An accurate and stable method of array element tiling for high-power laser facilities

Due to laser-induced damage, the aperture of optics is one of the main factors limiting the output capability of highpower laser facilities. Because of the general difficulty in achieving large-aperture optics, an alternative solution is to tile some small-aperture ones together. We propose an accurate, stable, and automatic method of array element tiling and verify it on a double-pass 1 × 2 tiled-grating compressor in the XG-III laser facility. The test results show the accuracy and stability of the method. This research provides an efficient way to obtain large-aperture optics for high-power laser facilities.

Simulation of electromagnetic pulses generated by escaped electrons in a high-power laser chamber

Intensive electromagnetic pulses （EMPs） can be generated when a high-power laser strikes a target. The transient electromagnetic field can have an intensity of up to several hundred kV m- 1 with a broad frequency of up to several gigahertz, which may affect diagnostics and interfere with, or even damage, electronic equipment. In this paper, the process in which hot electrons produced by the laser-target interaction radiate EMPs is studied and simulated. The physical process is divided into three stages which are： the production of hot electrons; the escape of hot electrons; and the generation of EMPs. Instead of using a general finite difference time domain （FDTD） method to solve the Maxwell equations, a particle-in-cell method together with a time- biased FDTD method is applied in EMP simulation to restrain high-frequency noise. The results show that EMPs are stronger with higher laser intensity and larger target size.

Efficient and high-power laser-diode single-end-pumped Nd：YVO4 continuous wave laser at 1342nm

A compact, efficient and high-power laser diode （LD） single-end-pumped Nd：YVO4 laser with continuous-wave emission at 1342 nm is reported. With a single crystal single-end-pumped by fibre-coupled LD array, an output power of 7.36W is obtained from the laser cavity of concave-convex shape, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 32.8%. The laser is operated in TEM00 mode with small rms amplitude noise of 0.3%. The influences of the Nd concentration, transmissivity of the output mirror and the cavity length on the output power have been studied experimentally.

Theoretical and experimental studies on high-power laser-induced thermal blooming effect in chamber with different gases

High-power laser induced thermal blooming effects in a closed chamber with three different gases are investigated theoretically and experimentally in this work. In the theoretical treatment, an incompressible gas turbulent model is adopted.In the numerical simulation the gas refractive index as a function of both the temperature and pressure is taken into consideration. In the experimental study the pump-probe technology is adopted. A high-power 1064-nm fiber laser with maximum output power of 12 k W is used to drive the gas thermal blooming, and a 50-m W high-beam-quality 637-nm laser diode(LD)is used as a probe beam. The influences of the gas thermal blooming in the chamber on the probe beam wavefront and beam quality are analyzed for three different gases of air, nitrogen, and helium, respectively. The results indicate that nitrogen is well suitable for restraining thermal blooming effect for high-power laser. The measured data are in good agreement with the simulated results.

Formation of choroidal neovascularization under macular fovea after high-power laser irradiation: a case report

Dear Editor,I am Dr.Shan-Shan Li,from Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital,Yangzhou,China.I write to present the case of formation of choroidal neovascularization(CNV)under the fovea after high-power laser irradiation.Currently,there is an increasing availability and accessibility to laser instruments,but improper use of these tools can lead to macular damage and irreversible visual impairment.

Damage Mechanism of Optical Films by High-power Laser

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Control systems and data management for high-power laser facilities

The next generation of high-power lasers enables repetition of experiments at orders of magnitude higher frequency than what was possible using the prior generation.Facilities requiring human intervention between laser repetitions need to adapt in order to keep pace with the new laser technology.A distributed networked control system can enable laboratory-wide automation and feedback control loops.These higher-repetition-rate experiments will create enormous quantities of data.A consistent approach to managing data can increase data accessibility,reduce repetitive data-software development and mitigate poorly organized metadata.An opportunity arises to share knowledge of improvements to control and data infrastructure currently being undertaken.We compare platforms and approaches to state-of-the-art control systems and data management at high-power laser facilities,and we illustrate these topics with case studies from our community.

An in-situ self-etching enabled high-power electrode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Sluggish storage kinetics is considered as the main bottleneck of cathode materials for fast-charging aqueous zinc-ion batteries(AZIBs).In this report,we propose a novel in-situ self-etching strategy to unlock the Palm tree-like vanadium oxide/carbon nanofiber membrane(P-VO/C)as a robust freestanding electrode.Comprehensive investigations including the finite element simulation,in-situ X-ray diffraction,and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy disclosed it an electrochemically induced phase transformation mechanism from VO to layered Zn_(x)V_(2)O_5·nH_(2)O,as well as superior storage kinetics with ultrahigh pseudocapacitive contribution.As demonstrated,such electrode can remain a specific capacity of 285 mA h g^(-1)after 100 cycles at 1 A g^(-1),144.4 mA h g^(-1)after 1500 cycles at 30 A g^(-1),and even 97 mA h g^(-1)after 3000 cycles at 60 A g^(-1),respectively.Unexpectedly,an impressive power density of 78.9 kW kg^(-1)at the super-high current density of 100 A g^(-1)also can be achieved.Such design concept of in-situ self-etching free-standing electrode can provide a brand-new insight into extending the pseudocapacitive storage limit,so as to promote the development of high-power energy storage devices including but not limited to AZIBs.

Applications of object detection networks in high-power laser systems and experiments

The recent advent of deep artificial neural networks has resulted in a dramatic increase in performance for object classification and detection.While pre-trained with everyday objects,we find that a state-of-the-art object detection architecture can very efficiently be fine-tuned to work on a variety of object detection tasks in a high-power laser laboratory.In this paper,three exemplary applications are presented.We show that the plasma waves in a laser±plasma accelerator can be detected and located on the optical shadowgrams.The plasma wavelength and plasma density are estimated accordingly.Furthermore,we present the detection of all the peaks in an electron energy spectrum of the accelerated electron beam,and the beam charge of each peak is estimated accordingly.Lastly,we demonstrate the detection of optical damage in a high-power laser system.The reliability of the object detector is demonstrated over1000 laser shots in each application.Our study shows that deep object detection networks are suitable to assist online and offline experimental analysis,even with small training sets.We believe that the presented methodology is adaptable yet robust,and we encourage further applications in Hz-level or kHz-level high-power laser facilities regarding the control and diagnostic tools,especially for those involving image data.

Laser peeler regime of high-harmonic generation for diagnostics of high-power focused laser pulses

A method for measuring the intensity of focused high-power laser pulses based on numerical simulation of high-harmonic generation in the laser peeler regime is proposed.The dependence of the efficiency of high-harmonic generation on the laser pulse intensity and the spatial parameters during interaction with solid targets is studied numerically.The simulation clearly shows that the amplitude of the generated harmonics depends on the laser pulse parameters.The proposed method is simpler than similar intensity measurement techniques and does not require complex preparation.

High-power xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP pulse laser operated in free-running and acousto-optical Q-switching modes

We demonstrate a high-energy and high-power pulse laser on a xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP crystal. The laser performance and thermal focal lengths under different working frequencies are discussed. The results show that the thermal lens effect is gradually aggravated with the increase of working frequencies, and even working at 100 Hz, a single pulse energy of 234 m J can be achieved. A maximum average power of 41.5 W is achieved with a working frequency of 20 Hz and slope efficiency of 2.82%. This output power is much higher than other xenon lamp-pumped erbium laser devices.A Q-switched laser is demonstrated by using the TeO2crystal, the maximum output energies of 11.5 m J and 3.5 m J are obtained at 50 and 100 Hz, the corresponding peak powers are 93.4 k W and 17.2 kW, respectively.The laser wavelengths and beam quality factors are also characterized in the free-running and Q-switched modes. A higher pulse energy and peak power laser could be achieved further by improving the damage threshold of TeO2acousto-optical Q-switching. All the experimental results illustrate that the xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP laser is a promising candidate for high-power and high-frequency mid-infrared laser devices.

EMP control and characterization on high-power laser systems

Giant electromagnetic pulses(EMP) generated during the interaction of high-power lasers with solid targets can seriously degrade electrical measurements and equipment. EMP emission is caused by the acceleration of hot electrons inside the target, which produce radiation across a wide band from DC to terahertz frequencies. Improved understanding and control of EMP is vital as we enter a new era of high repetition rate, high intensity lasers(e.g. the Extreme Light Infrastructure).We present recent data from the VULCAN laser facility that demonstrates how EMP can be readily and effectively reduced. Characterization of the EMP was achieved using B-dot and D-dot probes that took measurements for a range of different target and laser parameters. We demonstrate that target stalk geometry, material composition, geodesic path length and foil surface area can all play a significant role in the reduction of EMP. A combination of electromagnetic wave and 3 D particle-in-cell simulations is used to inform our conclusions about the effects of stalk geometry on EMP,providing an opportunity for comparison with existing charge separation models.

A history of high-power laser research and development in the United Kingdom

The first demonstration of laser action in ruby was made in 1960 by T.H.Maiman of Hughes Research Laboratories,USA.Many laboratories worldwide began the search for lasers using different materials,operating at different wavelengths.In the UK,academia,industry and the central laboratories took up the challenge from the earliest days to develop these systems for a broad range of applications.This historical review looks at the contribution the UK has made to the advancement of the technology,the development of systems and components and their exploitation over the last 60 years.

Time-dependent measurement of high-power laser light reflection by low-Z foam plasma

Porous materials have many applications for laser–matter interaction experiments related to inertial confinement fusion.Obtaining new knowledge about the properties of the laser-produced plasma of porous media is a challenging task.In this work,we report,for the first time to the best of our knowledge,the time-dependent measurement of the reflected light of a terawatt laser pulse from the laser-produced plasma of low-Z foam material of overcritical density.The experiments have been performed with the ABC laser,with targets constituted by foam of overcritical density and by solid media of the same chemical composition.We implemented in the MULTI-FM code a model for the light reflection to reproduce and interpret the experimental results.Using the simulations together with the experimental results,we indicate a criterion for estimating the homogenization time of the laser-produced plasma,whose measurement is challenging with direct diagnostic techniques and still not achieved.

Finite element analysis of expansion-matched submounts for high-power laser diodes packaging

In order to improve the output power and increase the lifetime of laser diodes,expansion-matched submounts were investigated by finite element analysis.The submount was designed as sandwiched structure.By varying the vertical structure and material of the middle layer,the thermal expansion behavior on the mounting surface was simulated to obtain the expansion-matched design.In addition,the thermal performance of laser diodes packaged by different submounts was compared.The numerical results showed that,changing the thickness ratio of surface copper to middle layer will lead the stress and junction temperature to the opposite direction.Thus compromise needs to be made in the design of the vertical structure.In addition,the silicon carbide（SiC） is the most promising material candidate for the middle layer among the materials discussed in this paper.The simulated results were aimed at providing guidance for the optimal design of sandwich-structure submounts.

A new method for measuring the pulse-front distortion of arbitrary shapes in high-power ultrashort laser systems

We present a new method that can be used to calculate pulse-front distortion by measuring the spectral interference of two point-diffraction fields in their overlapped district. We demonstrate, for the first time, the measurement of the pulse-front distortion of the pulse from a complex multi-pass amplification system, which exists in almost all high-power laser systems, and obtain the irregular pulse-front distribution. The method presented does not need any reference light or assumption about the pulse-front distribution, and has an accuracy of several femtoseconds.

Status and development of high-power laser facilities at the NLHPLP

In this paper, we review the status of the multifunctional experimental platform at the National Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics(NLHPLP). The platform, including the SG-II laser facility, SG-II 9th beam, SG-II upgrade(SG-II UP) facility, and SG-II 5 PW facility, is operational and available for interested scientists studying inertial confinement fusion(ICF) and a broad range of high-energy-density physics. These facilities can provide important experimental capabilities by combining different pulse widths of nanosecond, picosecond, and femtosecond scales. In addition, the SG-II UP facility, consisting of a single petawatt system and an eight-beam nanosecond system, is introduced including several laser technologies that have been developed to ensure the performance of the facility. Recent developments of the SG-II 5 PW facility are also presented.

Analysis on FM-to-AM conversion of SSD beam induced by etalon effect in a high-power laser system

FM-to-AM(frequency modulation-to-amplitude modulation)conversion caused by nonuniform spectral transmission of broadband beam is harmful to high-power laser facility.Smoothing by spectral dispersion(SSD)beam is a special broadband beam for its monochromatic feature at the given time and space on the near field.The traditional method which uses the optical spectral transfer function as filters cannot accurately describe its AM characteristics.This paper presents the theoretical analysis of the etalon effect for SSD beam.With a low-order approximation,the analytic model of the temporal shape of SSD beam is obtained for the first time,which gives the detailed AM characteristics at local and integral aspects,such as the variation of ripples width and amplitude in general situation.We also analyze the FM-to-AM conversion on the focal plane;in the focusing process,the lens simply acts as an integrator to smooth the AM of SSD beam.Because AM control is necessary for the near field to avoid optics damage and for the far field to ensure an optimal interaction of laser-target,our investigations could provide some important phenomena and rules for pulse shape control.

An open-end high-power microwave-induced fracturing system for hard rock

Microwave pre-treatment is considered as a promising technique for alleviating cutter wear. This paper introduces a high-power microwave-induced fracturing system for hard rock. The test system consists of a high-power microwave subsystem (100 kW), a true triaxial testing machine, a dynamic monitoring subsystem, and an electromagnetic shielding subsystem. It can realize rapid microwave-induced fracturing, intelligent tuning of impedance, dynamic feedback under strong microwave fields, and active control of microwave parameters by addressing the following issues: the instability and insecurity of the system, the discharge breakdown between coaxial lines during high-power microwave output, and a lack of feedback of rock-microwave response. In this study, microwave-induced surface and borehole fracturing tests under true triaxial stress were carried out. Experimental comparisons imply that high-power microwave irradiation can reduce the fracturing time of hard rock and that the fracture range (160 mm) of a 915-MHz microwave source is about three times that of 2.45 GHz. After microwave-induced borehole fracturing, many tensile cracks occur on the rock surface and in the borehole: the maximum reduction of the P-wave velocity is 12.8%. The test results show that a high-power microwave source of 915 MHz is more conducive to assisting mechanical rock breaking and destressing. The system can promote the development of microwave-assisted rock breaking equipment.

A high-power high-stability Q-switched green laser with intracavity frequency doubling using a diode-pumped composite ceramic Nd:YAG laser

We successfully obtain a high-average-power high-stability Q-switched green laser based on diode-side-pumped composite ceramic Nd：YAG in a straight piano-concave cavity. The temperature distribution in composite ceramic Nd：YAG crystal is numerically analyzed and compared with that of conventional Nd：YAG crystal. By using a composite ceramic Nd：YAG rod and a type-II high gray track resistance KTP （HGTR-KTP） crystal, a green laser with an average output power of 165 W is obtained at a repetition rate of 25 kHz, with a diode-to-green optical conversion of 14.68%, and a pulse width of 162 ns. To the best of our knowledge, both the output power and optical-to-optical efficiency are the highest values for green laser systems with intracavity frequency doubling of this novel composite ceramic Nd：YAG laser to date. The power fluctuation at around 160 W is lower than 0.3% in 2.5 hours.