Demonstration of a 1.1 petawatt laser based on a hybrid optical parametric chirped pulse amplification/mixed Nd:glass amplifier

Appl Opt. 2010 Mar 20;49(9):1676-81. doi: 10.1364/AO.49.001676.

Abstract

We present the design and performance of the Texas Petawatt Laser, which produces a 186 J 167 fs pulse based on the combination of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) and mixed Nd:glass amplification. OPCPA provides the majority of the gain and is used to broaden and shape the seed spectrum, while amplification in Nd:glass accounts for >99% of the final pulse energy. Compression is achieved with highly efficient multilayer dielectric gratings.