Accuracy of single-shot autocorrelation measurements of petawatt laser pulses.
At the Shen Guang II (SGII) Petawatt Laser Facility, measurements of large-energy, single-shot laser pulses sometimes feature asymmetric autocorrelation signals, causing uncertainty in the measurement of compressed pulses. This study presents a method for defining and describing the asymmetry of autocorrelation signals. We discuss two sources of asymmetry: the nonuniform distribution of the near field excited by a beam, and the rotation of autocorrelator arms from the cylinder lens. The pulsewidth of an asymmetric autocorrelation signal is shorter than its real width. After updating the autocorrelator, the single-shot autocorrelator for the SGII petawatt laser exhibits a measurement uncertainty of below 12.3%. Recommendations on reducing asymmetry in large-energy, single-shot autocorrelation are discussed.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. oyxp@siom.ac.cn
Xiaoping
X
Ouyang
Jingui
J
Ma
Lin
L
Yang
Shunxing
S
Tang
Chong
C
Liu
Yonghua
Y
Peng
Liejia
L
Qian
Baoqiang
B
Zhu
Jianqiang
J
Zhu
Zunqi
Z
Lin