Ultra-broad bandwidth low-dispersion mirror with smooth dispersion and high laser damage resistance

Abstract

Low-dispersion mirrors (LDMs), which require a broad bandwidth, low dispersion, and high damage threshold, are essential optics in ultra-intense and ultra-short laser devices. Bragg mirrors and chirped LDMs do not satisfy these requirements simultaneously. We propose a novel LDM (NLDM) based on the hump-like structure and quarter wavelength optical thickness (QWOT) structure to achieve a broad bandwidth, smooth dispersion, and high robustness. The spectral and dispersion characteristics of the two structures compensate for each other, which makes up for the deficiency that the dispersion bandwidth of the sinusoidal modulation structure cannot be broadened. Based on this structure, the LDM can achieve a design bandwidth of 240 nm and support the transmission of sub-11-fs pulses. The accuracy of the NLDM is experimentally evaluated. The structure shows the potential for broad-spectrum laser damage performance due to the low electric field intensity. The NLDM improves the mirror performance and paves the way for a new generation of ultra-intense and ultra-short laser devices.