Generating Quasi-Single Multi - Terawatt Picosecond Pulses in the Neptune CO2 Laser System

Abstract

We discuss the status of the University of California, Los Angeles Neptune Laboratory CO2 master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) system and recent modifications aimed to obtain quasi-single pulses with 5–10 TW in the leading 3 ps pulse. A new optical parametric amplification front end capable of produclng ≤ 10 μJ in a few picosecond long, 10 μm pulse was tested experimentally. By switching the regenerative preamplifier in the MOPA to a multipass configuration, the nanosecond contrast is expected to improve by a factor of 103.