We report on a novel 10 mJ-level diode-pumped Yb:KYW amplifier at 1040 nm, which generates picosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. It will be used in the front end of a petawatt laser system for pumping an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) for contrast enhancement. For synchronization purposes the amplifier is seeded by pulses that are derived from the femtosecond oscillator. After stretching by a volume Bragg grating and amplification in a double stage fiber amplifier the pulses are injected into the Yb:KYW regenerative cavity. Finally, the pulses are compressed to 1 ps before preparing pump pulses for the OPA by second harmonic conversion.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.