13.4 fs, 0.1 Hz OPCPA Front End for the 100 PW-Class Laser Facility

Abstract

Here, we report the recent progress on the front end developed for the 100 PW-class laser facility. Using 3 stages of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) based on lithium triborate (LBO) crystals, we realized a 5.26 J/0.1 Hz amplified output with a bandwidth over 200 nm near the center wavelength of 925 nm. After the compressor, we obtained a pulse duration of 13.4 fs. As the compression efficiency reached 67%, this OPCPA front end could potentially support a peak power of 263 TW at a repetition rate of 0.1 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, among all the 100 TW-level OPCPA systems, it shows the widest spectral width, the shortest pulse duration, and it is also the first OPCPA system working at a repetition-rate mode.