Analysis of wavefront effects for large-aperture tiled-grating compressor

Abstract

Monolithic large-aperture diffraction grating tiling is desired to increase the output capability of multi-kilojoule petawatt laser facilities. However, the wavefront errors of input pulse and gratings will degrade the focal spot quality and the compressibility of the output pulse. In this work, the effects of wavefront error of input pulse, deformation and wave aberration of the grating for the large-aperture tiled-grating compressor are investigated theoretically. A series of numerical simulations are presented to discuss the changing trends of focal spot energy caused by wavefront error of input pulse and obtain the error tolerance for specific goals. The influences of coating stress and the wave aberration of holographic exposure gratings on the diffraction wavefront are also discussed. Some advice is proposed for improving the performance of large-aperture tiled-grating. This work paves the way for the design of practical large-aperture tiled-grating compressor for ultrahigh intensity laser facilities in the future.

Design and Optical Performance Analysis of Large-Aperture Optical Windows for Structural Vibration Reduction

“…Lucca et al investigated the aerodynamic optical effects and mechanical jitter of the optical window, with the field of view varying between 90 • and 118 • , and obtained the spatial distribution of the aerodynamic optical aberrations of the flat optical window [14]. Zhang et al proposed an intermediate ring band auxiliary support form based on ordinary ring band support, which effectively reduces the wavefront error of the optical window and improves the support efficiency of the optical window with a large diameter-to-thickness ratio [15]. To understand and evaluate the use of optical windows as materials for high-speed solid shock wave detectors, Mithun et al conducted experimental studies on high-speed collisions of laser emitting flyers with polycrystalline, glass, or polymer windows.…”