Kilowatt-class high-energy frequency conversion to 95 J at 10 Hz at 515 nm

We report on frequency doubling of high-energy,high repetition rate ns pulses from a cryogenically gas cooled multi-slab ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser system,Bivoj/DiPOLE,using a type-I phase matched lithium triborate crystal.We achieved conversion to 515 nm with energy of 95 J at repetition rate of 10 Hz and conversion efficiency of 79%.High conversion efficiency was achieved due to successful depolarization compensation of the fundamental input beam.

Design of deformable mirrors for high power lasers

We present the workflow of the design, realization and testing of deformable mirrors suitable for high power diode pumped solid-state lasers. It starts with the study of the aberration to be corrected, and then it continues with the design of the actuators position and characteristic. In this paper, we present and compare three deformable mirrors realized for multi-J level laser facilities. We show that with the same design concept it is possible to realize deformable mirrors for other types of lasers. As an example, we report the realization of a deformable mirror for femtosecond lasers and for a CW CO_2 laser.

Design of a kJ-class HiLASE laser as a driver for inertial fusion energy

We present the results of performance modeling of a diode-pumped solid-state HiLASE laser designed for use in inertial fusion energy power plants. The main amplifier concept is based on a He-gas-cooled multi-slab architecture similar to that employed in Mercury laser system. Our modeling quantifies the reduction of thermally induced phase aberrations and average depolarization in Yb3+:YAG slabs by a combination of helium cryogenic cooling and properly designed(doping/width) cladding materials.

Comparative LIDT measurements of optical components for high-energy HiLASE lasers

Further advancement of high-energy pulsed lasers requires a parallel development of appropriate optical components.Several different optical components, such as mirrors and antireflection-coated windows, which are essential for the design of Hi LASE high average power lasers were tested. The following paper summarizes results on the measurements of laser-induced damage threshold of such components, and clearly shows their capabilities and limitations for such a demanding application.

Overview of ytterbium based transparent ceramics for diode pumped high energy solid-state lasers

Development of high energy laser sources with nanosecond pulses at several hertz values for repetition rate has been very attractive in recent years due to their great potential for practical applications. With the recent advancement in fabricating large size laser quality transparent ceramics, diode pumped solid-state laser generating pulse energy of 100 J at 10 Hz has been recently realized at HiLASE center using Yb:YAG ceramic with Cr:YAG cladding. This review discusses Yb based high energy lasers, specific laser geometries for efficient thermal management and the role of transparent ceramics in such diode pumped high-energy-class solid-state lasers around the world.

EUV ablation of organic polymers at a high fluence

A preliminary investigation on short-wavelength ablation mechanisms of poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) and poly(1,4-phenylene ether ether-sulfone)(PPEES) by extreme ultraviolet(EUV) radiation at 13.5 nm using a table-top laserproduced plasma from a gas-puff target at LLG(Gttingen) and at 46.9 nm by a 10 Hz desktop capillary discharge laser operated at the Institute of Physics(Prague) is presented.Ablation of polymer materials is initiated by photoinduced polymer chain scissions.The ablation occurs due to the formation of volatile products by the EUV radiolysis removed as an ablation plume from the irradiated material into the vacuum.In general,cross-linking of polymer molecules can compete with the chain decomposition.Both processes may influence the efficiency and quality of micro(nano)structuring in polymer materials.Wavelength is a critical parameter to be taken into account when an EUV ablation process occurs,because different wavelengths result in different energy densities in the near-surface region of the polymer exposed to nanosecond pulses of intense EUV radiation.

Faraday effect measurements of holmium oxide(Ho2O3) ceramics-based magneto-optical materials

Faraday effect measurements of holmium oxide(Ho_2O_3) ceramics-based magneto-optical materials, highly potential material candidates for high-energy laser Faraday isolators, are presented in this paper. Temperature dependence of the Verdet constant of nondoped Ho_2O_3 ceramics was measured for temperatures 15–305 K at 1.064 μm wavelength.The Verdet constant dispersion for wavelengths 0.5–1 μm and 1.064 μm was measured for both nondoped Ho_2O_3 ceramics and Ho_2O_3 ceramics doped with terbium Tb3+(0.2 at. %) and cerium Ce3+(0.1 at. %) ions. The results suggest that the relatively low level of doping of Ho_2O_3 with these ions has no significant boosting impact on the Faraday effect. Therefore, other compositions of Ho_2O_3 ceramics-based magneto-optical materials, as well as various doping concentrations, should be further examined.