Abstract

The 60-beam, 30-kJ UV OMEGA Upgrade laser system will be capable of providing flexible, complex, predetermined temporally shaped pulses at the third-harmonic wavelength. Accomplishing this requires that the temporal pulse distortions introduced by the system due to frequency conversion, gain saturation, or other effects be compensated. These distortions are modeled to determine the temporal pulse shape of the injected pulse that will produce the desired third-harmonic pulse shape out of the system. We present here a progress report on the amplification of appropriately shaped pulses (continuously changing or picket-fence-type pulse shapes) to the multijoule level in preparation for injection into the full 60-beam laser system.

© 1995 Optical Society of America