Ultrafast and broadband laser sources in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral domain (3-8 μm) find important applications in many fields, such as metrology, imaging and spectroscopy. Most of the available mid-IR sources operate at high repetition rates and high stability but they are limited either in their spectral range, peak power or pulse duration. Although the high repetition rate is ideal for investigation of processes with low cross sections, energies below the mJ-level are not optimal for driving processes such as soft x-ray high harmonic generation, and the scaling in energy of the mid-IR pulses is of high interest. KTA is a birefrigent material which has a high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) and a moderate nonlinear coefficient (deff ~ 2.1 pm/V). Another interesting material is magnesium oxide doped lithium niobate (MgO:LN) which has a high nonlinear coefficient (deff ~ 3.9 pm/V) allowing for large phase matching bandwidth and has been demonstrated at intensities as high as 25 GW/cm2. In this work we evaluate numerically the individual and combined use of two nonlinear crystals, KTA and MgO:LN to conceptually propose a 3 μm, multi-mJ-level (5 mJ), 10 Hz, sub-50 fs OPCPA laser pumped by a 1.03 μm, > 60 mJ, 10 Hz, ps-level Yb-based CPA and discuss its performance supported by comprehensive simulation data.
In this work, we perform a numerical investigation on the performance of different nonlinear optical media for ultrabroadband OPCPA at 3 μm operating wavelength, when pumped by a high energy source at 1030 nm. We compare the energy and bandwidth gain, as well as the conversion efficiency achieved through a set of available high-damage nonlinear crystals transparent at these wavelengths. Specifically, we demonstrate the potential for scaling the mid-IR OPCPA output to the multi-mJ-level. We discuss the main challenges for the implementation of a new ultrafast, high energy mid-IR source at the L2I facility and the potential applications of such a system.
In this work we will present a new diode-pumped, OPCPA-based few-cycle, high energy, high power mid-infrared laser system, providing few-cycle pulses at high repetition rate. Plans for its subsequent amplification to the mJ level at 10 Hz are also shown.
These lasers will be used as the main drivers for high harmonic generation and laser-plasma acceleration experiments in Portugal. Additionally, they will be open for access by external users. This will be an unprecedented experimental capability at the national level, allowing experiments in a novel physical regime.
Optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) is currently one of the leading techniques for the generation of ultra-powerful laser pulses, from the multi-terawatt to the petawatt range, with extremely high peak intensities. A properly designed OPCPA setup is able to provide gain over bandwidths extending hundreds of nanometers in the visible and near-infrared, allowing the generation of high-quality, energetic, few-cycle pulses. In this paper we describe the design and performance of a compact laser amplifier that makes use of noncollinear, ultrabroadband amplification in the nonlinear crystal yttrium-calcium oxyborate (YCOB). The pump and the supercontinuum seed pulses are generated from a common diode-pumped amplifier, ensuring their optical synchronization. This laser will be used as a source of ultrashort (~20 fs), energetic (~20 mJ), tunable pulses in the near infrared.
KEYWORDS: Pulsed laser operation, Nonlinear crystals, Signal attenuation, High dynamic range imaging, High power lasers, Sensors, Diagnostics, Optical correlators, Calibration, Picosecond phenomena
We describe the design and implementation study of a high dynamic range, third order contrast-ratio measurement
diagnostic for a high power laser chain. The device, known as Optical Parametric Amplification Correlator (OPAC) is
based on degenerate three-wave mixing in a nonlinear crystal, it is self-referencing and compact. By measuring the idler
pulse with a slow detector and a set of calibrated filters, a dynamic range of up to 1010 is achievable. The pulse contrast
is to be characterized at the mJ-level, 10 Hz, Ti:sapphire pre-amplifier stage, in a time window of 100 ps.
In this work we perform a simulation study for yttrium calcium oxyborate (YCOB) as the nonlinear medium for optical
parametric amplification. These results will be used to design a new large bandwidth, 10 Hz, OPCPA stage at the
Laboratory for Intense Lasers at IST, pumped by an ytterbium-based amplifier and seeded by a white light continuum.
Different regimes are tested to assess the scalability of the material
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