kHz, 10s TW, Femtosecond Source Based on Yb:YAG Thin Disk Laser Pumped OPCPA of Low Quantum Defect

Abstract

We propose to obtain kHz, 10s TW, femtosecond sources through optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) pumped by Yb:YAG thin disk lasers. The final amplifiers of the OPCPA are based on LGS (LiGaS2) crystals with wide transparent range. To suppress the quantum defect for high efficiency, the final amplifiers are designed such that the wavelength of the signal is set very close to 1.03 μm, while the idler spectra span from 4–8 μm. Multiple crystals with different phase-matching configuration can be employed for the amplification of different spectral regions to support broadband pulse amplification. According to the numerical simulations, the pulse duration from Yb:YAG lasers can be shortened to 20–30 fs pulse with efficiency beyond 60%. This technique is energy scalable with the size of the LGS crystal size and can support a 26 TW pulse with current available LGS. The output pulses are ideal drivers for secondary light and particle source generation.