Richard G. Roides

Near-diffraction-limited operation of step-index large-mode-area fiber lasers via gain filtering

We present, for the first time to our knowledge, an explicit experimental comparison of beam quality in conventional and confined-gain multimode fiber lasers. In the conventional fiber laser, beam quality degrades with increasing output power. In the confined-gain fiber laser, the beam quality is good and does not degrade with output power. Gain filtering of higher-order modes in 28microm diameter core fiber lasers is demonstrated with a beam quality of M(2)=1.3 at all pumping levels. Theoretical modeling is shown to agree well with experimentally observed trends.

Fiber Front End With Multiple Phase Modulations and High-Bandwidth Pulse Shaping for High-Energy Laser-Beam Smoothing

The design and performance of a fiber front end delivering temporally shaped, phase-modulated optical pulses to a large-scale, high-energy laser system to demonstrate beam-smoothing concepts are presented. High-bandwidth LiNbO3 (lithium niobate) Mach-Zehnder modulators and arbitrary waveform generators temporally shape the power of the optical pulses. High-bandwidth, three-section LiNbO3 phase modulators precisely modulate the optical phase of the pulses at up to three microwave frequencies. Various calibration procedures and fail-safe systems are described. Sources of frequency-modulation-to-amplitude-modulation conversion, which can lead to unsafe operation of the high-energy laser system, are identified and compensated by amplitude and dispersion compensators.

An Optical Replicator for Single-Shot Measurements at 10 GHz With a Dynamic Range of 1800:1

High-dynamic-range, single-shot pulse shapes were measured by temporally stacking pulses in a passive, fiber-optic network. The 256 replicas were combined to produce optical shapes with a bandwidth of 10 GHz and a dynamic range of 1800:1. The high fidelity of this system enabled the characterization of arbitrary electrical pulses that were used to shape the optical pulse via an electro-optic modulator with a reduced dynamic range of about 60:1.

Averaging of Replicated Pulses for Enhanced-Dynamic-Range Single-Shot Measurement of Nanosecond Optical Pulses

Measuring optical pulse shapes beyond the dynamic range of oscilloscopes is achieved by temporal pulse stacking in a low-loss, passive, fiber-optic network. Optical pulses are averaged with their time-delayed replicas without introducing additional noise or jitter, allowing for high-contrast pulse-shape measurements of single-shot events. A dynamic-range enhancement of 3 bits is experimentally demonstrated and compared with conventional multishot averaging. This technique can be extended to yield an increase of up to 7 bits of additional dynamic range over nominal oscilloscope performance.

Commissioning of a multiple-frequency modulation smoothing by spectral dispersion demonstration system on OMEGA EP

A one-dimensional smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) demonstration system for smoothing focal-spot nonuniformities using multiple modulation frequencies (multi-FM SSD) was commissioned on one long-pulse beamline of OMEGA EP—the first use of such a system in a high-energy laser. System models of frequency modulation-to-amplitude modulation (FM-to-AM) conversion in the OMEGA EP beamline and final optics were used to develop an AM budget. The AM budget in turn provided a UV power limit of 0.85 TW, based on accumulation of B-integral in the final optics. The front end of the demonstration system utilized a National Ignition Facility preamplifier module (PAM) with a custom SSD grating inserted into the PAM’s multipass amplifier section. The dispersion of the SSD grating was selected to cleanly propagate the dispersed SSD bandwidth through various pinholes in the system while maintaining sufficient focal-spot smoothing performance. A commissioning plan was executed that systematically introduced the new features of the demonstration system into OMEGA EP. Ultimately, the OMEGA EP beamline was ramped to the UV power limit with various pulse shapes. The front-end system was designed to provide flexibility in pulse shaping. Various combinations of pickets and nanosecond-scale drive pulses were demonstrated, with multi-FM SSD selectively applied to portions of the pulse. Analysis of the dispersion measured by the far-field diagnostics at the outputs of the infrared beamline and the frequency-conversion crystals indicated that the SSD modulation spectrum was maintained through both the beamline and the frequency-conversion process. At the completion of the plan, a series of equivalent-target-plane measurements with distributed phase plates installed were conducted that confirmed the expected timeintegrated smoothing of the focal spot.

Single-shot, electro-optic measurements at 10 GHz with a dynamic range of 2400:1

High-dynamic-range, single-shot pulse shapes were measured by temporally stacking pulses in a passive, fiber-optic network. The 256 replicas were combined to produce shapes with a bandwidth of 10 GHz and a dynamic range of 1000:1.

Enhanced-Dynamic-Range, Single-Shot Measurement of Nanosecond Pulses via Optical Replication

Measuring pulse shapes beyond the dynamic range of oscilloscopes is achieved by passive temporal-pulse stacking. Optical pulses are averaged with their time-delayed replicas without introducing additional noise, yielding 3 bits of additional dynamic range.

Compact Nd3+-based laser system with gain G ≤1013 and output energy of 20 J

We have developed a compact laser system capable of amplifying nanosecond-scale pulses form a few picojoules to 20J. The system has a 40-mm clear aperture and a 37-mm working aperture for high-energy output. We measured less than 1 wave phase distortion over full 37-mm aperture for a pulse with 18-J output energy at a shot repetition rate of one shot every 10 min. In experiments with a 30-mm diam beam, a flat-top spatial profile with 4 percent rms over the entire beam diameter was demonstrated for a 1-ns pulse with 20_j output energy. The amplifier has a net gain up to 1013 and fits easily on a 5-ft X 14-ft optical table.

Pulse-shaping system implementation on the 60-beam OMEGA laser

The 60-beam, 40-kJ (UV) OMEGA laser system has now been operating for approximately one year.

100 J UV glass laser for dynamic compression research

A frequency tripled, Nd:Glass laser has been constructed and installed at the Dynamic Compression Sector located at the Advanced Photon Source. This 100-J laser will be used to drive shocks in condensed matter which will then be interrogated by the facility x-ray beam. The laser is designed for reliable operation, utilizing proven designs for all major subsystems. A fiber front-end provides arbitrarily shaped pulses to the amplifier chain. A diode-pumped Nd:glass regenerative amplifier is followed by a four-pass, flashlamp- pumped rod amplifier. The regenerative amplifier produces up to 20 mJ with better than 1% RMS stability. The passively multiplexed four-pass amplifier produces up to 2 J. The final amplifier uses a 15-cm Nd:glass disk amplifier in a six-pass configuration. Over 200 J of infrared energy is produced by the disk amplifier. A KDP Type-II/Type-II frequency tripler configuration, utilizing a dual tripler, converts the 1053-nm laser output to a wavelength of 351 nm and the ultraviolet beam is image relayed to the target chamber. Output energy stability is better than 3%. Smoothing by Spectral Dispersion and polarization smoothing have been optimized to produce a highly uniform focal spot. A distributed phase plate and aspheric lens produce a farfield spot with a measured uniformity of 8.2% RMS. Custom control software collects all data and provides the operator an intuitive interface to operate and maintain the laser.