Abstract

Laser-fusion experiments require that high-energy, temporally shaped optical pulses be generated and applied to fusion targets. With the OMEGA laser, low-energy optical pulses will be shaped by two amplitude modulators placed in series on a single fiber-coupled-waveguide integrated-optic modulator. The modulators incorporate traveling-wave electrodes that allow for operation at up to a 9-GHz bandwidth. The production of shaped optical pulses with this device requires that temporally shaped voltage waveforms be applied to the modulators. With a high-bandwidth modulator, voltage waveforms with fast-rising edges (and consequently high bandwidth) can be used. Extreme care must be taken in generating these pulses and in transferring them to the modulator with minimal loss in bandwidth.

© 1995 Optical Society of America