Active Shaping of Terawatt Pulses

147 Active Shaping of Terawatt Pulses--Clark-MXR, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Dexter, MI 48130-0339; (313) 426-6265 Dr. Mark Dugan, Principal Investigator Dr. Philippe Bado, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82352 Amount: $74,871 Advanced accelerators for high energy physics research based on high intensity lasers may be significantly less expensive than traditional designs. Consequently they are the subject of much research sponsored by the Department of Energy and other agencies. These novel accelerator concepts call for laser drivers capable of generating ultra high peak power. This represents a major technology challenge particularly regarding distortion of the energy pulses and the ability to adjust or shape the pulses. This project is to develop a general purpose, computer controlled, femtosecond pulse shaping device. This device will be formed of an active pulse shaping modulator, some pulse characterization diagnostics, and a computer-controlled feedback loop. Thus, the accelerator operator would be able to optimize the laser pulse shape and to continually correct the pulse during experimentation. In Phase I, a pulse shaper will be built based on an existing design and optimized. The output of the shaper will be characterized and several feedback concepts will be examined. In Phase II, a computer-controlled feedback loop will be developed. This would enable, for example, the characterization of distortions of the pulse and feedback to the system to compensate for such a distortion. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Many advanced technologies such as wakefield accelerators and terahertz generation critically depend on the ability to control femtosecond laser pulse shape in real time. This project will fulfill this requirement and allow these advanced technologies to be fully developed. The active control of sub-picosecond pulse shapes can also have a significant impact on digital high-speed communication as this key technology relies on the transfer of coded information on the picosecond time scale.