps pulses. OPA gains in excess of 75 dB and pump-signal conversion efficiencies of ~39% (external) are demonstrated. Furthermore, we show that injection seeding of such high-gain parametric devices by use of a low-power continuous-wave beam results in high-power (>18-kW) picosecond pulses with a time-bandwidth produce of ~0.65, some ten times less than from a free-running OPG. Using such an approach, we obtain 2.7-ps 50-nJ pulses at 1.310 mum .     

基于周期极化LiTaO3晶体的高增益简并啁啾脉冲参量放大

根据准相位匹配理论计算了周期极化LiTaO₃(PPLT)晶体中0类准相位匹配过程(e+e→e)的增益曲线.在此基础上，使用数百μJ的低抽运能量获得了～10⁶的增益和～10.3%的转换效率，实现了中心波长位于1064nm的基于简并光学啁啾脉冲参量放大(OPCPA)技术的高增益放大，为产生超短超强激光脉冲提供了新的技术手段.实验结果与理论预期基本符合.     

High idler conversion with an intracavity optical parametric oscillator and difference frequency generation

Tunable mid IR generation is analyzed with an optical parametric oscillator (OSO) and difference frequency generation (DFG) based on two periodically poled gratings. To obtain chirped-pulse amplification techniques, in the difference frequency generation the group-velocity must be matched. If grating periods are selected, appropriately, the wider tunable range of output pulse can be obtained. Because the group velocity is matched, the parametric bandwidth and the maximum effective length will be enhanced. We theoretically demonstrate high idler conversion in a femtosecond optical parametric oscillators with two different and cascaded periodically poled gratings. In the first grating the signal and the idler 1 are generated, while in the second one, the midwave infrared idler 2 is generated. The dependence of the lengths of the two cavities on the conversion efficiency is discussed.     

Numerical studies of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

Based on the coupled wave equations, optical chirped-pulse parametric amplification (OPCPA) is simulated and its characteristics are investigated under the conditions of small-signal and pump depletion. The influence of the group-velocity mismatch and the phase mismatch among the three waves on the process of the amplification are discussed, respectively. Compared with the conventional chirped-pulse amplification system, synchronization between pump and signal-pulses is a crucial issue in OPCPA. The requirement on Δτ_p–s as well as the stability of the system is investigated.     

Optical switching and contrast enhancement in intense laser systems by cascaded optical parametric amplification

Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) can be used to improve the prepulse contrast in chirped-pulse amplification systems by amplifying the main pulse with a total saturated OPCPA gain, while not affecting the preceding prepulses of the seed oscillator mode-locked pulse train. We show that a simple modification of a multistage OPCPA system into a cascaded optical parametric amplifier (COPA) results in an optical switch and extreme contrast enhancement that can completely eliminate the preceding and trailing oscillator pulses. Instrument-limited measurement of a prepulse contrast ratio of 1.4 x 10(11) is demonstrated from COPA at a 30 mJ level.     

High-repetition-rate sub-5-fs pulses with 12 GW peak power from fiber-amplifier-pumped optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

An optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system delivering pulses with more than 12 GW peak power is presented. Compression to sub-5 fs, 87 μJ and 5.4 fs, 100 μJ is realized at the 30 kHz repetition rate. A high-energy fiber chirped-pulse amplification system operating at 1 mJ pulse energy and nearly transform-limited pulses is used to achieve ultrabroadband amplification in two 2mm beta-barium borate crystals. Precise pulse shaping is used to compress the pulses to a few percentages of their transform limit. Assuming diffraction limited focusing (d<2 μm), peak intensities as high as 10(18) W/cm(2) can be reached.     

Generation of 287 W, 5.5 ps pulses at 78 MHz repetition rate from a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier seeded by a fiber chirped-pulse amplification system

We generate linearly polarized, 287 W average-power, 5.5 ps pulses using a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier at a repetition rate of 78 MHz. An optical-to-optical efficiency of 41% is obtained at 700 W pump power. A 6 W, 0.4 nm bandwidth picosecond seed source at 1029 nm wavelength is constructed using a chirped-pulse fiber amplification chain based on chirped volume Bragg gratings. The combination of a fiber amplifier system and a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier results in good spatial beam quality at large average power. Low nonlinear phase accumulation as small as 5.1 x 10(-3) rad in the bulk Yb:YAG amplifier supports power scalability to a > 10 kW level without being affected by self-phase modulation. This amplification system is well suited for pumping high-power high-repetition-rate optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers.     

High-energy, high-contrast, multiterawatt laser pulses by optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

We describe a compact, reliable, high-power, and high-contrast noncollinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system. With a broadband Ti:sapphire oscillator and grating-based stretching and compression, the chirped pulses are amplified from 0.1 nJ to 122 mJ in type I beta-barium borate optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers with a total gain of over 10(9) at 10 Hz repetition rate. Pulse compression down to 19-fs duration achieved after amplification indicates a peak power of 3.2 TW at an average power of 0.62 W. The prepulse contrast is measured to be less than 10(-8) on picosecond time scales.     

Proton acceleration to 40 MeV using a high intensity, high contrast optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification/Ti:sapphire hybrid laser system

Using a high-contrast (10(10):1) and high-intensity (10(21) W/cm(2)) laser pulse with the duration of 40 fs from an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification/Ti:sapphire laser, a 40 MeV proton bunch is obtained, which is a record for laser pulse with energy less than 10 J. The efficiency for generation of protons with kinetic energy above 15 MeV is 0.1%.     

宽带光参量放大过程中的转换效率提升

建立了宽带光参量放大数值模拟平台,并基于此对宽带光参量放大系统的能量转换效率提升进行优化设计,根据模拟计算结果可以对实验中能够达到的最优化能量转换效率进行预判。建立了验证实验平台并进行了实验,研究并攻克了实验中遇到的参量荧光抑制、信号光,泵浦光空间精确匹配、脉宽精确匹配、时间波形整形等关键技术难点。在抑制参量荧光的同时实现了宽带光参量放大过程能量转换效率的提升,在单级宽带光参量放大过程中获得了30%的能量转换效率。     

Fiber-laser-based femtosecond parametric generator in bulk periodically poled LiNbO(3)

A diode-pumped system for optical parametric generation of wavelength-tunable femtosecond pulses is demonstrated. It comprises an Er-doped fiber mode-locked laser, a fiber chirped-pulse amplifier, and a bulk periodically poled LiNbO(3) (PPLN) optical parametric generator. The parametric generator is pumped at 777 nm with frequency-doubled microjoule pulses from the fiber amplifier and produces 300-fs pulses tunable from 1 to 3microm with output energies up to ~200 nJ. Use of a PPLN nonlinear crystal substantially reduces the pump energies required for efficient parametric generation. Saturated single-pass parametric energy conversion of 38% (internal) has been achieved with only 220 nJ of pump inside the crystal. A parametric generation threshold of 54 nJ is observed, and efficient parametric conversion is obtained with repetition rates up to 200 kHz.     

High-contrast, high-intensity laser pulse generation using a nonlinear preamplifier in a Ti:sapphire laser system

We report a high-contrast, high-intensity Ti:sapphire chirped-pulse amplification system that incorporates a nonlinear preamplifier based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA). By cooling the Ti:sapphire crystal in the final amplifier down to 77 K, the chirped-pulses are amplified to 2.9 J at a 10 Hz repetition rate without a thermal lensing effect. Pulse compression down to 19 fs duration obtained after amplification indicates a peak power of 80 TW. With the OPCPA, the temporal contrast is significantly improved to better than 7x10(-9) in a few picoseconds interval prior to the main laser pulse.     

Low-threshold femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on chirped-pulse frequency conversion

We report what is to our knowledge the first demonstration of a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on chirped-pulse frequency conversion in a long crystal of aperiodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate. The minimum pump threshold power was 15 mW, and a signal slope efficiency of 35% was achieved. Continuous tuning from 1190 to 1450 nm was obtained for an average pump power of 800 mW.     

Hundred mJ, sub-picoseconds, high temporal contrast OPCPA/Yb:YAG ceramic thin disk hybrid laser system

The authors have demonstrated an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA)/Yb:YAG ceramic thin disk hybrid laser system having hundred mJ level pulse energy sub-picosecond pulse duration with high temporal contrast. At an input chirped-pulse energy of 3.8?mJ from an OPCPA preamplifier an output energy of 130?mJ has been generated from multipass diode-pumped Yb:YAG ceramic thin disk amplifier. A recompressed pulse duration of 450?fs with a contrast level of less than 7.2×10^?9 at ?150?ps before the main pulse has been obtained. The contrast level is the highest value achieved in Yb:YAG chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser system at 100?mJ level.     

Acquiring 1053 nm femtosecond laser emission by optical parametric amplification based on supercontinuum white-light injection

We report a terawatt-Ti:sapphire-laser-pumped high-energy femtosecond optical parametric amplifier (OPA) with supercontinuum white-light injection. Signal pulses with a duration less than 100 fs and energy up to 4 mJ are obtained with large-aperture LiNbO3 crystals. This megajoule-class femtosecond OPA at 1053 nm presents a feasible alternative to optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification and is ready to be applied to petawatt lasers.     

Fiber-Optical Parametric Amplification of Sub-Picosecond Pulses for High-Speed Optical Communications

Abstract

This article reviews recent results of amplification of short optical pulses using fiber-optical parametric amplifiers. This includes chirped-pulse amplification of 400 fs pulses, error-free amplification of a 640-Gbit/s optical time-division multiplexed signal with less than a 1-dB power penalty, and all-optical phase-preserving amplitude regeneration of a 640-Gbit/s return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying optical time-division multiplexed signal.