12  mJ kW-class ultrafast fiber laser system using multidimensional coherent pulse addition

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Physics
• Ultrafast Science

Background:

• Ultrafast fiber laser systems are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
• Scaling energy in fiber amplifiers is challenging due to nonlinear effects and thermal management.
• Coherent pulse combination techniques are essential for high-energy ultrafast laser systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate an ultrafast fiber-chirped-pulse amplification system with unprecedented pulse energy.
• To investigate the effectiveness of combining spatial and temporal coherent pulse combination for high-power fiber lasers.
• To achieve high energy, high average power, and excellent beam quality from a fiber-based laser source.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a combination of spatial and temporal coherent pulse combination.
• Distributing amplification across eight amplifier channels and four pulse replicas.
• Employing a chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) architecture within a fiber laser system.

Main Results:

• Achieved a maximum pulse energy of 12 mJ.
• Obtained 700 W of average power.
• Demonstrated a pulse duration of 262 fs with excellent beam quality and 78% system efficiency.
• Established a new record for energy from an ultrafast fiber-based laser system.

Conclusions:

• The presented ultrafast fiber laser system successfully achieved record-breaking pulse energy.
• The combined spatial and temporal coherent pulse combination technique is highly effective for scaling ultrafast fiber laser energy.
• This work paves the way for future high-energy, high-power fiber laser systems.