title: All-reflective, highly accurate polarization rotator for high-power short-pulse laser systems.
abstract: We present the setup of a polarization rotating device and its adaption for high-power short-pulse laser systems. Compared to conventional halfwave plates, the all-reflective principle using three zero-phase shift mirrors provides a higher accuracy and a higher damage threshold. Since plan-parallel plates, e.g. these halfwave plates, generate postpulses, which could lead to the generation of prepulses during the subsequent laser chain, the presented device avoids parasitic pulses and is therefore the preferable alternative for high-contrast applications. Moreover the device is easily scalable for large beam diameters and its spectral reflectivity can be adjusted by an appropriate mirror coating to be well suited for ultra-short laser pulses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, FSU Jena, Max-Wien Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany. Sebastian.Keppler@uni-jena.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keppler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hornung
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bödefeld
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kahle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kaluza
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*