Pulse Compressor for Long Stretch Factor in High-Energy Ultrafast Fiber Lasers at Eye-Safer Wavelengths

Multiple military and civilian applications of ultrafast laser technology become viable at a pulse energy level of 1 millijoule (mJ). While such levels have been demonstrated in femtosecond solid state amplifier systems, such as titanium-sapphire and ytterbium thin disk architectures, these systems rely on multi- element free space optical assemblies that are incompatible with demanding military deployments, as well as in industrial manufacturing venues. To date, 1 mJ pulse energy levels have not been achieved in fiber ultrafast pulse systems. To increase the pulse energy output of fiber systems, Raydiance proposes to advance the capabilities of the critical, final element in the amplifier chainthe pulse compressor. Raydiance will develop a 3 nanosecond (ns) pulse compressor that is compact, robust, and readily handles high pulse energy and average power. More specifically, Raydiance and its partner, OptiGrate, will design the optical geometry of a multi-pass chirped Bragg grating (CBG) compressor, demonstrate CBG devices specifically designed for the multi-pass configuration, and execute bench top experiments to validate the 3 ns compressor concept. In a Phase I Option, Raydiance will test the CBG devices in an end-to-end chirped pulse amplification system.