Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Keppler, S.
• Bödefeld, R.
• Hornung, M.
• Sävert, A.
• Hein, J.
• Kaluza, M. C.

Titel

Prepulse suppression in a multi-10-TW diode-pumped Yb:glass laser

Ist Teil von

• Applied physics. B, Lasers and optics, 2011-07, Vol.104 (1), p.11-16

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag

Erscheinungsjahr

2011

Quelle

SpringerLink

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• We describe a novel method to improve the temporal intensity contrast (TIC) between the main pulse and prepulses in a high-power chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser system. Pre- and post-pulses originating from the limited extinction ratio of the polarization gating equipment are suppressed by carefully adjusting the round-trip times of the regenerative amplifiers (RAs) with respect to the oscillator. As a result, leaking pulses from earlier or later round-trips in the RAs are hidden below the temporal shape of the main pulse. The synchronization can easily be controlled by a contrast measurement on a picosecond time scale using a third-order cross-correlator that enables a sub-mm precise adjustment of the cavity lengths. Finally, a method based on spectral interference is introduced that can be used for a fine-adjustment of the cavity lengths for the daily operation, making this new method easy to implement into existing laser systems.