Femtosecond laser pulse energy self-stabilization

A photoconductive switch driving a Pockels cell ensures energy self-stabilization of ultra-fast laser pulses from single shot to hundreds of kHz. In this kind of stabilization, the pulse corrects itself. In a first experiment, the self-stabilization of a 20-Hz, 800-nm femtosecond Chirped Pulse Amplification laser shows a reduction of the energy fluctuations from 7% rms to 0.64% rms. PACS 42.60.Lh; 42.60.Mi; 42.65.Re