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Title: Laser amplifier and method

Patent ·
OSTI ID:871030
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Ann Arbor, MI
+ Show Author Affiliations

Laser amplifiers and methods for amplifying a laser beam are disclosed. A representative embodiment of the amplifier comprises first and second curved mirrors, a gain medium, a third mirror, and a mask. The gain medium is situated between the first and second curved mirrors at the focal point of each curved mirror. The first curved mirror directs and focuses a laser beam to pass through the gain medium to the second curved mirror which reflects and recollimates the laser beam. The gain medium amplifies and shapes the laser beam as the laser beam passes therethough. The third mirror reflects the laser beam, reflected from the second curved mirror, so that the laser beam bypasses the gain medium and return to the first curved mirror, thereby completing a cycle of a ring traversed by the laser beam. The mask defines at least one beam-clipping aperture through which the laser beam passes during a cycle. The gain medium is pumped, preferably using a suitable pumping laser. The laser amplifier can be used to increase the energy of continuous-wave or, especially, pulsed laser beams including pulses of femtosecond duration and relatively high pulse rate.

Research Organization:
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
FG06-93ER12135
Assignee:
Washington State University Research Foundation (Pullman, WA)
Patent Number(s):
US 5644424
OSTI ID:
871030
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (11)

Generation of 21-fs millijoule-energy pulses by use of Ti:sapphire journal January 1994
Ultrashort pulse generation from a passively mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser based system journal January 1992
Regenerative amplification of 30-fs pulses in Ti:sapphire at 5 kHz journal January 1994
Compact and efficient multipass Ti:sapphire system for femtosecond chirped-pulse amplification at the terawatt level journal January 1993
High-order harmonic generation using intense femtosecond pulses journal February 1993
Chirped-pulse amplification of 55-fs pulses at a 1-kHz repetition rate in a Ti:Al_2O_3 regenerative amplifier journal January 1993
Sub-20-fs, kilohertz-repetition-rate Ti:sapphire amplifier journal January 1995
Quintic-phase-limited, spatially uniform expansion and recompression of ultrashort optical pulses journal January 1993
Compensation of higher-order frequency-dependent phase terms in chirped-pulse amplification systems journal January 1993
Amplification of femtosecond optical pulses using a double confocal resonator journal January 1989
High-efficiency multipass Ti:sapphire amplifiers for a continuous-wave single-mode laser journal January 1991

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Related Subjects

laser
amplifier
method
amplifiers
methods
amplifying
beam
disclosed
representative
embodiment
comprises
curved
mirrors
medium
third
mirror
mask
situated
focal
directs
focuses
pass
reflects
recollimates
amplifies
shapes
passes
therethough
reflected
bypasses
return
completing
cycle
traversed
defines
beam-clipping
aperture
pumped
preferably
suitable
pumping
increase
energy
continuous-wave
especially
pulsed
beams
including
pulses
femtosecond
duration
relatively
pulse
rate
curved mirror
beam passes
laser beams
laser beam
pulsed laser
laser amplifier
pulse rate
pumping laser
amplifier comprises
third mirror
laser amplifiers
suitable pump
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