Exawatt-Zettawatt pulse generation and applications

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• 作者：G.A. Mourou^a ; ^{gerardmourou@gmail.com} ; N.J. Fisch^b ; ^c ; V.M. Malkin^b ; Z. Toroker^c ; E.A. Khazanov^d ; A.M. Sergeev^d ; T. Tajima^e ; B. Le Garrec^f
• 关键词：Ultrafast lasers ; High energy laser pulses ; Relativistic optics ; Plasma optics
• 刊名：Optics Communications
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：1 March 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：285
• 期：5
• 页码：720-724
• 全文大小：401 K

文摘

A new amplification method, weaving the three basic compression techniques, Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA), Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) and Plasma Compression by Backward Raman Amplification (BRA) in plasma, is proposed. It is called C³ for Cascaded Conversion Compression. It has the capability to compress with good efficiency kilojoule to megajoule, nanosecond laser pulses into femtosecond pulses, to produce exawatt-and-beyond peak power. In the future, C³ could be used at large-scale facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) or the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) and open the way to zettawatt level pulses. The beam will be focused to a wavelength spot size with a f#1. The very small beam size, i.e. few centimeters, along with the low laser repetition rate laser system will make possible the use of inexpensive, precision, disposable optics. The resulting intensity will approach the Schwinger value, thus opening up new possibilities in fundamental physics.