Abstract

In this presentation, we review the development and several ongoing applications of a three stage amplification system, which is designed to produce > 1-J pulses of ~15-fs duration at a 10-Hz repetition rate. To date the first two stages of amplification have produced, 18-fs, 4-TW pulses at a repetition rate of 50 Hz and an average power > 4 W.[1] To our knowledge, these intermediate results represent the shortest terawatt pulses, the highest expansion ratio (>100,000 times) and the highest average power yet produced by a chirped pulse amplification system. These intermediate pulses have been used to produce ultrafast X-rays (both broadband and k-alpha radiation) for use in ultrafast diffraction studies of molecular dissociation, ultrafast near edge absorption studies of molecular dynamics, and time-gated X-ray mammography and angiography. The full system output will be used for investigations of high field phenomena in the relativistic regime, specifically for charged particle acceleration relevant to laser driven nuclear fusion and hard X-ray lasers.

© 1996 Optical Society of America