Abstract

Pushing the peak power of Ti:Sapphire laser systems toward the 100 TW levels and beyond is connected with several special technological and physical problems. The laser pulse duration after recompression is limited by both the pulse spectral width and residual phase distortions accumulated in the chirped pulse amplification system. They both can lead to the appearance of a pedestal and not-transform-limited recompression of the laser pulse over the beam aperture. The amplitude front can be bent and tilted. Such laser pulses will have a substantially broadened pulse duration for the case of sharp focusing on the target.

© 2000 IEEE