KEYWORDS: High power lasers, Near field optics, Spatial filters, Laser development, Optical alignment, Near field, Laser systems engineering, Charge-coupled devices, Mirrors, Signal detection
Laser beam alignment is very important for high-power laser facility. Long laser path and large-aperture lens for alignment are generally used, while the proposed alignment system with a wedge by far-field sampling technique reduces both space and cost requirements. General alignment system for large-aperture laser beam is long in distance and large in volum because of taking near-field sampling technique. With the development of laser fusion facilities, the space for alignment system is limited. A new alignment system for large-aperture laser beam is designed to save space and reduce operating costs. The new alignment for large-aperture laser beam with a wedge is based on far-field sampling technique. The wedge is placed behind the spatial filter to reflect some laser beam as signal light for alignment. Therefore, laser beam diameter in alignment system is small, which can save space for the laser facility. Comparing to general alignment system for large-aperture laser beam, large-aperture lenses for near-field and far-field sampling, long distance laser path are unnecessary for proposed alignment system, which saves cost and space greatly. This alignment system for large-aperture laser beam has been demonstrated well on the Muliti-PW Facility which uses the 7th beam of the SG-Ⅱ Facility as pump source. The experimental results indicate that the average near-field alignment error is less than 1% of reference, and the average far-filed alignment error is less than 5% of spatial filter pinhole diameter, which meet the alignment system requirements for laser beam of Multi-PW Facility.
Laser beam far-field alignment as well as frequency-doubling and frequency-tripling crystal adjustment is very important for high-power laser facility. Separate systems for beam and crystal alignment are generally used while the proposed approach by off-axial grating sampling share common optics for these two functions, reducing both space and cost requirements. This detection system has been demonstrated on the National Laser Facility of Israel. The experimental results indicate that the average far-field alignment error is <5% of the spatial filter pinhole diameter, average autocollimation angle error of crystals is <10 μrad, and average frequency-tripling conversion efficiency is 69.3%, which meet the alignment system requirements on the beam direction and crystals.
Laser beams far-field alignment is very important for the high power laser facility as well as the frequency doubling crystals adjustment. Traditional beams alignment system and crystals alignment system are separated. That means, they use different optical image systems and CCD cameras, which will occupy larger space and use more money. A new farfield detection system of laser beams is presented with a big diffraction grating (37mm*37mm), a set of optical imaging components and a high resolution CCD camera. This detection system, which is fully demonstrated on the National Laser Facility of Israel, can align high power laser facility beams’ direction as well as the frequency doubling crystals. The new system occupies small space in the spatial filter through off-axial grating sampling. The experimental results indicate that the average far-field alignment error is less than 5% of spatial filter pinhole diameter, and the average crystals’ matching angle error is less than 10urad, which meet the alignment system requirements for beams and crystals.
KEYWORDS: Pulsed laser operation, Near field, Diagnostics, Picosecond phenomena, Scattering, Mirrors, High power lasers, Temporal resolution, High dynamic range imaging, Calibration
Pulse contrast is an important parameter for ultrafast pulses. It shall be 108 or higher in order to avoid effect from noise before main pulse. Diagnostics with cross-correlation can achieve high temporal resolution such as ~7fs. Cross-correlation has advantage in pulse contrast measurement than autocorrelation because it can distinguish noise before
or after main pulse. High dynamic range is also essential in pulse contrast measurement. Cross-correlation signal from a
single shot is converted into a signal series through fiber array, which can be analyzed by a set of a PMT and an
oscilloscope. Noise from nonlinear crystal and scatter needs decrease to improve dynamic range. And pulse power is also
discussed in pulse contrast experiments. Time delay τ is generated by travel stage in measurement for repetition pulses.
Then energy instability will generate error in this measurement. In measurement for single shot pulse, time delay τ is
generated by slant angle of beams. The scanning procession is completed with thousands parts of beam section within a single shot, and error will generated from no uniformity in near field. Performance test of pulse contrast measurement is introduced in subsequent sections. Temporal resolution is testified by self-calibration. Dynamic range is judged by a
parallel flat. At last pulse contrast of petawatt laser is diagnosed by a single shot cross-correlator with high confidence. The
ratio is 10-6 at 50ps before main pulse, and 10-4 at 10ps before main pulse.
Large, high-power laser amplifiers use the imaging properties of multiple spatial filters. Spatial filtering has been shown to control instabilities; spatial filters preserve the transverse intensity profile of a high power beam as it propagates long distances through nonlinear elements as well. In this paper, image relaying is presented as a technique for aligning beams onto mm-sized target. On base of summarizing the preceding work on the near-field image relaying of multiple spatial filters, the far-field image relaying is suggested firstly. The application of near-field and far-field image relaying properties of multiple spatial filters in laser beams automatic alignment system is analyzed. A geometrical optics approach and an ABCD ray matrix theory are used throughout. A reasonable and optimized scheme for automatic aligning multipass beam paths is presented. It is demonstrated on the multipass amplifier experimental system of the SG-III prototype.
A laser beam automatic alignment system is applied in a multipass amplifier of the SG-III prototype laser. Considering the requirements of the SG-III prototype facility, by combining the general techniques of the laser beam automatic alignment system, according to the image relayed of the pinholes in the spatial filter, and utilizing the optical position and the spatial distribution of the four pinholes of the main spatial filter in the multipass amplifier of the SG-III prototype, a reasonable and optimized scheme for automatic aligning multipass beam paths is presented. It is demonstrated on the multipass amplifier experimental system.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.