Factor 30 Pulse Compression by Hybrid Multipass Multiplate Spectral Broadening

Autor: Marcus Seidel, Prannay Balla, Chen Li, Gunnar Arisholm, Lutz Winkelmann, Ingmar Hartl, Christoph M. Heyl
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ultrafast Science, Vol 2022 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2765-8791
DOI: 10.34133/2022/9754919
Popis: As ultrafast laser technology advances towards ever higher peak and average powers, generating sub-50 fs pulses from laser architectures that exhibit best power-scaling capabilities remains a major challenge. Here, we present a very compact and highly robust method to compress 1.24 ps pulses to 39 fs by means of only a single spectral broadening stage which neither requires vacuum parts nor custom-made optics. Our approach is based on the hybridization of the multiplate continuum and the multipass cell spectral broadening techniques. Their combination leads to significantly higher spectral broadening factors in bulk material than what has been reported from either method alone. Moreover, our approach efficiently suppresses adverse features of single-pass bulk spectral broadening. We use a burst-mode Yb:YAG laser emitting pulses with 80 MW peak power that are enhanced to more than 1 GW after postcompression. With only 0.19% rms pulse-to-pulse energy fluctuations, the technique exhibits excellent stability. Furthermore, we have measured state-of-the-art spectral-spatial homogeneity and good beam quality of M2=1.2 up to a spectral broadening factor of 30. Due to the method’s simplicity, compactness, and scalability, it is highly attractive for turning a picosecond laser into an ultrafast light source that generates pulses of only a few tens of femtoseconds duration.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals