基于大基模体积的10mJ飞秒钛宝石激光再生放大器

文章报导了基于大基模体积的高能量飞秒钛宝石激光再生放大器的设计与实验研究,在重复频率10 Hz、抽运能量60 mJ的激励下,得到了单脉冲能量17.4 mJ的种子脉冲放大结果,压缩后的脉冲宽度为40.6 fs,能量为13.9 mJ.借助于此大基模体积再生腔,仅增加一级多通放大,实现了峰值功率达1.9 TW飞秒激光脉冲输出.结果表明,大模体积再生放大不仅降低了后续放大对抽运能量的要求,也可以单独压缩实现再生腔直接输出10 mJ量级的飞秒激光脉冲,是大能量高峰值功率飞秒激光系统的优质前端.     

无展宽器的高重复率钛宝石啁啾飞秒脉冲再生放大器的研究

通过优化放大腔结构参数和采用高光束质量的泵浦激光,依靠放大器腔内各个元件的色散展宽种子脉冲, 用钛宝石作为增益介质, 在低泵浦能量下, 实现了高光束质量,高稳定的中等能量的高重复率飞秒脉冲再生放大. 将钛宝石晶体离焦放置,有效的避免了光学损伤. 在1.1 mJ的绿光泵浦下, 获得了2 ps, 120 μJ, 重复频率为1 KHz, 光谱带宽7.8 nm的放大脉冲, 用石英棱镜对压缩可得到130 fs的激光脉冲.     

钛宝石激光再生放大器的研究

最近,我们采用上海光机所生产的(5.2×5.5×10)mm 的钛宝石激光晶体作为再生放大器的激光介质,实现了钛宝石激光再生放大器的运转.获得了1.2mJ 的能量输出.再生放大器的泵浦源是调 Q 的倍频 Nd:YAG 激光器,它的输出光脉冲宽度小于10ns,脉冲重复频率为10Hz,实验中为避免损伤晶体,采用的泵浦能量为50mJ.种子脉冲来自于自锁模钛宝石激光器,种子脉冲首先经过光栅展宽后再注入到再生脉冲,然后进行放大.注入的种子脉冲能量为1nJ,再生腔为平凹腔,R 为4m,腔长为1.65m.再生放大器的实验结果如图所示.     

高能量环形长腔再生放大啁啾脉冲激光的研究

介绍了一种新型的高能量环形长腔再生放大器, 通过对谐振腔的模式分布进行计算, 建立了腔长为12 m的环形腔再生放大器, 在150 mJ的抽运能量下, 得到了单脉冲能量为20 mJ的放大激光输出, 对应的转化效率为13.3%, 其输出激光的能量远远超过了常规的再生放大器输出激光的单脉冲量. 放大激光的输出光谱为30 nm, 可以支持<40 fs的傅里叶转换极限脉宽. 关键词： 环形腔 再生放大 高能量     

基于1064nm光纤皮秒种子源的Nd:YAG再生放大器

利用Nd:YAG再生放大器,对1064 nm掺镱锁模全光纤激光器输出的皮秒脉冲进行了功率放大.研究分析了掺镱锁模全光纤激光器输出脉冲对Nd:YAG再生放大器能量提取效率的影响,通过对掺镱锁模全光纤激光器自相位调制的控制,减少了输出光谱的振荡结构,提高了掺镱锁模全光纤激光器对Nd:YAG再生放大器的能量提取效率,实现了对锁模全光纤激光器输出的中心波长1064.4 nm,3 dB光谱宽度0.35 nm、脉宽11 ps、单脉冲能量为3.2 nJ、频率为38 MHz的锁模脉冲的再生放大,得到输出重复频率为1 kHz,最大的单脉冲能量为1.3 mJ的皮秒脉冲.     

1.8 mJ高倍率Nd:YAG板条皮秒激光放大器

设计了一种高倍率的固体皮秒脉冲激光放大器,采用Nd:YAG板条作为激光增益介质。借助板条结构的角度选通结构,搭建了板条五通放大系统,实现了对注入皮秒脉冲激光的高倍率放大。种子源工作在脉冲模式,放大器泵浦源在连续模式工作。皮秒光纤激光器可以在不同的重复频率下工作,脉冲宽度为13.4 ps。种子光经过隔离和耦合系统之后,注入板条的单脉冲能量为25 nJ。当种子源工作重复频率为24.46 MHz时,板条放大器输出平均功率377 W,单脉冲能量15.5 μJ;当种子源工作重复频率为49.8 kHz时,板条放大器输出平均功率89 W,单脉冲能量1.8 mJ,峰值功率为134 MW,放大倍率达到7.2×104。     

紫外超短脉冲激光放大过程中脉宽压缩的方案设计

采用放电泵浦KrF准分子激光放大器放大波长为248.4nm的紫外超短脉冲激光。对于能量为0.7mJ、脉宽为550fs的输入脉冲,在光束直径保持10mm不变的条件下,能量放大到15mJ,脉宽展宽到1200fs。为了压缩输出脉冲宽度,分析了群速度色散和自相位调制效应对脉宽展宽的影响。利用棱镜对,采用4种不同的实验方案对脉冲引入负的线性频率啁啾,以补偿KrF准分子激光放大器CaF2窗镜中的群速度色散和自相位调制对脉冲引入的正的线性频率啁啾。结果表明:在放大器之前放置棱镜对的方式可以在保持输出脉冲能量为15mJ的同时,在棱镜对间距为110cm的条件下,将输出脉冲宽度压缩到370fs,输出波长为248.4nm、带宽为0.4nm。     

高能量全光纤2 μm掺铥脉冲光纤激光器

基于增益开关技术获得了稳定的高能量全光纤结构2 m脉冲光纤激光器,脉冲重复频率在10~50 kHz之间可调,输出激光中心波长为1958 nm,输出脉冲宽度随着泵浦功率的增加不断减小,其变化范围为1.2~1.7 s。采用两级掺铥光纤放大器对种子激光进行放大,当脉冲重复频率为10 kHz时,获得了5.18 W的输出平均功率,输出脉冲宽度为1.6 s,单脉冲能量为0.518 mJ。     

10kW峰值功率高脉冲能量全光纤结构2μm掺铥光纤激光器

基于增益开关技术在高掺杂浓度掺铥光纤中获得了稳定的2μm种子脉冲激光,输出激光中心波长为1 979.4nm,脉冲重复频率在1~100kHz之间可调,输出脉冲宽度变化范围为60~200ns。采用两级掺铥光纤放大器对该种子脉冲激光进行放大实验,当种子脉冲激光重复频率为20kHz时获得最大输出平均功率为17.2W,输出光谱没有观察到明显的放大自发辐射噪声。最大功率输出时,脉冲宽度为82ns,对应单脉冲能量为0.86mJ,脉冲峰值功率高于10kW。     

采用环形再生腔结构的飞秒激光啁啾脉冲放大研究

采用环形再生腔结构的啁啾脉冲放大技术方案, 在重复频率100 Hz,单脉冲能量33.1 mJ的532 nm激光抽运下, 从钛宝石激光中获得了单脉冲能量9.84 mJ的放大输出, 对应的斜效率达33.1%.在重复频率10 Hz的情况下, 同样获得了单脉冲能量为9.64 mJ, 对应斜效率达36.8%的高效率放大结果. 通过色散补偿压缩该啁啾激光脉冲后的单脉冲能量为6.36 mJ, 脉冲宽度为59.7 fs. 测量结果表明典型的能量不稳定度为1.85%. 关键词： 啁啾脉冲放大 再生放大 飞秒激光 环形腔     

Sub-picosecond pulses at 100 W average power from a Yb:YLF chirped-pulse amplification system

We present a high-repetition-frequency, diode-pumped, and chirped-pulse amplification system operating at 106 W average output power with excellent beam quality (M(2)=1.3), based on cryogenically cooled Yb:YLF. 1 nJ seed pulses, derived from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, are first amplified to 1 mJ pulse energy at 10 kHz repetition frequency in a regenerative amplifier. The second-stage, multipass amplifier increases the pulse energy to 10.6 mJ, resulting in a spectral width of 2.2 nm. The pulses are compressed to 865 fs in duration, which is 1.26 times the transform limit.     

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.     

High-average-power kilohertz-repetition-rate sub-100-fs Ti:sapphire amplifier system

We report on a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser amplifier system that generates pulse energies >5 mJ at a 1-kHz repetition rate. The system consists of regenerative and multipass amplifiers and uses the technique of chirped-pulse amplification. When the system was seeded with 70-fs pulses at 800 nm from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire oscillator, amplified pulses of 94-fs duration at a repetition rate of 1 kHz and an average output power of 5.4 W were produced. The amplified pulse-repetition rate is variable from 250 Hz to 3 kHz. Pulse energies of >7.5 mJ were obtained at 500 and 250 Hz.     

输出能量4mJ的1kHz飞秒掺钛蓝宝石激光再生放大研究

针对高能量千赫兹重复频率飞秒激光的应用需求,设计了一套采用线性再生腔结构的高效率飞秒钛宝石激光啁啾脉冲放大系统.通过优化腔型设计,在重复频率为1 kHz、单脉冲能量为20 mJ的527 nm激光抽运下,将展宽后的800 nm啁啾脉冲激光的能量放大到5.8 mJ,对应斜效率达到30.7%.进一步通过色散补偿压缩脉冲宽度,获得了单脉冲能量为4 mJ、脉冲宽度为45.7 fs的输出,稳定性测量表明激光的能量抖动仅为0.18%(均方根值).     

12-fs pulses from a continuous-wave-pumped 200-nJ Ti:sapphire amplifier at a variable repetition rate as high as 4 MHz

We demonstrate a novel compact femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system operating at repetition rates from 10 kHz to 4 MHz. The scheme is based on the combination of a broadband cavity-dumped oscillator and a double-pass Ti:sapphire amplifier pumped by a low-noise cw solid-state laser. Amplified pulses with an extremely smooth spectrum, a duration of only 12 fs, and less than 0.25% rms fluctuation are generated in a beam with M2 < 1.2. A maximum pulse energy of 210 nJ and an average output power of as much as 720 mW are achieved. This output energy is sufficient to generate a stable continuum in a sapphire disk.     

Compression of the pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser system to 5 femtoseconds at 0.2 terawatt level

High intensity contrast ratio, pre-pulse free pulses with pulse duration of 5 fs and pulse energy of 1 mJ were generated at a repetition rate of 1 kHz by compressing the output pulses of a multi-stage Ti:sapphire laser amplifier system in a Ne-gas-filled hollow fibre. The spatial and temporal properties of the output laser beam were fully characterised. PACS 42.60.Jf; 42.65.Re; 42.81.Qb     

High-power parametric amplification of 11.8-fs laser pulses with carrier-envelope phase control

Phase-stable parametric chirped-pulse amplification of ultrashort pulses from a carrier-envelope phase-stabilized mode-locked Ti:sapphire oscillator (11.0 fs) to 0.25 mJ/pulse at 1 kHz is demonstrated. Compression with a grating compressor and a LCD shaper yields near-Fourier-limited 11.8-fs pulses with an energy of 0.12 mJ. The amplifier is pumped by 532-nm pulses from a synchronized mode-locked laser, Nd:YAG amplifier system. This approach is shown to be promising for the next generation of ultrafast amplifiers aimed at producing terawatt-level phase-controlled few-cycle laser pulses.     

Picosecond laser system with 30-W average power via cavity dumping and amplifying

We present a picosecond laser system with high energy by technologies of cavity dumping and amplifying. Firstly, pulses with 10 ps and ～520 nJ were obtained by cavity-dumped mode-locked laser at 10 kHz repetition rate. Secondly those pulses were seeded into a side-pumped regenerative amplifier (RA). Then pulses output from the regenerative amplifier were amplified by two four-pass post amplifiers. From the laser system pulses with an average power of 30 W corresponding to 3 mJ pulse energy were achieved with the pulse-width of 25.4 ps at repetition rate of 10 kHz.     

A double-pass optical parametric amplifier seeded by a blue-shifted output of a photonic-crystal fiber

A blue-shifted output of a photonic-crystal fiber, providing a frequency upconversion of femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses, is used to seed a double-pass optical parametric oscillator (OPA). The OPA is based on a BBO crystal, pumped by 65-mW 150-fs second-harmonic pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser. Gain factors in excess of 10³ are demonstrated for such an OPA, yielding tunable light pulses within the range of wavelengths from 420 to 650 nm, a peak power up to 250 kW, and a typical pulse width of about 200 fs at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. PACS 42.81.Gs; 42.81.Qb