Fifteen terawatt picosecond CO2 laser system

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• High-Power Lasers
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) lasers are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
• Achieving high peak power and energy extraction from short laser pulses presents significant challenges.
• Understanding pulse amplification dynamics in CO(2) gain media is essential for optimizing laser performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the generation of a record peak power in a single CO(2) laser beam.
• To demonstrate high-energy extraction from a train of short CO(2) laser pulses.
• To investigate the amplification mechanisms and bandwidth requirements for short pulse extraction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) laser system.
• Employed a 2.5 atm final CO(2) amplifier stage.
• Investigated pulse amplification at high intensities (up to 140 GW/cm(2)) to achieve field broadening.

Main Results:

• Generated a record peak power of 15 TW (45 J, 3 ps) in a single CO(2) laser beam.
• Successfully extracted up to 100 J of energy in a train of 3 ps pulses.
• Measured a saturation energy of 120 mJ/cm(2) for 3 ps pulses, confirming simultaneous energy extraction from six rovibrational lines.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates a significant advancement in high-power CO(2) laser technology.
• The results highlight the feasibility of efficient energy extraction from short pulses using field broadening.
• This work paves the way for new applications requiring high-energy, high-power laser pulses.