Experimental study of diode-pumped Nd, Y:CaF2 amplifier for inertial confinement fusion laser driver

Tang Xiong-Xin; Qiu Ji-Si; Fan Zhong-Wei; Wang Hao-Cheng; Liu Yue-Liang; Liu Hao; Su Liang-Bi

doi:10.7498/aps.65.204206

Abstract

In a conventional laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF), Nd-doped phosphate glass is used as a gain medium. However, the repetition frequency operation of such a laser system is restricted by the low thermal conductivity of the phosphate glass. To attain a high ICF performance, the laser driver must be able to operate at a repetition frequency of no less than 10 Hz. Typically, an Nd-doped laser glass operates at a repetition frequency well below 10 Hz. In this paper, an Nd, Y:CaF2 crystal is taken as a gain medium for the laser amplifier, and experiments are carried out to demonstrate the capability of Nd, Y:CaF2 crystal to act as a gain medium for ICF laser driver. A laser-diode plane-array five-direction horizontal-side-pumped Nd, Y:CaF2 laser amplifier 5 mm70 mm is developed and an experimental study is carried out. The absorption spectrum and emission spectrum of Nd, Y:CaF2 crystal and the fluorescence distribution of the amplifier are measured. The Nd:CaF2 co-doped with Y3+ ions results in a broad absorption band, which makes the laser diode pumping more efficient. The strongest excitation band peak is centered around 796 nm. The small signal gains of Nd, Y:CaF2 and Nd:Glass working respectively at repetition frequencies of 10 and 1 Hz under the same pump power are measured. The small signal gain of Nd, Y:CaF2 amplifier reaches 6.12 under a pump power of 9.63 kW, which is 1.5 times that of Nd:Glass amplifier. The measurements of the spectrum of the seed beam and the spectrum from Nd, Y:CaF2 amplifier show that the signals have no change before and after being amplified. Most likely the Nd, Y:CaF2 crystal is a promising laser material for repetitive ICF laser drivers.

Keywords:

Authors and contacts

1.
Academy of Opto-Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China;
2.
National Engineering Research Center for DPSSL, Beijing 100094, China;
3.
Zhongkeheguang Applied Laser Technology Institute Company, Ltd. Tianjin 300304, China;
4.
Synthetic Single Crystal Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201899, China;
5.
Key Laboratory of Transparent and Opto-functional Inorganic Materials, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201899, China

Corresponding author: Qiu Ji-Si, keith0311@163.com;fanzhongwei@aoe.ac.cn ; Fan Zhong-Wei, keith0311@163.com;fanzhongwei@aoe.ac.cn ;

Funds: Project supported by the Special Fund for Research on National Major Research Instruments and Facilities of the National Natural Science Fundation of China (Grant No. ZDYZ2013-2), the Innovative Talent Promotion Plans for Innovation Team in Priority Fields, China (Grant No. 2014RA4051), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

References

[1]	Kuzmin A A, Khazanov E A, Shaykin A A 2011 Opt. Lett. 19 14223
[2]	Peng Y J, Wang J F, Zhang Z X, Huang D J, Fan W, Li X C 2014 Chin. Opt. Lett. 12 41402
[3]	Krupke W F, Shinn M D, Marion J E, Caird J A, Stokowski S E 1986 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3 102
[4]	Zhang J T, Zhu J F, Wang J L, Wei Z Y, Su L B, Xu J 2016 Acta Photon. Sin. 45 114001 (in Chinese)[张菊婷, 朱江峰, 王军利, 魏志义, 苏良碧, 徐军2016光子学报45 114001]
[5]	Su L B, Yang W Q, Dong Y J, Zhou S M, Zhou G Q, Xu J 2003 J. Synth. Cryst. 32 476 (in Chinese)[苏良碧, 杨卫桥, 董永军, 周圣明, 周国清, 徐军2003人工晶体学报32 476]
[6]	Mirela N 2000 J. Cryst. Growth 218 62
[7]	Stephen A P, John A C, Chase L L, Smith L K, Nielsen N D, William F K 1991 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 8 726
[8]	Fernandez J, Oleaga A, Azkargorta J, Iparraguirre I, Balda R, Voda M, Kaminskii A A 1999 Opt. Mater. 13 9
[9]	Doualan J L, Su L B, Brasse G, Benayad A, Menard V, Zhan Y Y, Braud A, Camy P, Xu J, Moncorge 2013 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 30 3018
[10]	Su L B, Wang Q G, Li H J, Brasse G, Camy P, Doualan J L, Braud A, Moncorge R, Zhan Y Y, Zheng L H, Qian X B, Xu J 2013 Laser Phys. Lett. 10 035804
[11]	Qin Z P, Xie G Q, Ma J, Ge W Y, Yuan P, Qian L J, Su L B, Jiang D P, Ma F K, Zhang Q, Cao Y X, Xu J 2014 Opt. Lett. 39 1737
[12]	Zhu J F, Zhang L J, Gao Z Y, Wang J L, Wang Z H, Su L B, Zheng L H, Wang J Y, Xu J, Wei Z Y 2015 Laser Phys. Lett. 12 035801
[13]	Zhang Q, Su L B, Jiang D P, Ma F K, Qin Z P, Xie G Q, Zheng J G, Deng Q H, Zheng W G, Qian L J, Xu J 2015 Chin. Opt. Lett. 13 71402

Cited By

[1]	Kuzmin A A, Khazanov E A, Shaykin A A 2011 Opt. Lett. 19 14223
[2]	Peng Y J, Wang J F, Zhang Z X, Huang D J, Fan W, Li X C 2014 Chin. Opt. Lett. 12 41402
[3]	Krupke W F, Shinn M D, Marion J E, Caird J A, Stokowski S E 1986 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 3 102
[4]	Zhang J T, Zhu J F, Wang J L, Wei Z Y, Su L B, Xu J 2016 Acta Photon. Sin. 45 114001 (in Chinese)[张菊婷, 朱江峰, 王军利, 魏志义, 苏良碧, 徐军2016光子学报45 114001]
[5]	Su L B, Yang W Q, Dong Y J, Zhou S M, Zhou G Q, Xu J 2003 J. Synth. Cryst. 32 476 (in Chinese)[苏良碧, 杨卫桥, 董永军, 周圣明, 周国清, 徐军2003人工晶体学报32 476]
[6]	Mirela N 2000 J. Cryst. Growth 218 62
[7]	Stephen A P, John A C, Chase L L, Smith L K, Nielsen N D, William F K 1991 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 8 726
[8]	Fernandez J, Oleaga A, Azkargorta J, Iparraguirre I, Balda R, Voda M, Kaminskii A A 1999 Opt. Mater. 13 9
[9]	Doualan J L, Su L B, Brasse G, Benayad A, Menard V, Zhan Y Y, Braud A, Camy P, Xu J, Moncorge 2013 J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 30 3018
[10]	Su L B, Wang Q G, Li H J, Brasse G, Camy P, Doualan J L, Braud A, Moncorge R, Zhan Y Y, Zheng L H, Qian X B, Xu J 2013 Laser Phys. Lett. 10 035804
[11]	Qin Z P, Xie G Q, Ma J, Ge W Y, Yuan P, Qian L J, Su L B, Jiang D P, Ma F K, Zhang Q, Cao Y X, Xu J 2014 Opt. Lett. 39 1737
[12]	Zhu J F, Zhang L J, Gao Z Y, Wang J L, Wang Z H, Su L B, Zheng L H, Wang J Y, Xu J, Wei Z Y 2015 Laser Phys. Lett. 12 035801
[13]	Zhang Q, Su L B, Jiang D P, Ma F K, Qin Z P, Xie G Q, Zheng J G, Deng Q H, Zheng W G, Qian L J, Xu J 2015 Chin. Opt. Lett. 13 71402

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