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• High Power Laser Science and Engineering
• Vol. 10, Issue 2, 020000e9 (2022)
P.-G. Bleotu1、2、3、*, J. Wheeler4、5、*, D. Papadopoulos1, M. Chabanis1, J. Prudent1, M. Frotin1, L. Martin1, N. Lebas1, A. Freneaux1, A. Beluze1, F. Mathieu1, P. Audebert1, D. Ursescu2、3, J. Fuchs1, and G. Mourou5
Author Affiliations
• 1LULI-CNRS, CEA, Sorbonne Universite, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
• 2Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, 077125 Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
• 3Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Magurele, RO-077125, Romania
• 4Independent Researcher, F-92340 Bourg-La-Reine, France
• 5IZEST, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
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P.-G. Bleotu, J. Wheeler, D. Papadopoulos, M. Chabanis, J. Prudent, M. Frotin, L. Martin, N. Lebas, A. Freneaux, A. Beluze, F. Mathieu, P. Audebert, D. Ursescu, J. Fuchs, G. Mourou. Spectral broadening for multi-Joule pulse compression in the APOLLON Long Focal Area facility[J]. High Power Laser Science and Engineering, 2022, 10(2): 020000e9 Copy Citation Text show less

Abstract

Spectral-broadening of the APOLLON PW-class laser pulses using a thin-film compression technique within the long-focal-area interaction chamber of the APOLLON laser facility is reported, demonstrating the delivery of the full energy pulse to the target interaction area. The laser pulse at 7 J passing through large aperture, thin glass wafers is spectrally broadened to a bandwidth that is compatible with a 15-fs pulse, indicating also the possibility to achieve sub-10-fs pulses using 14 J. Placing the post-compressor near the interaction makes for an economical method to produce the shortest pulses by limiting the need for high damage, broadband optics close to the final target rather than throughout the entire laser transport system.

1 Introduction

Controlling a high-energy pulse duration toward its fundamental limit of a single laser cycle ( ${\tau}_{\mathrm{p}}\sim 2.5$ fs) will offer a great advantage in studying the most efficient production of laser-driven processes within a wide range of short-pulse relativistic intensity laser–plasma interactions[1] including particle acceleration[2] and the production of attosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses[3]. The post-compression through nonlinear spectral broadening has been a widely used method for achieving single-cycle pulses for many years but has proven more difficult to achieve in the highest energy, Joule-level laser systems until recent years[47]. The thin-film compressor (TFC), also referred to as compression after compression (CAFCA), is an efficient method for controlling the pulse duration ( ${\tau}_{\mathrm{p}}$ ) of a multi-Joule, femtosecond pulsed laser[810]. Figure 1(a) gives a simple sketch of the concept. To first increase the spectral bandwidth of the pulse, a sufficient quantity of thin-film materials as determined by their nonlinear properties for self-phase modulation (SPM) are placed within the freely propagating full aperture beam with uniform top-hat intensity of the order of 1 TW/cm2.

Copy Citation Text
P.-G. Bleotu, J. Wheeler, D. Papadopoulos, M. Chabanis, J. Prudent, M. Frotin, L. Martin, N. Lebas, A. Freneaux, A. Beluze, F. Mathieu, P. Audebert, D. Ursescu, J. Fuchs, G. Mourou. Spectral broadening for multi-Joule pulse compression in the APOLLON Long Focal Area facility[J]. High Power Laser Science and Engineering, 2022, 10(2): 020000e9