Journal Article

PUBDB-2025-05244

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Post-compression of a Q-switched laser in a glass-rod multi-pass cell

Biesterfeld, P. ; Schönberg, A.DESY* ; Seitz, M.DESY* ; Jimenez, N. ; Lang, T.DESY* ; Seidel, M.DESY* ; Balla, P.Extern* ; Winkelmann, L.DESY* ; Sunny, J. K. ; Fröhlich, S.Extern* ; Mosel, P.Extern* ; Hartl, I.DESY* ; Calegari, F. ; Morgner, U.Extern* ; Kovacev, M.Extern* ; Heyl, C. M.DESY* ; Trabattoni, A. (Corresponding author)DESY*

2025
IOP Publishing Bristol

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1088/2515-7647/ae1fc4  doi:10.3204/PUBDB-2025-05244

Abstract: Q-switched lasers are compact, cost-effective, and highly pulse energy-scalable sources for nanosecond-scale laser pulses. The technology has been developed for many decades and is widely used in scientific, industrial and medical applications. However, their inherently narrow bandwidth imposes a lower limit on pulse duration - typically in the few-hundred-picosecond range - limiting the applicability of Q-switched technology in fields that require ultrafast laser pulses in the few-picosecond or femtosecond regime. In contrast, mode-locked lasers can produce broad-band, ultrafast (<1 ps) pulses, but are complex, expensive, and typically require a large footprint. To bridge the parameter gap between these two laser platforms - in terms of pulse duration and achievable peak power - we here propose a Herriott-type multi-pass cell (MPC) based post-compression scheme for shortening the pulse durations of Q-switched lasers down to the ultrafast, picosecond regime. We experimentally demonstrate post-compression of 0.5 ns, 1 mJ pulses from a Q-switched laser to 24 ps using a compact glass-rod MPC for spectral broadening. We verify this result numerically and show that compression down to a few picoseconds is possible using the nanosecond MPC (nMPC). Through spectral filtering approaches, the nMPC suppresses detrimental nonlinear processes such as stimulated Raman scattering, which have set severe limitations for fiber-based post-compression of Q-switched lasers until today. Our results pave the way for cost-efficient and, compact ultrafast laser platforms based on Q-switched laser technology.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Attosecond Science and Technology (FS-ATTO)
2. Photonics Research and Development (FS-PRI)
3. Laser Forschung und Entwicklung (FS-LA)
4. Plasma Acceleration and Laser Group (MPL)

Research Program(s):

1. 631 - Matter – Dynamics, Mechanisms and Control (POF4-631) (POF4-631)
2. DFG project G:(GEPRIS)390900948 - EXC 2181: STRUKTUREN: Emergenz in Natur, Mathematik und komplexen Daten (390900948) (390900948)
3. DFG project G:(GEPRIS)390715994 - EXC 2056: CUI: Tiefe Einblicke in Materie (390715994) (390715994)
4. NanoXCAN - Nanoscale virus imaging X-ray microscope based on incoherent diffraction (101047223) (101047223)
5. DFG project G:(GEPRIS)545612524 - Multi-Pass-Zellen für Laser-Plasmabeschleuniger der nächsten Generation (545612524) (545612524)
6. BMBF-13N16678 - Milliwatt-level efficient gas harmonic EUV source (MEGA-EUV) Multi-pass cell development for post-compression and spectral tuning (BMBF-13N16678) (BMBF-13N16678)
7. HIRS-0018 - Helmholtz-Lund International School - Intelligent instrumentation for exploring matter at different time and length scales (HELIOS) (2020_HIRS-0018) (2020_HIRS-0018)

Experiment(s):

1. No specific instrument

Appears in the scientific report 2025

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Database coverage:
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