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research activities of thin-disk laser technology

— Thomas Nubbemeyer —

Next-generation high-power thin-disk laser technology development

Attosecond pump-probe experiments or novel light sources for
X-ray generation as the Thomson X-ray source SPECTRE require cutting-edge laser systems with multi-kilowatt
average output power, excellent beam quality and stability at
highest possible pulse energy of hundreds of millijoules.

Laser amplifier systems based on Yb:YAG thin-disk technology currently are the most advanced high-power laser systems and provide several hundreds of mJ of pulse energy
at multi-kHz repetition rates and 200 fs to 1 ps pulse duration.

Our state-of-the-art thin-disk laser systems are capable of
providing more than 1 kW of average power at 200mJ of pulse
energy and 1 ps duration using a Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) scheme or 2 mJ of output energy with 200 fs pulse
length at 100 kHz repetition rate from a highly-compact
amplifier system without the use of CPA.

Graphical Abstract

learn more about thin disk laser technology

— Thomas Nubbemeyer —

Tools, Techs & Labs

1) High-power thin-disk regenerative amplifier system with 200 mJ pulse energy

Our 200 mJ regenerative thin-disk laser amplifier (XCPA)
with more than 1 kW of average output power is the core
component of the PFS-pro laser system currently being set up in the CALA research facility. This system, along with
several booster amplifiers (currently under development), will
provide the laser pulses necessary for driving the SPECTRE Thomson X-ray source in CALA. Along with its extraordinary combination of high repetition rate (5–10 kHz) and high pulse energies at 1 ps pulse duration, the XCPA also features an excellent beam quality (M2 < 1.1) and power stability
(fluctuations < 0.6% RMS).

2) Highly compact Direct Femtosecond Amplifier (DFA) laser system

As laser systems based on CPA require large grating compressor and stretcher setups, an alternative approach for
high-power thin-disk amplifiers is our
Direct Femtosecond Amplifier (DFA) system.
This laser provides 2 mJ of pulse energy at a very high repetition rate of 100 kHz and pulse durations
as short as 200 fs directly from the amplifier
without usage of CPA, making it a very compact, yet powerful laser source for attosecond pulse generation.

3) Technology development for thin-disk laser components

Since state-of-the-art laser systems with specifications beyond
those commercially available require special components in
order to achieve state-of-the-art results, infrastructure for
producing these components in-house is currently set up as
a part of LEX-Photonics.
Foremost, the technology for producing the thin gain disks used
in our amplifiers as well as in the KLM disk laser oscillators is
developed in order to provide thin-disk gain modules specifically
designed for our high-power Yb:YAG disk lasers and future
oscillator and amplifier systems for mid-infrared wavelengths.

  • Moritz Ueffing with a gas-filled multipass cell for nonlinear pulse compression
    Moritz Ueffing with a gas-filled multipass cell for nonlinear pulse compression
  • Chirped mirror compressor with mirrors manufactured by Dr. Vladimir Pervak.
    Chirped mirror compressor with mirrors manufactured by Dr. Vladimir Pervak.
  •  Thin-disk Laser Amplifier
    Thin-disk Laser Amplifier
  • Adjusting the high-power grating compressor of the PFS-pro system
    Adjusting the high-power grating compressor of the PFS-pro system
  • SHG generation inside the nonlinear Direct Femtosecond Amplifier
    SHG generation inside the nonlinear Direct Femtosecond Amplifier
  • Inside the thin-disk laser resonator
    Inside the thin-disk laser resonator
  • Mirror wheel for  high-power booster amplifier
    Mirror wheel for high-power booster amplifier