Diffraction grating eigenvector for translational and rotational motion

Future energy scaling of high-energy chirped-pulse amplification systems will benefit from the capability to coherently tile diffraction gratings into larger apertures. Design and operation of a novel, accurate alignment diagnostic for coherently tiled diffraction gratings is required for successful implementation of this technique. An invariant diffraction direction and phase for special moves of a diffraction grating is discussed, allowing simplification in the design of the coherently tiled grating diagnostic. An analytical proof of the existence of a unique diffraction grating eigenvector for translational and rotational motion that conserves the diffraction direction and diffracted wave phase is presented.     

Coherent addition of gratings for chirped-pulse-amplified lasers based on near-field and far-field measurements

The development of phased-array grating compressor is a crucial issue for high-energy,ultra-short pulse petawatt-class lasers.Almost all systems have adopted a tiled-grating approach to meet the size requirements for the compression gratings.We present a computer-control test system utilizing near-field interference and far-field focusing capable of monitoring and fast correcting tiled errors of the grating compressor.In this system,the tilt/tip errors between the two gratings are determined by the Fourier transform (FT) of the individual interference fringe,and the piston errors are determined by the ratio of the two primary peaks formed in the far-field pattern as a function of the piston difference.Monochromatic grating phasing is achieved experimentally and pulse compression is demonstrated with a tiled grating system.     

线电荷串产生的史密斯-帕塞尔辐射

采用积分方法分析了线电荷串,沿周期性理想金属光栅表面平行移动时产生的史密斯帕塞尔辐射。分别对短周期光栅、低能量线电荷串与长周期光栅、高能量线电荷串的辐射情况进行了数值计算。相对单个线电荷而言,N个线电荷与反射光栅作用产生的辐射场密度,在频率是线电荷串调制频率的整数倍处出现最大,辐射谱宽变窄;随电荷能量增高,辐射能量向高频方向移动,并具有强烈的定向性;可以通过调节线电荷调制频率等参量实现辐射电磁波频率锁定。研究结果表明,对高能量与低能量的电荷参量,适当选择光栅尺寸与线电荷串间隔周期,都可使辐射波工作于太赫兹波段。     

用于高能啁啾脉冲压缩的光子晶体光栅的设计

 为了克服目前高能短脉冲装置压缩光栅的损伤阈值无法满足要求的问题,针对星光Ⅲ装置皮秒激光束的压缩器,设计了由熔石英材料构成的、具有较高损伤阈值的光子晶体光栅,该光栅由2维光子晶体和表面光栅结构两部分组成,具有高反射效率和强角色散的能力。计算结果显示:经过优化设计的光子晶体光栅在波长1 053 nm,57°～77°的入射范围内,-1级衍射效率超过了92%,而当入射角为71°时,在1 040～1 090 nm光谱范围内,-1级衍射效率超过92%,性能满足使用要求。     

全内反射式衍射光栅近场光学特性

 利用傅里叶模式理论分析了具有高衍射效率的全内反射式衍射光栅在TE 和TM偏振态下的近场光分布特点，讨论了光栅结构参数以及入射角度对光栅内电场增强的影响。结果表明：全内反射光栅内部电场分布对偏振态较敏感，光栅槽深和占宽比对电场增强影响较小，光栅内的峰值电场随光栅周期增大而增大，并且峰值电场随着入射角度的增大而减小。在应用于高功率激光时，降低光栅内部的电场增强可以有效降低损伤风险。     

Phase-locked control of tiled-grating assemblies for chirped-pulse-amplified lasers using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Multikilojoule petawatt lasers using chirped-pulse amplification are being constructed worldwide. Several systems have adopted a tiled-grating approach to meet the size requirements for the compression gratings. Grating tiles need to be precisely phased to ensure a transform-limited focal spot when focusing high-energy laser pulses in the target plane. A computer-control test system that uses a Mach-Zehnder interferometer capable of monitoring and correcting drift in the tiled-grating assemblies within the compressor is described. The differential errors due to eight gratings, within a compressor with four grating assemblies, were compensated by adjusting a single grating.     

多层介质膜脉冲压缩光栅近场光学特性分析

利用傅里叶模式理论分析了TE波自准直角入射的使用条件下，多层介质膜光栅的光栅区和多层膜区电场分布的特点.分别讨论了HfO₂和SiO₂为顶层光栅材料时，光栅结构参数对光栅脊峰值电场的影响，结果表明，对于不同膜厚的顶层材料，存在一个最佳膜厚度，使光栅脊峰值电场最小，并且当膜厚增大时，设计大高宽比的光栅可以降低该电场峰值.最后，在大角度条件下使用多层膜光栅也可以降低光栅脊处的峰值电场. 关键词： 衍射光学 多层介质膜光栅 模式理论 损伤阈值     

Fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by use of focused ion-beam irradiation

Long-period gratings have been made in nonphotosensitive optical fibers by irradiation of the core of a fiber with a focused beam of high-energy protons. The irradiated fibers exhibit relatively low loss, even before thermal annealing, and possess strongly wavelength-dependent transmission. The absence of a mask provides the opportunity to tailor the grating to a desired profile, and a variety of grating profiles were explored. The profile most resembling a sinusoid was found to produce the cleanest transmission spectra.     

Demonstration of large-aperture tiled-grating compressors for high-energy, petawatt-class, chirped-pulse amplification systems

Two large-aperture tiled-grating (1.5 m) compressors, each consisting of four sets of tiled-grating assemblies, have been built for the OMEGA EP high-energy petawatt-class laser system. The techniques used for tiling individual tiled-grating assemblies and for optimizing the overall performance of a tiled-grating compressor are described. Both compressors achieved subpicosecond pulse duration without tiling-induced temporal degradation. A ray-tracing model predicted that the static wavefront of the grating tiles dominated focal-spot degradations when submicroradian tiling accuracy is achieved. The tiled-grating compressors delivered a tighter focal spot compared with subaperture grating compressors with single central tiles.     

二次光栅在波前测量中的应用

采用一种特殊的二次光栅用于激光波前测量,它对非零级衍射光束具有不同的聚焦效应,其光栅线为圆弧型而非直线。导出了在会聚光束情况下的两平面成像在单一像平面上的距离关系,实验上实现了二次光栅用于会聚光束的波前测量,测量得到会聚光束具有较大的散焦(-2.93λ)和球差(1.34λ),与该透镜引起波前的离焦像差理论理想值(-2.695λ)基本符合。该技术可以实现波前的高空间分辨力和高精度实时测量,大大减少光学元件数量,降低装置成本。由于大功率激光束的不稳定性,其波前变化非常快,所以该方法的实时性非常适合于这种波前变化的测量。     

多层介质膜脉冲宽度压缩光栅与超短脉冲作用时的性能分析

基于啁啾脉冲放大技术的超短脉冲激光系统是提供超快、超强激光的重要途径，具有良好输出波形和高损伤阈值的多层介质膜脉冲宽度压缩光栅是获得高峰值功率脉冲激光的关键. 基于傅里叶谱变换方法和严格模式理论，分析了多层介质膜光栅(MDG)在超短脉冲作用下的光学特性. 结果表明，当MDG的反射带宽小于具有高斯分布的入射脉冲的频谱宽度时，-1级反射脉冲呈非对称高斯分布，其前沿出现振荡，并且-1级反射脉冲能量开始剧烈下降. 讨论了MDG结构参数对其反射带宽的影响. 分析了MDG与超短脉冲作用时的近场光分布，对提高其抗激光损 关键词： 脉冲压缩光栅 傅里叶谱变换 模式理论 损伤阈值     

Near-field optical properties of wide bandwidth metal multi-layer dielectric gratings for pulse compressor

Metal multi-layer dielectric gratings (MMDG) for pulse compressors in high-energy laser systems should provide broad bandwidth as well as high laser-induced damage thresholds. The non-uniform optical near-field distribution of MMDG is an important factor that limits damage resistant capabilities. MMDG for pulse compressors operating at 800 nm with a corrugated SiO₂ layer are designed by using a genetic algorithm and the Fourier mode method. The diffraction efficiency, bandwidth, and near-field distribution of the MMDG are theoretically investigated. For the single dielectric match layer grating, the bandwidth is 140 nm, if the thickness and refractive index of the match layer are changed, the maximum electric field in the grating ridge, match layer, and metal layer of the grating increases with the decrease in grating diffraction efficiency. For the multi-dielectric match layer grating, the bandwidth and the maximum electric field in the metal layer decrease with the increase in high- and low-index material pairs, and the maximum electric field in the grating ridge and match layer initially decreases and then increases. Over a wide wavelength range, the maximum electric field in the grating ridge, match layer, and metal layer is minimal near the central wavelength. Moreover, MMDG should be used at larger incident angles while keeping enough bandwidth to reduce the electric field in the grating.     

Sub-5-ps, multimegawatt peak-power pulses from a fiber-amplified and optically compressed passively Q-switched microchip laser

We report on high-energy picosecond pulse generation from a passively Q-switched and fiber-amplified microchip laser system. Initially, the utilized microchip lasers produce pulses with durations of around 100 ps at 1064 nm central wavelength. These pulses are amplified to energies exceeding 100 μJ, simultaneously chirped and spectrally broadened by self-phase modulation using a double stage amplifier based on single-mode LMA photonic crystal fibers at repetition rates of up to 1 MHz. Subsequently, the pulse duration of chirped pulses is reduced by means of nonlinear pulse compression to durations of 2.7 ps employing a conventional grating compressor and 4.7 ps using a compact compressor based on a chirped volume Bragg grating.     

亚波长光栅偏振片的纳秒脉冲激光损伤特性

偏振片在诸多光学系统中有着重要的应用。亚波长介质光栅可用作正入射偏振片，在高能激光系统中有着广泛的应用前景。为了探究波长为1 064 nm的纳秒脉冲激光对于亚波长全介质光栅的诱导损伤特性，使用了粒子群优化算法结合严格耦合波分析设计了光栅的几何参数，计算表明亚波长光栅偏振片在入射光波长1 064 nm附近带宽0.5 nm内，平均消光比为1 500。使用了紫外曝光配合离子束刻蚀的工艺制备了HfO₂光栅，并对其纳秒脉冲激光损伤阈值进行了测试。测试结果表明S光损伤阈值约为P光损伤阈值的5倍，且都大于5 J/cm2。结果表明亚波长全介质光栅偏振片可广泛用于正入射激光系统中。     

大口径光束波前采样器(孔栅)的研制

应用平面波角谱理论，分析了采样器对光波场采样和分光的基本原理以及对空间采样频率的选择规则，描述了实际研制的大口径采样器的结构设计，并通过数值方法和高能激光大气传输实验研究了高能激光经采样器前／后的远场光斑分布关系。结果表明：利用光束波前采样器能高保真地实现对高能激光束的分光。     

High-energy quasi-phase-matched optical parametric oscillation in a 3-mm-thick periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 device

We have demonstrated high-energy quasi-phase-matched optical parametric oscillation in a 3-mm-thick periodically poled 5-mol. % MgO-doped LiNbO3 device with a 32.1-microm grating period and a 30-mm length. With a large-spot-size pump laser of 2.2-mm diameter, we obtained a total output pulse energy of 22 mJ for both the signal (wavelength 1.82 microm) and the idler (2.56 microm) waves at an input pump energy of 46 mJ.     

预制小孔对激光诱导不锈钢等离子体辐射的增强作用

为了研究预制小孔对激光诱导不锈钢等离子体辐射特性的影响,在常压下空气中,利用高能量钕玻璃脉冲激光烧蚀不锈钢样品,由组合式多功能光栅光谱仪和CCD光谱采集处理系统记录等离子体光谱,并通过测量光谱线的强度和半高全宽度分别计算了等离子体电子温度和电子密度。研究结果表明,当一束高能量激光(～5J)作用于表面放置直径为1.5 mm、深度为0.8 mm的预制小孔的不锈钢样品时,激光等离子体发射的谱线强度提高了71.5%～125.8%,光谱信背比提高了7.6%～18.5%;而等离子体温度和电子密度分别提高了1 200 K和1.21×1016cm-3。证明了预制小孔对激光诱导不锈钢等离子体辐射有明显的增强作用。     

Tiled-grating compression of multiterawatt laser pulses

High-energy petawatt lasers require large diffraction gratings for pulse compression. As an alternative to meter-sized gratings, we demonstrate the capability of a tiled-grating system to compress multiterawatt subpicosecond laser pulses. Using a 100 TW-class Nd:glass chirped-pulse amplification laser facility, we report on the performance of a two-grating mosaic to compress high-energy pulses to 2.5 J, 450 fs (5.5 TW) in air with a beam size of 50 mm and energy transmission of 63%. Stability of the grating mosaic alignment was realized by use of an accurate nanopositioning optomechanical system. The output Gaussian spectrum was preserved from grating-gap spectral clipping and was free of modulation.     

High-energy, narrow-bandwidth periodically poled Mg-doped LiNbO3 optical parametric oscillator with a volume Bragg grating

We have demonstrated a simple, high-energy, narrow spectral bandwidth optical parametric oscillator (OPO) by use of a large aperture periodically poled Mg-doped LiNbO(3) device with a volume Bragg grating (VBG). A free-running degenerate OPO pumped by a Q-switched 1.064 microm Nd:YAG laser exhibits maximum output pulse energy of 110 mJ with high slope efficiency of 75% around room temperature. Broad spectral bandwidth (Dlambda~100 nm) around the degeneracy wavelength was suppressed by using a VBG as an output coupler. Up to 61 mJ of the output pulse energy with narrowed spectral bandwidth of less than 1.4 nm was obtained at the degeneracy wavelength of 2.128 microm.     

新概念高能激光武器与强激光光学计量检测技术

新概念高能激光武器的研究与发展已有四十多年的历史。第一代高能激光武器主要采用连续波化学激光器，其输出功率可达百万瓦。第二代高能激光武器主要采用了波长更短的节能固体激光器件，其输出功率为100kW。与第一代高能化学激光武器采用超高能量直接烧毁杀伤目标不同，第二代高能固体激光武器寻求节能型杀伤方式，即以最小程度的破坏来实现致命杀伤的效果。随着高能激光武器的发展和实战部署，作为高能激光武器核心的高能激光系统总体性能参数(能量/功率、激光波形、光束质量、近场和远场的强度分布、光束指向稳定性、光谱和偏振特性等)的计量和测试显得尤为重要。文中围绕新概念高能激光武器的历史、研究现状和未来发展展开论述。高能激光武器系统的研制对强激光光学计量检测技术提出的新要求和挑战有助于推进强激光光学计量检测技术的发展。