Robert K. Jungquist

OMEGA EP high-energy petawatt laser: progress and prospects

OMEGA EP (extended performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. It will enable high-energy picosecond backlighting of high-energy-density experiments and inertial confinement fusion implosions, the investigation of advanced-ignition experiments such as fast ignition, and the exploration of high-energy-density phenomena. The OMEGA EP short-pulse beams have the flexibility to be directed to either the existing OMEGA target chamber, or the new, auxiliary OMEGA EP target chamber for independent experiments. This paper will detail progress made towards activation, which is on schedule for completion in April 2008.

Phase-conjugate Fizeau interferometer

We describe a phase-conjugate interferometer that consists of a partially transmitting conventional mirror placed in front of and in close proximity to a phase-conjugate mirror. The interferometer is self-referencing, compact, and insensitive to environmental disturbances, provides twice the sensitivity of conventional (nonphase-conjugate) interferometers, and produces a direct representation of an incident wave front. We have constructed such a device using internally self-pumped phase conjugation in barium titanate and have used the device to characterize the wave front produced by an aberrated optical system.

Temporal contrast degradation at the focus of ultrafast pulses from high-frequency spectral phase modulation

The impact of high-frequency spectral phase modulation on the temporal contrast of ultrafast pulses is evaluated. Expressions are derived for the low-intensity pedestal produced by optical component surface roughness within pulse stretchers and compressors. Phase noise, added across the near-field of a spectrally dispersed beam, produces space–time coupling in the far-field or focal plane. The pedestal is swept across an area in the focal plane many times the size of the diffraction-limited spot. Simulations are performed for generic stretchers and compressors that show fundamentally different forms of temporal contrast degradation at focus.

Optical design of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope four-mirror spherical aberration corrector

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope uses a 11-meter diameter F/1.45 segmented spherical primary mirror. A spherical mirror of this size generates large amounts of spherical aberration. To be used successfully in a tilted optical Arecibo type telescope, the spherical aberration needs to be corrected. This means that tracking of astronomical targets is achieved through moving a tracker optical package which imposes somewhat severe packaging constraints. Given these packaging constraints, novel methods must be employed to correct the aberrations with the Spherical Aberration COrrector contained in the moving tracker optical package. The paper reviews the pertinent requirements, constraints and the resultant design of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Four Mirror Spherical Aberration Corrector.

Tunable multispectral imaging system technology for airborne applications

The measurement of the spectral distibution of radiation from individual points on the earths surface provides important information of the material composition of those points. To collect data over large areas, it is necessary to use either airborne or spaceborne platforms. In this paper, different approaches to collecting such spectral information from a lightweight airborne platform will be reviewed. The use of spectral tuning technologies such as acousto-optical filters, liquid crystal filters, and linearly variable filters, as well as slit spectrometer systems, will be rebiewed. Features and benefits of each tuning technology and their limitations are presented. Various system configurations are also reviewed as well as constraints placed on system level performance parameters. In particular, trade studies of system level parameters, such as field of view and optical throughput, which are directly constrained by tunable filter technologies, are presented.

The OMEGA EP High-Energy, Short-Pulse Laser System

OMEGA EP (Extended Performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. Activation of the OMEGA EP Laser is complete and results will be described.

A cylindrical Öffner stretcher for reduced chromatic aberrations and improved temporal contrast

An Öffner stretcher using cylindrical mirrors is evaluated for ultra-broadband, high-contrast lasers. Adding a grating reduces chromatic aberration, and replacing the spherical mirrors eliminates the intermediate foci, increasing energy throughput and improving temporal contrast.

The OMEGA EP high-energy, short-pulse laser system

OMEGA EP (extended performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. Activation of the OMEGA EP laser is near completion and results will be described.

Optical Engineering of the OMEGA EP System for Petawatt Operation

OMEGA EP (Extended Performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. The optical engineering involved in subsystems of the OMEGA EP Laser will be described.

Interferometric Tiling of large-aperture gratings for Petawatt laser systems

A tiled-grating assembly with three large-scale gratings is developed with real-time interferometric tiling control for a petawatt laser system. Tiling-parameters sensitivity and focal-spot degradation are analyzed for a compressor composed of four such assemblies.