Lawrence Doolittle

FPGA-Based Optical Cavity Phase Stabilization for Coherent Pulse Stacking

Coherent pulse stacking (CPS) is a new time-domain coherent addition technique that stacks several optical pulses into a single output pulse, enabling high pulse energy from fiber lasers. We develop a robust, scalable, and distributed digital control system with firmware and software integration for algorithms, to support the CPS application. We model CPS as a digital filter in the Z domain and implement a pulse-pattern-based cavity phase detection algorithm on an field-programmable gate array (FPGA). A two-stage (2+1 cavities) 15-pulse stacking system achieves an 11.0 peak-power enhancement factor. Each optical cavity is fed back at 1.5kHz, and stabilized at an individually-prescribed round-trip phase with 0.7deg and 2.1deg rms phase errors for Stages 1 and 2, respectively. Optical cavity phase control with nanometer accuracy ensures 1.2% intensity stability of the stacked pulse over 12 h. The FPGA-based feedback control system can be scaled to large numbers of optical cavities.

Interferometer design and controls for pulse stacking in high power fiber lasers

In order to develop a design for a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) driver, we demonstrate key technologies that enable fiber lasers to produce high energy, ultrafast pulses. These technologies must be scalable, and operate in the presence of thermal drift, acoustic noise, and other perturbations typical of an operating system. We show that coherent pulse stacking (CPS), which requires optical interferometers, can be made robust by image-relaying, multipass optical cavities, and by optical phase control schemes that sense pulse train amplitudes from each cavity. A four-stage pulse stacking system using image-relaying cavities is controlled for 14 hours using a pulse-pattern sensing algorithm. For coherent addition of simultaneous ultrafast pulses, we introduce a new scheme using diffractive optics, and show experimentally that four pulses can be added while a preserving pulse width of 128 fs.

Extracting cavity and pulse phases from limited data for coherent pulse stacking

Coherent pulse stacking (CPS) is a new time-domain coherent addition technique that stacks several optical pulses into a single output pulse, enabling high pulse energy and high average power. A Z-domain model targeting the pulsed laser is assembled to describe the optical interference process. An algorithm, extracting the cavity phase and pulse phases from limited data, where only the pulse intensity is available, is developed to diagnose optical cavity resonators. We also implement the algorithm on the cascaded system of multiple optical cavities, achieving phase errors less than 1.0° (root mean square), which could ensure the stability of CPS.

The VHF-Gun, the LBNL High-Brightness Electron Photo-Injector for MHz-Class Repetition-Rate Applications

Science needs are pushing the development of MHz-class repetition-rate linac-based facilities generating high-brightness electron beams. The successful lower repetition-rate RF gun schemes cannot be scaled up to MHz rates. At LBNL, we developed the VHF-Gun, a room-temperature RF gun designed for CW operation and high-brightness beam performance.

Jitter Reduction in Digitally Synchronized Lasers

We synchronize a modelocked Ti:sapphire laser to a 2.8GHz RF reference with 25fs jitter using an all-digital phase-locked loop, and a new technique for measuring the closed-loop transfer function and optimizing complex gain.

APEX Present Experimental Results

The APEX electron source at LBNL combines highrepetition-rate and high beam brightness typical of photoguns, delivering low emittance electron pulses at MHz frequency. Proving the high beam quality of the beam is an essential step for the success of the experiment. It would enable high repetition rate operations for brightness-hungry applications such as X-Ray FELs, and MHz ultrafast electron diffraction. A full 6D characterization of the beam phase space at the gun beam energy (750 keV) is foreseen in the first phase of the project. Diagnostics for low and high current measurements have been installed and tested, measuring the performances of different cathode materials in a RF environment with mA average current. A double-slit system allows the characterization of beam emittance at high charge and full current (mA). An rf deflecting cavity is being installed, and a high precision spectrometer allow the characterization of the longitudinal phase space. Here we present the latest results at low and high repetition rate, discussing the tools and techniques used.