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Updated: May 21, 2026
20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier
Published on: July 12, 2017
High-power top-hat pulses from a Yb master oscillator power amplifier for efficient optical parametric amplifier
T Balčiūnas1, G Y Fan, G Andriukaitis
1Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27/387, A-1040 Vienna, Austria. tadas.balciunas@tuwien.ac.at
Abstract:
We demonstrate shaping of high-energy broadband Yb amplifier pulses for the generation of a (sub)picosecond top-hat temporal pulse profile that significantly improves pumping efficiency of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Phase-only modulation is applied by an acousto-optic programmable dispersion filter. This simple scheme is scalable to a high average power due to a relatively broad bandwidth of the Yb:CaF(2) gain medium used in the amplifier that supports a sub-150-fs transform-limited pulse duration. Additionally we show that OPA seeding with supercontinuum remains possible because top-hat-shaped pulses passed through a glass block recompress to ≈200 fs with minimum satellite production.
