Broadband femtosecond OPCPA system driven by the single-shot narrow-band iodine photodissociation laser SOFIA

• Published in: Applied physics. B, Lasers and optics Vol. 108; no. 3; pp. 501 - 508
• Main Authors: Novák, O., Turčičová, H., Smrž, M., Huynh, J., Pfeifer, M., Straka, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.09.2012
• Subjects: Engineering; Lasers; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Optics; Parametric Amplifier; Seed Pulse; Iodine Laser; Optical Parametric Amplifier; Signal Beam
• ISSN: 0946-2171; 1432-0649
• DOI: 10.1007/s00340-012-5107-5

A two-stage optical parametric amplifier driven by a frequency-tripled beam from the high-energy iodine laser system SOFIA was built. This single-shot Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse-Amplification facility (OPCPA) and the system synchronizing the pump and signal pulses are described in detail. The chirped seed pulse of a Ti:sapphire oscillator running at the central wavelength of 800 nm is amplified in the two-stage (LBO and KDP) optical parametric amplifier over 10 8 times. The amplified spectral bandwidth of 68 nm corresponds to the pulse duration of 14 fs when a transform-limited pulse is assumed. This implies a compressed pulse of TW power. Systematic gain measurements reveal a good match with the theoretical predictions. Signal and idler beam fluence profiles are presented. The suitability of the iodine photo-dissociation laser as a pump source for the OPCPA technique is thus proved for the first time experimentally. A distinctive feature of the iodine laser is its very narrow gain bandwidth (<0.1 cm −1 ) and, therefore, the conventional chirped-pulse amplification technique does not lead to pulse durations at the femtosecond level.