宽带光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统的色散控制

在设计宽带光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统时,对色散源进行了理论分析和讨论。对光学参变啁啾脉冲放大系统的色散量以及各个过程中的高阶色散对脉冲时域和频域特性的影响进行了计算。结果表明展宽器引入了非常大的色散,放大器中信号光相位变化产生的色散较大,参量晶体本身引入的色散相对较小可以忽略不计。输出脉冲宽度主要受二阶色散影响,而三阶和四阶色散主要影响脉冲的波形和信噪比,对频域影响很小。     

用于产生亚12fs脉冲的脉冲波前匹配的超宽带光学参量啁啾脉冲放大器

研究和建议了一种用于产生亚12fs脉冲的基于脉冲波前匹配的LBO超宽带光学参量啁啾脉冲放大器。实验结果表明LBO超宽带光学参量啁啾脉冲放大器可以输出大于60nm(FWHM)的增益光谱带宽，为了利用这种放大器产生转换限制的脉冲输出，给出了一种将超宽带光学参量啁啾脉冲放大器与脉冲波前匹配相结合的方法，这种方法等价于信号光脉冲波前无斜置的放大，克服了超宽带参量啁啾脉冲放大器中由于信号光的脉冲波前斜置而导致很难获得最短压缩脉冲输出的缺陷，从而允许产生转换限制的亚12fs脉冲。     

Demonstration of highly efficient broadband amplification in a optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system

We have demonstrated highly efficient broadband amplification by an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) system that uses high energy seed pulses. The OPCPA consists of three type I B-barium borate (BBO) crystals pumped by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. We successfully amplified the microjoule level seed pulses to 78 mJ with a pump-to-signal optical conversion efficiency of 26% at a 10 Hz repetition rate. To our knowledge these results represent the most optically efficient OPCPA to date pumped by a typical Q-switched laser.     

1.5 mJ, 6.4 fs parametric chirped-pulse amplification system at 1 kHz

We demonstrate an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) system with the pulse energy of 1.5 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate. The newly developed 100 ps Ti:sapphire pump laser system, which was optically synchronized with OPCPA seed pulses, delivered 10 mJ, 400 nm pump pulses. After three-stage parametric amplification, recompression of the amplifier output from 45 ps to 6.4 fs was performed. The pulse width of 6.4 fs is, to our knowledge, the shortest ever obtained by OPCPA, and the average power of 1.5 W (1.5 mJ, 1 kHz) is believed to be the highest among few-cycle OPCPA systems.     

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.     

Yb:YAG Innoslab amplifier: efficient high repetition rate subpicosecond pumping system for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

We report on a Yb:YAG Innoslab laser amplifier system for generation of subpicsecond high energy pump pulses for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) at high repetition rates. Pulse energies of up to 20 mJ (at 12.5 kHz) and repetition rates of up to 100 kHz were attained with pulse durations of 830 fs and average power in excess of 200 W. We further investigate the possibility to use subpicosecond pulses to derive a stable continuum in a YAG crystal for OPCPA seeding.     

Frontend light source for short-pulse pumped OPCPA system

We present the development of a light source for generating optically synchronized seed pulses both for the parametric amplifier chain and the pump-laser chain of the Petawatt Field Synthesizer (PFS), which is currently under construction at MPQ. The PFS system aims at delivering waveform-controlled few-cycle laser pulses with PW-scale peak power using optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA). Methods of generating the broadband near-infrared (NIR) seed pulses for the OPCPA chain by spectral broadening using few-cycle pulses are presented. We also demonstrate the generation of a supercontinuum spanning up to three octaves (270–1500 nm) using cascaded hollow-core fibers which supports sub-cycle pulse duration.     

Femtosecond pulse parametric amplification at narrowband high power gas laser pumping

In ultrashort pulse amplification a narrowband gas pump pulse laser has been used for the first time. An all-stage optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) was driven by a single-shot iodine photodissociation laser. For the first time a broadband amplification was achieved in potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal at 800 nm seeding. Ti:sapphire laser pulses stretched from 12.5 fs to 250 ps were amplified and compressed to 27 fs at a 0.5 TW output power. The results suggest using narrowband high power gas lasers as OPCPA drivers to generate petawatt beams.     

Competing processes in optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

Optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) has the potential to revolutionise the generation of high power ultrashort optical pulses. In this paper, we present the results of a numerical investigation into processes that potentially compete with OPCPA. Specifically, we examine group velocity dispersion, non-degenerate operation, background noise, pump pulse fluctuations, and compressor error. We also discuss the “local approximation” and show that, in the case of OPCPA, it offers a substantial advantage in computational speed for minimal cost in accuracy. The overall conclusion is that OPCPA is fundamentally robust, and that the processes studied pose a less serious problem than might have been expected.     

Transmission of 10 GHz,3.5 ps Optical Pulses Over 100-km Standard Fiber Using Mid-span Spectral Inversion

Transmission of 3.5ps optical pulses over 100-km standard fiber was demonstrated by employing phase conjugation in a semiconductor optical amplifier to compensate the chromatic dispersion.The pulses were broadened to 5 ps after transmission,which confirms the applicability of this technique to ultra high-bit-rate system beyond 40 Gb/s.     

Transmission of 10 GHz, 3.5 ps Optical Pulses Over 100-km Standard Fiber Using Mid-span Spectral Inversion

1　Ｉｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎ　　Ｔｈｅｒｅｉｓａｓｔｒｏｎｇｃｏｍｍｅｒｃｉａｌｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅｔｏｕｐｇｒａｄｅｔｈｅｃａｐａｃｉｔｙｏｆｔｈｅｅｘｉｓｔｉｎｇｆｉｂｅｒｓｙｓｔｅｍｓ.Ｈｏｗｅｖｅｒ,ｄｕｅｔｏｔｈｅｆａｃｔｔｈａｔｔｈｅｍａｊｏｒｉｔｙｏｆｔｈｅｗｏｒｌｄ’ｓｉｎｓｔａｌｌｅｄｆｉｂｅｒａｒｅＧ .6 52ｓｔａｎｄａｒｄｆｉｂｅｒ,ｗｈｉｃｈｈａｓａｌａｒｇｅｄｉｓｐｅｒｓｉｏｎ ( 1 7ｐｓ/ｎｍ/ｋｍ )ａｔ 1 550ｎｍ ,ｃｈｒｏｍａｔｉｃｄｉｓｐｅｒｓｉｏｎｂｅｃｏｍｅｓｔｈｅｍａｊｏ…     

Generation of high-contrast millijoule pulses by optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification in periodically poled KTiOPO4

A new high-contrast, high-gain optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) architecture is demonstrated in periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP). This architecture overcomes parametric fluorescence contrast limitations of the OPCPA in periodically poled materials. The scheme is based on two passes of a single relay-imaged pump pulse and a free-propagating signal pulse through a 1.5 mm x 5 mm x 7.5 mm PPKTP crystal. The output energy of 1.2 mJ is generated at a center wavelength of 1053 nm by 24 mJ of pump energy. A prepulse contrast level of > 3 x 10(7) was measured with > 10(6) saturated gain in the amplifier. Amplified pulses were compressed to 200 fs. This simple and versatile concept requires only a modest pump energy from a commercial pump laser and represents a possible high-contrast front end for high-energy Nd:glass-based petawatt-class lasers.     

Generation of high-contrast and high-intensity laser pulses using an OPCPA preamplifier in a double CPA, Ti:sapphire laser system

We demonstrate a high-contrast, high-intensity double chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) Ti:sapphire laser system using an optical parametric chirped-pulse (OPCPA) pre- amplifier. By injecting cleaned microjoule seed pulses into the OPCPA, a temporal contrast greater than 10¹⁰ within picosecond times before the main femtosecond pulse is demonstrated with an output pulse energy of 1.7 J and a pulse duration of 30 fs, corresponding to a peak power of 60 TW at a 10 Hz repetition rate. This system uses a cryogenically-cooled Ti:sapphire final amplifier and generates focused peak intensities in excess of 10²⁰ W/cm².     

Broadband femtosecond OPCPA system driven by the single-shot narrow-band iodine photodissociation laser SOFIA

A two-stage optical parametric amplifier driven by a frequency-tripled beam from the high-energy iodine laser system SOFIA was built. This single-shot Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse-Amplification facility (OPCPA) and the system synchronizing the pump and signal pulses are described in detail. The chirped seed pulse of a Ti:sapphire oscillator running at the central wavelength of 800?nm is amplified in the two-stage (LBO and KDP) optical parametric amplifier over 10⁸ times. The amplified spectral bandwidth of 68?nm corresponds to the pulse duration of 14?fs when a transform-limited pulse is assumed. This implies a compressed pulse of TW power. Systematic gain measurements reveal a good match with the theoretical predictions. Signal and idler beam fluence profiles are presented. The suitability of the iodine photo-dissociation laser as a pump source for the OPCPA technique is thus proved for the first time experimentally. A distinctive feature of the iodine laser is its very narrow gain bandwidth (<0.1?cm^?1) and, therefore, the conventional chirped-pulse amplification technique does not lead to pulse durations at the femtosecond level.     

Pulse-front-matched optical parametric amplification for sub-10-fs pulse generation tunable in the visible and near infrared

A noncollinear optical parametric amplifier is presented that generates transform-limited sub-10-fs pulses that are tunable in both the visible and the near infrared (NIR). The pulse-front-matched pump geometry realizes tilt-free signal amplification, and pulses as short as 6.1 fs can be obtained from 550 to 700 nm. The large angular dispersion of the idler specific to the group-velocity-matching interaction is effectively eliminated by a grating-telescope compensator, and 9-fs NIR pulses are also successfully obtained from 900 to 1300 nm. This is believed to be the first tunable sub-10-fs light source.     

Generation of 0.66-TW pulses at 1 kHz by a Ti:sapphire laser

A 1-kHz, 0.66-TW Ti:sapphire laser has been developed. We obtained 21-fs, 14-mJ pulses with an extraction efficiency of 32% in the final amplifier. The dispersion through the system was successfully compensated for by insertion of a pair of prisms in a regenerative amplifier. The pulses were characterized by frequency-resolved optical gating and were in good agreement with dispersion calculated by three-dimensional ray tracing.     

Design considerations for a compact grism stretcher for non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

The dispersion management of a non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier is presented. A stretcher based on a combination of a grating and a prism pair (grism) is given and analyzed in detail. This combination can provide up to 300 nm acceptance bandwidth and is suitable for parametric amplification of few-cycle pulses. The amplified pulses can be compressed by the dispersion of optical glasses such as SF57 and the residual high-order dispersion may be compensated by adaptive optical filters and chirped mirrors.     

光学参变啁啾脉冲放大相位失配啁啾脉冲频谱整形新方法

相位匹配是实现高效光学参变啁啾脉冲放大(OPCPA)能量转换的关键之一,通过对几种常用非线性晶体的光学参变啁啾脉冲放大过程进行数值模拟研究,结果表明一定程度的相位失配不但能增加光学参变啁啾脉冲放大增益带宽,而且会使啁啾脉冲光谱强度分布中间凹陷。提出利用光学参变啁啾脉冲放大相位失配放大作为啁啾脉冲频谱整形的新方法,通过理论分析和模拟计算,找到了光学参变啁啾脉冲放大相位失配啁啾脉冲频谱整形效果的控制量;并对几种常用非线性晶体在简并、近简并、非简并等条件下的光学参变啁啾脉冲放大相位失配放大特性进行了比较。     

Iodine photodissociation laser SOFIA with MOPO-HF as?a?solid-state oscillator

The hybrid iodine photodissociation laser SOFIA has been constructed. The pulse feeding the amplifier chain is the idler wave of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) tuned to the atomic iodine transition at 1315 nm. This solid-state oscillator enables ps-synchronization to other laser systems. A homemade automatic stabilization of the OPO idler wave as to wavelength and pointing ensures long-term stable operation of the whole system. The active medium of the SOFIA amplifiers is a mixture of C₃F₇I and He. The SOFIA pulses are frequency-tripled in two KD*P crystals and then serve as the driver in a two-stage optical parametric amplification scheme in which chirped broadband Ti:sapphire laser pulses are amplified (OPCPA).     

Optimized amplification of femtosecond optical pulses by dispersion management for octave-spanning optical frequency comb generation

We report a method for optimizing the amplification of femtosecond optical pulses by using dispersion management. The amount of dispersion provided to the seed optical pulse of an erbium-doped fiber (EBF) has an optimal region that enhances the output power of an amplifier. The power enhancement is accompanied by spectral broadening, which originates from adiabatic narrowing in the erbium-doped fiber. The amplified optical pulses can be used to generate an octave-spanning optical frequency comb (OFC) by employing a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF).