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.

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.

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.

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

From sevenal models about damage mechanism, the damage mechanism of optical films and the factors which affect the damage threshold are described experimentally and theoretically. Some reasonable proposals are given in this paper on how to select the high-threshold films.

Random pinhole attenuator for high-power laser beams

The intensity attenuation of a high-power laser is a frequent task in the measurements of optical science.Laser intensity can be attenuated by inserting an optical element,such as a partial reflector,polarizer or absorption filter.These devices are,however,not always easily applicable,especially in the case of ultra-high-power lasers,because they can alter the characteristics of a laser beam or become easily damaged.In this study,we demonstrated that the intensity of a laser beam could be effectively attenuated using a random pinhole attenuator(RPA),a device with randomly distributed pinholes,without changing the beam properties.With this device,a multi-PW laser beam was successfully attenuated and the focused beam profile was measured without any alterations of its characteristics.In addition,it was confirmed that the temporal profile of a laser pulse,including the spectral phase,was preserved.Consequently,the RPA possesses significant potential for a wide range of applications.

Precise mode control of mid-infrared high-power laser diodes using on-chip advanced sawtooth waveguide designs

Power scaling in conventional broad-area(BA)lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes,resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence.Here,we report an advanced sawtooth waveguide(ASW)structure integrated onto a wide ridge waveguide.It strategically enhances the loss difference between higher-order modes and the fundamental mode,thereby facilitating high-power narrow-beam emission.Both optical simulations and experimental results illustrate the significant increase in additional scattering loss of the higher-order modes.The optimized ASW lasers achieve an impressive output power of 1.1 W at 4.6 A at room temperature,accompanied by a minimal full width at half maximum lateral divergence angle of 4.91°.Notably,the far-field divergence is reduced from19.61° to 11.39° at the saturation current,showcasing a remarkable 42%improvement compared to conventional BA lasers.Moreover,the current dependence of divergence has been effectively improved by 38%,further confirming the consistent and effective lateral mode control capability offered by our design.

High-power,narrow linewidth solid-state deep ultraviolet laser generation at 193 nm by frequency mixing in LBO crystals

A 60-mW solid-state deep ultraviolet(DUV)laser at 193 nm with narrow linewidth is obtained with two stages of sum frequency generation in LBO crystals.The pump lasers,at 258 and 1553 nm,are derived from a homemade Yb-hybrid laser employing fourth-harmonic generation and Er-doped fiber laser,respectively.The Yb-hybrid laser,finally,is power scaling by a 2 mm×2 mm×30 mm Yb:YAG bulk crystal.Accompanied by the generated 220-mW DUV laser at 221 nm,the 193-nm laser delivers an average power of 60 mW with a pulse duration of 4.6 ns,a repetition rate of 6 kHz,and a linewidth of∼640 MHz.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest power of 193-and 221-nm laser generated by an LBO crystal ever reported as well as the narrowest linewidth of 193-nm laser by it.Remarkably,the conversion efficiency reaches 27%for 221 to 193 nm and 3%for 258 to 193 nm,which are the highest efficiency values reported to date.We demonstrate the huge potential of LBO crystals for producing hundreds of milliwatt or even watt level 193-nm laser,which also paves a brand-new way to generate other DUV laser wavelengths.

Analysis of high-power disk laser welding stability based on classification of plume and spatter characteristics

Classification of plume and spatter images was studied to evaluate the welding stability. A high-speed camera was used to capture the instantaneous images of plume and spatters during high power disk laser welding. Characteristic parameters such as the area and number of spatters, the average grayscale of a spatter image, the entropy of a spatter grayscale image, the coordinate ratio of the plume centroid and the welding point, the polar coordinates of the plume centroid were defined and extracted. Karhunen-Loeve transform method was used to change the seven characteristics into three primary characteristics to reduce the dimensions. Also, K-nearest neighbor method was used to classify the plume and spatter images into two categories such as good and poor welding quality. The results show that plume and spatter have a close relationship with the welding stability, and two categories could be recognized effectively using K-nearest neighbor method based on Karhunen-Loeve transform.

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.

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.

High-Power and High-Efficiency 650nm-Band AlGaInP Visible Laser Diodes Fabricated by Ion Beam Etching

High power and high-slope efficiency 650nm band real-refractive-index ridge w aveguide AlGaInP laser diodes with compressive strained MQW active layer are for med by pure Ar ion beam etching process.Symmetric laser mesas with high perpendi cularity,which are impossible to obtain by traditional wet etching method due to the use of a 15°-misoriented substrate,are obtained by this dry etching metho d.Laser diodes with 4μm wide,600μm long and 10%/90% coat are fabricated.Th e typical threshold current of these devices is 46mA at room temperature,and a s table fundamental-mode operation over 40mW is obtained.Very high slope efficien cy of 1.4W/A at 10mW and 1.1W/A at 40mW are realized.

High-Power Distributed Feedback Laser Diodes Emitting at 820nm

By etching a second-order grating directly into the Al-free optical waveguide region of a ridgewaveguide（RW） AlGaInAs/AlGaAs distributed feedback（DFB） laser diode,a front facet output power of 30mW is obtained at about 820nm with a single longitudinal mode. The Al-free grating surface permits the re-growth of a high-quality cladding layer that yields excellent device performance. The threshold current of these laser diodes is 57mA,and the slope efficiency is about 0.32mW/mA.

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.