Title :
Efficient energy extraction below the saturation fluence in a low-gain low-loss regenerative chirped-pulse amplifier
Author :
Biswal, Subrat ; Itatani, Jiro ; Nees, John ; Mourou, Gerard A.
Author_Institution :
Center for Ultrafast Opt. Sci., Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Abstract :
Simulations of chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) in a quasi-three-level laser are presented which illustrate how depletion of the inversion can occur at ten times below the saturation fluence in a regenerative amplifier. The simulations are applied to Yb:glass, a promising laser medium for a directly diode-pumped high-peak power laser. Virtually stretching a pulse to a portion of the buildup time of a regenerative amplifier allows for efficient energy extraction from a laser medium that has a saturation fluence greater than the damage threshold. Experimental results from a Yb:glass regenerative amplifier produced 12-mJ pulses at a peak fluence of 9 J/cm2 without damage
Keywords :
chirp modulation; laser theory; optical losses; optical modulation; optical pumping; optical saturation; solid lasers; ytterbium; 12 mJ; Yb:glass laser medium; Yb:glass regenerative laser amplifier; damage threshold; directly diode-pumped high-peak power laser; energy extraction; laser medium; laser pulse stretching; low-gain low-loss regenerative chirped-pulse amplifier; quasi-three-level laser; saturation fluence; Chirp; Diodes; Laser noise; Optical amplifiers; Optical pulses; Power lasers; Pulse amplifiers; Pump lasers; Stimulated emission; Ultrafast optics;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/2944.686750
