Complete characterization of a plasma mirror for the production of high-contrast ultraintense laser pulses.
Improving the temporal contrast of ultrashort and ultraintense laser pulses is a major technical issue for high-field experiments. This can be achieved using a so-called "plasma mirror." We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the plasma mirror that allows us to quantitatively assess the performances of this system. Our experimental results include time-resolved measurements of the plasma mirror reflectivity, and of the phase distortions it induces on the reflected beam. Using an antireflection coated plate as a target, an improvement of the contrast ratio by more than two orders of magnitude can be achieved with a single plasma mirror. We demonstrate that this system is very robust against changes in the pulse fluence and imperfections of the beam spatial profile, which is essential for applications.
Service des Photons, Atomes et Molécules, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, DSM/DRECAM, CEN Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.
G
G
Doumy
F
F
Quéré
O
O
Gobert
M
M
Perdrix
Ph
P
Martin
P
P
Audebert
J C
JC
Gauthier
J-P
JP
Geindre
T
T
Wittmann