Aurore: A platform for ultrafast sciences.

We present the Aurore platform for ultrafast sciences. This platform is based on a unique 20 W, 1 kHz, 26 fs Ti:sapphire laser system designed for reliable operation and high intensity temporal contrast. The specific design ensures the high stability in terms of pulse duration, energy, and beam pointing necessary for extended experimental campaigns.

Wavelength scaling of terahertz pulse energies delivered by two-color air plasmas.

We address the long-standing problem of anomalous growth observed in the terahertz (THz) energy yield from air plasmas created by two-color laser pulses, as the fundamental wavelength λ is increased. Using two distinct optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs), we report THz energies scaling like λ0α with large exponents 5.6≤α≤14.

Guiding of relativistic electron beams in dense matter by laser-driven magnetostatic fields.

Intense lasers interacting with dense targets accelerate relativistic electron beams, which transport part of the laser energy into the target depth. However, the overall laser-to-target energy coupling efficiency is impaired by the large divergence of the electron beam, intrinsic to the laser-plasma interaction. Here we demonstrate that an efficient guiding of MeV electrons with about 30 MA current in solid matter is obtained by imposing a laser-driven longitudinal magnetostatic field of 600 T.

Measurement of reflectivity of spherically bent crystals using Kα signal from hot electrons produced by laser-matter interaction.

In an experiment at the laser facility ECLIPSE of the CELIA laboratory, University of Bordeaux, we measure the reflectivity of spherically bent crystals that are commonly used to investigate the propagation of fast electrons through the Kα radiation they generate in matter. The experimental reflectivity compares well with predictions from a ray-tracing code that takes into account the specific geometry, although the crystals seem to suffer from aging problems.

Double conical crystal x-ray spectrometer for high resolution ultrafast x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy of Al K edge.

An x-ray spectrometer devoted to dynamical studies of transient systems using the x-ray absorption fine spectroscopy technique is presented in this article. Using an ultrafast laser-induced x-ray source, this optical device based on a set of two potassium acid phthalate conical crystals allows the extraction of x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy structures following the Al absorption K edge. The proposed experimental protocol leads to a measurement of the absorption spectra free from any crystal reflectivity defaults and shot-to-shot x-ray spectral fluctuation.