The all-diode-pumped laser system POLARIS – an experimentalist's tool generating ultra-high contrast pulses with high energy. (1st June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hornung, Marco; Liebetrau, Hartmut; Seidel, Andreas; Keppler, Sebastian; Kessler, Alexander; Körner, Jörg; Hellwing, Marco; Schorcht, Frank; Klöpfel, Diethard; Arunachalam, Ajay K.; Becker, Georg A.; Sävert, Alexander; Polz, Jens; Hein, Joachim; Kaluza, Malte C.
• Is Part Of: High power laser science and engineering. Volume 2 (2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-06-01
• Subjects: design, -- high power laser, -- laser amplifiers, -- laser plasmas interaction, -- laser systems, -- modelling, -- optimization, -- ultra-intense, -- ultra-short pulse laser interaction with matter; High power lasers -- Periodicals; 621.366
• DOI: 10.1017/hpl.2014.26
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2095-4719

Abstract

Abstract: The development, the underlying technology and the current status of the fully diode-pumped solid-state laser system POLARIS is reviewed. Currently, the POLARIS system delivers 4 J energy, 144 fs long laser pulses with an ultra-high temporal contrast of $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}5\times 10^{12}$ for the ASE, which is achieved using a so-called double chirped-pulse amplification scheme and cross-polarized wave generation pulse cleaning. By tightly focusing, the peak intensity exceeds $3.5\times 10^{20}\ \mathrm{W\ cm}^{-2}$ . These parameters predestine POLARIS as a scientific tool well suited for sophisticated experiments, as exemplified by presenting measurements of accelerated proton energies. Recently, an additional amplifier has been added to the laser chain. In the ramp-up phase, pulses from this amplifier are not yet compressed and have not yet reached the anticipated energy. Nevertheless, an output energy of $16.6\ \mathrm{J}$ has been achieved so far.