Abstract

Surface-deformation induced wavefront error on large-scale diffraction gratings prevents short-pulse laser systems using such gratings for compressing chirped pulses from realizing Fourier transform-limited laser pulses. A solution was developed to compensate for the surface sag errors by varying the grating line spacing locally. The one dimensional formula for the grating line density as a function of surface sag has been derived. An integrated FRED-Matlab optical model of a pulse compression system including two pair of i-dentical parallel 1. 5-m diffraction gratings and an F/2 off axis parabola was built. This model, capable of locally varying grating groove spacing and incorporating surface sag errors, was used to analyze the effectiveness of the correction on the focused pulse spatially and temporally.

© 2013 Optical Society of America