AI Article Synopsis
- The performance of petawatt-class lasers is hindered by damage to optical components, particularly pulse compression gratings, which can be improved by using multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings that offer high efficiency and resistance to damage.
- Research indicates that the etching profile of these gratings affects the electric field distribution, influencing their resistance to laser damage.
- This study investigates how the design of the multilayer stack affects the electric field intensity and laser-induced damage threshold, demonstrating that optimized multilayer designs can enhance the durability of MLD gratings in high-power laser applications.
Article Abstract
The peak-power of petawatt-class lasers is limited by laser-induced damage to final optical components, especially on the pulse compression gratings. Multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings are widely used in compressor systems because they exhibit a high diffraction efficiency and high damage threshold. It is now well established that the etching profile plays a key role in the electric field distribution, which influences the laser damage resistance of MLD gratings. However, less attention has been devoted to the influence of the multilayer design on the laser damage resistance of MLD gratings. In this Letter, we numerically and experimentally evidence the impact of the dielectric stack design on the electric field intensity (EFI) and the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Three different MLD gratings are designed and manufactured to perform laser damage tests. On the basis of the expected EFIs and diffraction efficiencies, the measured LIDTs show how the multilayer design influences the laser resistance of the MLD gratings. This result highlights the impact of the multilayer dielectric design on the electric field distribution and shows how to further improve the laser-induced damage threshold of pulse compression gratings.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.498295 | DOI Listing |
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The performance of petawatt-class lasers is hindered by damage to optical components, particularly pulse compression gratings, which can be improved by using multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings that offer high efficiency and resistance to damage.
- Research indicates that the etching profile of these gratings affects the electric field distribution, influencing their resistance to laser damage.
- This study investigates how the design of the multilayer stack affects the electric field intensity and laser-induced damage threshold, demonstrating that optimized multilayer designs can enhance the durability of MLD gratings in high-power laser applications.
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