A 50 EW/cm;2 Ti:sapphire laser system for studying relativistic light-matter interactions

A 10-Hz repetition rate, 60-TW peak power, Ti:sapphire laser system was developed for use in experiments where relativistic effects dominate the physics. The temporal, spectral, energy and spatial characteristics of the laser pulses were measured in single shot format. The pulse duration ranged from 22 fs to 25 fs and the pulse energy averaged 1.3 J. Atomic photoionization measurements quantified the peak intensity of the laser pulse in situ. The measurements indicated an intensity of at least 510 19 W/cm 2 was produced.