title: Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier as an alternative to Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifiers.
abstract: We demonstrated a high-pulse energy, femtosecond-pulse source based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification. We successfully amplified 1-microm broadband oscillator pulses to 31 mJ and recompressed them to 310-fs pulse duration, at a 10-Hz repetition rate. The gain in our system is 6 x 10(7), achieved by the single passing of only 40 mm of gain material pumped by a commercial Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. This relatively simple system replaces a more complex Ti:sapphire regenerative-amplifier-based chirped-pulse amplification system. Numerous features in design and performance of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers make them a preferred alternative to regenerative amplifiers based on Ti:sapphire in the front end of high-peak-power lasers.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California 94550, USA. jovanovic1@llnl.gov
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Comaskey
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ebbers
authors.forename: Randal A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bonner
authors.forename: Deanna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pennington
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Morse