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20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier
Published on: July 12, 2017
Picosecond pulses from a cryogenically cooled, composite amplifier using Yb:YAG and Yb:GSAG
Darren A Rand1, Scot E J Shaw, Juan R Ochoa
1Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420, USA. drand@LL.mit.edu
Optics Letters
|February 2, 2011
Summary
This study presents a cryogenic Ytterbium (Yb) amplifier combining two laser materials for high-power, ultrashort pulse generation. The novel approach achieves 70 W average power and shorter pulse durations than Yb:YAG alone.
Area of Science:
- Laser physics
- Materials science
- Optics
Background:
- Cryogenic Ytterbium (Yb) amplifiers offer power-scaling advantages for high-energy laser systems.
- Achieving ultrashort pulse durations often requires trade-offs with output power.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a cryogenic Yb amplifier capable of generating high average power with ultrashort pulse durations.
- To investigate the benefits of combining multiple gain media in a single Yb amplifier.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cryogenic Yb amplifier incorporating two distinct laser materials: Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (Gd3Sc2Al3O12) and Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Y3Al5O12, or YAG).
- Operated the amplifier at a 5 kHz pulse repetition frequency.
- Employed pulse compression techniques to shorten the output pulse duration.
Main Results:
- Achieved an average output power of 70 W.
- Compressed the output pulses to 1.6 picoseconds (ps), starting from an input compressible to 1.4 ps.
- Demonstrated gain broadening by combining the two media, enabling shorter pulses than Yb:YAG alone while maintaining power-scaling benefits.
Conclusions:
- Combining Gd3Sc2Al3O12 and YAG in a cryogenic Yb amplifier is an effective strategy for achieving high power and ultrashort pulses.
- This dual-media approach overcomes limitations of single-medium amplifiers, offering both shorter pulse durations and power scalability.
