Title :
Temporal contrast in Ti:sapphire lasers, characterization and control
Author :
Nantel, Marc ; Itatani, Jiro ; Tien, An-Chun ; Faure, Jérôme ; Kaplan, Daniel ; Bauvier, M. ; Buma, Takashi ; Van Rompay, Paul ; Nee, J. ; Pronko, Peter P. ; Umstadter, Donald ; Mourou, Gérard A.
Author_Institution :
Center for Ultrafast Opt. Sci., Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Abstract :
As ultrafast lasers achieve ever higher focused intensities on target, the problem of ensuring a clean laser-solid interaction becomes more pressing. In this paper, we give concrete examples of the deleterious effects of low-contrast interactions, and address the problem of subpicosecond laser intensity contrast ratio on both characterization and control fronts. We present the new technique of high-dynamic-range plasma-shuttered streak camera contrast measurement, as well as two efficient and relatively inexpensive ways of improving the contrast of short pulse lasers without sacrificing on the output energy: a double-pass Pockels cell (PC), and clean high-energy-pulse seeding of the regenerative amplifier
Keywords :
Pockels effect; chirp modulation; high-speed optical techniques; laser variables measurement; optical focusing; optical modulation; sapphire; solid lasers; streak photography; titanium; Ti:sapphire lasers; characterization; clean high-energy-pulse seeding; clean laser-solid interaction; control; control fro; double-pass Pockels cell; focused intensities; high-dynamic-range plasma-shuttered streak camera contrast measurement; low-contrast interactions; output energy; regenerative laser amplifier; short pulse lasers; subpicosecond laser intensity contrast ratio; temporal contrast; ultrafast lasers; Gas lasers; Laser theory; Optical amplifiers; Optical control; Optical pulses; Plasma measurements; Pulse amplifiers; Pulse measurements; Spontaneous emission; Ultrafast optics;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/2944.686755
