High-contrast plasma-electrode Pockels cell.
A plasma-electrode Pockels cell (PEPC) has been developed for use on the OMEGA extended performance (EP) laser system that can be used in a high-contrast optical switch, as required for isolation of the system from retroreflected pulses. Contrast ratios reliably exceeded 500:1 locally everywhere in the clear aperture. The key to achieving this improvement was the use of circular windows simply supported on compliant O rings, which is shown to produce very low stress-induced birefringence despite vacuum loading. Reliable operation was achieved operating at a relatively high operating pressure, low operating pressures being found to be strongly correlated to occurrences of local loss of plasma density.
Kruschwitz
B E
BE
Laboratory Laser Energetics University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623-12299, USA. bkru@lle.rochester.edu
Kelly
J H
JH
Shoup Iii
M J
MJ
Waxer
L J
LJ
Cost
E C
EC
Green
E T
ET
Hoyt
Z M
ZM
Taniguchi
J
J
Walker
T W
TW