Abstract
Ultra-high-brightness excimer laser systems are being used to explore the interaction of intense coherent ultraviolet radiation with matter. Applications of current systems include generation of picosecond x-ray pulses, investigation of possible x-ray laser pumping schemes, studies of multiphoton phenomena in atomic species, and time-resolved photochemistry. These systems,1,2 based on the amplification of sub-picosecond pulses in small aperture (~1 cm2) XeCl or KrF amplifiers, deliver focal spot intensities of ~1017 W/cm2. Scaling to higher intensities, however, will require an additional large aperture amplifier which preserves near-diffraction-limited beam quality and subpicosecond pulse duration. We describe here both a small aperture KrF system which routinely provides intensities >1017 W/cm2 to several experiments, and a large aperture XeCl system, currently under construction, designed to deliver ~1 J subpicosecond pulses and yield intensities on target in excess of 1019 W/cm2. We also compare XeCl and KrF as amplification media for high-brightness laser systems.
© 1988 Optical Society of America
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