Compensation of self-phase modulation by positive dispersion in ultra-compact chirped pulse amplification systems

The generation of ultra-short pulses is typically governed by the interplay of dispersion and nonlinearity. Ultrashort pulses have high peak-powers which cause nonlinearities. In particular, nonlinearity can cause wave- breaking of ultra-short pulses. This effect imposes limitations on the generation and amplification of femtosecond laser pulses. Chirping of the pulses reduces the peak-power during amplification, and thus, increases the onset of nonlinearities. This paper reports on an analysis of nonlinear CPA-systems. It is shown that the nonlinear effect of self-phase modulation (SPM), acquired during amplification of the stretched pulse, can be compensated by positive dispersion. In particular, the method is important for systems employing static stretching and compressing elements, e.g. chirped volume Bragg-gratings.