Optimizing sub-ns pulse compression for high energy application Xiaozhen Xu, Chengyong Feng and Jean-Claude Diels∗ CHTM University of New Mexico, 1313 Goddard SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA *
[email protected]
Abstract: We demonstrate ∼ 40X pulse compression (down to ∼ 300 ps) with ∼ 1 joule, nanosecond pulses for high energy applications requiring ≥ 1 gigawatt of peak power. Our method is based on the established principle of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). To push the SBS technique to its highest peak-power limit, a combination of theoretical modeling and experiments is used to identify and optimize all critical parameters, including optical configuration, interaction length, intensity matching, choice of gain medium and thermal stability. Pulse compression results are presented both at 1064 nm and 532 nm, with performances close to the theoretical limit and excellent shot-to-shot reproducibility. © 2014 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (140.3460) Lasers; (290.5900) Scattering, stimulated Brillouin.
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#209101 - $15.00 USD (C) 2014 OSA
Received 28 Mar 2014; revised 5 May 2014; accepted 8 May 2014; published 30 May 2014 2 June 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 11 | DOI:10.1364/OE.22.013904 | OPTICS EXPRESS 13904
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1.
Introduction
The efficiency of many nonlinear light-matter interaction processes depends critically on the peak power of the laser pulse. This is particularly true in the cases of higher-order processes such as four-photon ionization of gaseous nitrogen and filamentation in air, where the required peak power exceeds gigawatt. There is a family of techniques commonly used to increase the peak power of laser pulses by pulse compression. In the ultra-short (
