high-power laser;off-axis reflective exposure system;pulse compression grating;spatial frequency errors;specifications

The large-aperture pulse compression grating(PCG) is a critical component in generating an ultra-high-intensity, ultra-short-pulse laser;however, the size of the PCG manufactured by transmission holographic exposure is limited to large-scale high-quality materials. The reflective method is a potential way for solving the size limitation, but there is still no successful precedent due to the lack of scientific specifications and advanced processing technology of exposure mirrors. In this paper, an analytical model is developed to clarify the specifications of components, and advanced processing technology is adopted to control the spatial frequency errors. Hereafter, we have successfully fabricated a multilayer dielectric grating of 200 mm × 150 mm by using an off-axis reflective exposure system with Φ300 mm. This demonstration proves that PCGs can be manufactured by using the reflection holographic exposure method and shows the potential for manufacturing the meter-level gratings used in 100 petawatt class high-power lasers.

All-and mixed-dielectric grating for Nd:glass-based high-energy pulse compression

Maximizing the energy-loading performance of gratings is a universal theme in high-energy pulse compression.However,sporadic grating designs strongly restrict the development of high-power laser engineering.This study proposes an all-and mixed-dielectric grating design paradigm for Nd:glass-based pulse compressors.The solution regions are classified according to the line density.High diffraction efficiency solutions are described in more detail based on the dispersion amount and incident angle.Moreover,an energy scaling factor of 7.09 times larger than that of the National Ignition Facility’s Advanced Radiographic Capability(NIF-ARC)is obtained by taking advantage of the low electric field intensity at transverse magnetic polarization and a small incident angle.These results make a pioneering contribution to facilitate future 20–50-petawatt-class ultrafast laser systems.

Measuring the topological charge of optical vortices with a single plate

Measuring the topological charge(TC) of optical vortex beams by the edge-diffraction pattern of a single plate is proposed and demonstrated. The diffraction fringes can keep well discernible in a wide three-dimensional range in this method. The redundant fringes of the diffracted fork-shaped pattern in the near-field can determine the TC value, and the orientation of the fork tells the handedness of the vortex. The plate can be opaque or translucent, and the requirement of the translucent plate for TC measurement is analyzed. Measurement of TCs up to ±40 is experimentally demonstrated by subtracting the upper and lower fringe numbers with respect to the center of the light. The plate is easy to get, and this feasible measurement can bring great convenience and efficiency for researchers.