Multi-kHz, multi-mJ, phase stabilized, OPCPA amplifier system

Abstract

The pump beam generation line of an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) system providing few-cycle pulses with energy in the millijoule range at repetition rates up to 10 kHz is presented. The overall design of the system is briefly discussed including stretching-compressing and parametric amplification. The main emphasis is on the requirements on the pump beam for successful pumping of a parametric amplifier. Aspects of the design of the multistage hybrid amplifier line are detailed and performances of each stage are presented.

A compact quasi-single-cycle, phase stabilized laser system

“…The system relies on an optically synchronized OPCPA design [5]. An ultra-broadband Ti:Sapphire oscillator (IdestaQE) provides the seed for both signal and pump beam of the optical parametric amplifier (OPA).…”

Hybrid master oscillator power amplifier system providing 10 mJ, 32 W, and 50 MW pulses for optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification pumping

“…Similar to [20], an ultrabroadband, few-cycle Ti:sapphire oscillator (Octavius-85M, MenloSystem, Inc.) is used as the front end and provides a seed at 1064 nm to optically synchronize the pump with the pulse to be amplified in the OPCPA. The seed is first amplified to 0.85 mW, 10 pJ at 85 MHz in a fiber amplifier, consisting of 5 m, single-mode, Yb-doped fiber (Nufern, Inc., PM-YSF-HI) pumped by up to 1 W optical power (AlfaLight, Inc., AM4-976A-10-253), a 3 nm bandpass filter centered at 1064 nm (No-vaWave Technologies, PMBP-06-N-B-Q), and optical isolators (OFR Thorlabs Inc., IO-L-T980/I1053-65), which is similar to [21]. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), in Yb-doped fiber centered at 1030 nm, is minimized by the optical isolators and the 3 nm bandpass filter centered at 1064 nm, such that the ASE is ∼50 μW.…”

High average power effective pump source at 1 kHz repetition rate for OPCPA system

“…Several groups employed Nd:YAG medium with the side-pumping while constructing efficient pumping sources for OPCPA systems. A pump laser operating at 10 kHz repetition rate with 1 mJ output pulse energy and with pulse duration of 85 ps was demonstrated in [10]. The authors in [10] also discussed a possibility of scaling of the output energy to 20 mJ level.…”