High power drive laser system for photocathode at IHEP

Area of Science:

• High-energy physics instrumentation
• Laser technology and photonics

Background:

• The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) required an upgraded photocathode drive laser system.
• Existing laser systems may have limitations in power, stability, or efficiency for advanced physics experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new all-fiber drive laser system for the IHEP photocathode.
• To achieve high output power and efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) for laser applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of an all-fiber laser system utilizing photonic crystal fibers and rods as the gain medium.
• Implementation of second harmonic generation (SHG) for converting infrared output to green laser light.
• Performance testing to measure output power, pulse width, and conversion efficiency.

Main Results:

• The all-fiber laser system operated stably, achieving an infrared (IR) output power of 116.2 W.
• Second harmonic generation (SHG) produced green laser pulses with a pulse width under 2 picoseconds (ps) and a maximum output power of 39.4 W.
• The SHG efficiency surpassed 60%.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed all-fiber laser system meets the requirements for the IHEP photocathode drive.
• The system demonstrates high power, stable operation, and efficient frequency conversion, suitable for demanding scientific applications.