Abstract
A gain slab configuration with a low thermally induced wavefront distortion, which is based on heating the edge by the cladding layer, is proposed. The gain slab will be applied to a helium-cooled Nd: glass multislab laser amplifier with an output of 100 J at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Additionally, a 3D numerical simulation model is developed to analyze the thermo-optic effects in the gain slab. Some parameters, including the absorption coefficient (α) of the cladding layer, the shape of the pump beam, and the gap between the pump area and absorbing cladding layer, are optimized to eliminate the thermo-optic effects. The results indicate that the peak-to-valley (P-V) of the thermally induced wavefront distortion of the specific gain slab can be reduced by 61% if other parameters remain constant.
Highlights
High-power laser drivers are the core infrastructures for high-energy-density physics and fusion research
As the pump beam became smaller than the Nd: glass, it generated a gap between the pump area and the absorbing cladding layer, which would enlarge the temperature gradient because of the limited edge heating capacity
The results of the numerical analysis demonstrated that OPD was lower in the slab with the absorbing cladding layer compared with that without it when the laser beam passed through the Nd: glass slab
Summary
High-power laser drivers are the core infrastructures for high-energy-density physics and fusion research. Research demonstrates that the configuration of multislabs exhibits good prospects in solid-state laser amplifiers with high energy at high repetition rates. Some numerical analyses and experimental studies for already-existing configurations have been developed [26], and the preliminary optimization of cladding geometry for reducing thermal stress-induced depolarization in high-energy, high-repetition-rate, diode-pumped Yb: YAG lasers is included in the literature [27]. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) energy absorbed in the cladding layer is converted into heat and employed as the heat source for edge heating, reducing the thermo-optic effects. Some parameters, including the absorption coefficient of the cladding layer, the shape of the pump beam, and the gap between the pump area and absorbed cladding layer, are optimized in the numerical model to reduce the thermo-optic effects of the gain slab. The simulation results indicate that the peak-to-valley (P-V) of the thermally induced wavefront distortion of the specific gain slab can be reduced by 61% if other parameters remain constant
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