Development of Simultaneous High Pulse Energy and High Average Power OPCPA Laser at 1.55 microns

As a stepping stone to the design and development of a 1-kHz repetition-rate, high peak and high average power OPCPA (Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplifier) in Phase II, we propose to design, optimize, and test novel methods for significantly enhancing OPA conversion efficiency in a system which has already demonstrated the specified energy per pulse at a lower, 10-Hz, repletion rate. By realizing a multiplicative increase in efficiency in the OPA process, proportional decreases in average pump power and the associated thermal loading, will be realized, allowing use of commercially available diode pumped, solid-state lasers. Methods will be computationally evaluated to derive optimized solutions which will be validated and optimized on the existing OPCPA test bed, which has demonstrated over 100 mJ per pulse at 1.55 micron, 10-Hz repletion rate. The efficiency enhancement methods proposed utilize conventional optical components in novel configurations, and are thus are amenable to proof of principle testing and per-pulse measurement of the components of the energy balance in Phase I. Phase I work will culminate in a detailed design for all components and subsystems for a 100-mJ per pulse, 1-kHz rate, 100-fs pulse width laser, with fabrication to occur in Phase II.