Engineering Papers⌕ Search
Home/Archive/DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI · 3652973

Laser–plasma amplification of an ultrabroadband laser pulse to 0.3 TW

Shaw, J. L. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000211188921)·Ambat, M. V. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·McMillen, K. R. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000150715360)·Pigeon, J. J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000316798291)·Bucht, S. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Almanza, M. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000775725072)·Bahk, S.-W. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000234325888)·Begishev, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000407388906)·Boni, R. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Bromage, J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Dorrer, C. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Haberberger, D. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Katz, J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·LaBelle, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000647490774)·Mileham, C. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Roides, R. G. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Romo-Gonzalez, M. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Settle, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Spilatro, M. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000996082015)·Turnbull, D. P. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000298871028)·Palastro, J. P. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000267211924)·Alves, E. P. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000245881003)·Rinderknecht, H. G. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000349695571)·Sefkow, A. B. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics]·Froula, D. H. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000169813956)
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Producing on-target laser intensities much greater than 10 23 W cm −2 with current laser technologies is a roadblock to accessing new regimes of physics such as strong-field quantum electrodynamics. Laser–plasma amplifiers show promise to realize these intensities by augmenting the final amplifier and compressor in traditional chirped-pulse-amplification architectures with a plasma-based amplification and compression stage that operates at a much higher damage threshold. Here we demonstrate amplification of an ultrabroadband (>60 nm) pulse in a laser–plasma Raman amplifier. We directly amplified seed intensities up to 3.7 × 10 15 W cm −2 and measured efficiencies up to 8.7%. Single-shot SPIDER measurements show a factor-of-2 reduction in the amplified pulse duration with final powers up to 0.3 TW, a 10× improvement over previous results. Final pulse durations of 64 fs are measured. Energy transfers greater than 220 mJ from the picosecond pump into the seed result in a 30× energy amplification of a 7.6 mJ seed. These results set the stage for a compact plasma afterburner based on Raman amplification that could extend the scientific capability of existing petawatt-class laser facilities to enable experiments at the intensity frontier.

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Shaw, J. L. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000211188921), Ambat, M. V. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], McMillen, K. R. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000150715360), Pigeon, J. J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000316798291), Bucht, S. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Almanza, M. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000775725072), Bahk, S.-W. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000234325888), Begishev, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000407388906), Boni, R. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Bromage, J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Dorrer, C. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Haberberger, D. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Katz, J. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], LaBelle, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000647490774), Mileham, C. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Roides, R. G. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Romo-Gonzalez, M. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Settle, I. A. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Spilatro, M. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0009000996082015), Turnbull, D. P. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000298871028), Palastro, J. P. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000267211924), Alves, E. P. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000245881003), Rinderknecht, H. G. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000349695571), Sefkow, A. B. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics], Froula, D. H. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics] (ORCID:0000000169813956). 2026-08-03. Laser–plasma amplification of an ultrabroadband laser pulse to 0.3 TW. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-026-01977-1

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

DOE OSTI2026

Generation of 3.3-mJ, 2.45-µm, sub-2-cycle laser pulses via hollow-core fiber pulse compression

We demonstrate nonlinear compression of mid-infrared pulses from a Cr:ZnSe chirped-pulse amplifier using a gas-filled stretched hollow-core fiber followed by bulk-material compression. Starting from 90 fs, 2.45 µm pulses with 5.3 mJ energy, spectral broadening in the gas-filled capillary combined with optimized dispersion management enables compression to 15 fs, less than two optical cycles at 2.45 µm, with 3.3 mJ pulse energy, corresponding to a peak power of approximately 0.12 TW. The simplicity of the approach, based on a single hollow-core fiber stage and bulk dispersion compensation, makes it scalable to higher energies and establishes a robust route to mid-infrared drivers for high harmonic generation and attosecond applications.

Britton, Mathew [SLAC National Accelerator Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-modal dynamic radiography using short-pulse laser-generated probe beams

Radiography is an important tool for the interrogation of dynamic experiments in the fields of dynamic properties of materials, and in condensed matter, high explosive, and high-energy-density physics. Multi-modal radiography advances the hypothesis that combining the information delivered by multiple radiographic modalities can lead to more constrained (improved) “reconstruction” of the scene than can be obtained from a single probe. We identify four modalities: multi-probe, time sequence, multi-view, and multi-messenger. Multi-probe radiography is a promising candidate for a next-generation dynamic radiographic facility. High-energy X-rays are the most frequently used probe for dynamic radiography, although recent developments show the utility of proton (pRad), electron (eRad), and neutron probe beams. Because each probing species interacts with material in the radiographic scene through quantitatively different mechanisms, each returns independent information about the scene, which can add extra constraints to the reconstruction process. How to conduct detailed, quantitative “co-analysis” of multiple data streams remains an area of active research. Multi-beam, short-pulse, laser-generated probes offer sufficient dose, an appropriate spectrum, and appropriate spatio-temporal resolution to produce high-quality dynamic radiographs. This paper reports on technology development to advance the state of the art of multi-modal/multi-probe radiography and the pursuit of both deterministic and inferential (AI/ML assisted) co-analysis methodologies to produce more constrained reconstructions from multi-modal data.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Studies of laser stimulated photodetachment from nanoparticles for particle charge measurements

Determining nanoparticle charge is more challenging than that for microparticles due to change in the particle size during the synthesis substantial plasma property variations, and difficulties in visualizing individual particles, rendering conventional microparticle charge diagnostics ineffective in dusty plasma. In this work, we utilized laser-stimulated photodetachment (LSPD) to deduce the mean charge of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were grown in an Ar/C 2 H 2 mixture using a capacitively coupled RF discharge and the LSPD induced changes in the electron current monitored by a cylindrical Langmuir probe. LSPD signals were obtained and analyzed across different dust growth phases. The prolonged decay of electron current pulses was attributed to the presence of residual negative ions, caused by the effective electrostatic trapping of these ions and the potential post—LSPD re-formation of new ones. The particle charge was estimated by combining the laser-stimulated photodetachment signal from the probe with the dust density obtained from laser-light extinction using the measured nanoparticle size distribution. For a nanoparticles size range of approximately 100–250 nm and mean diameter of $d$ p ∼154.37 nm, the effective mean charge was estimated to be $\langle$$Q$$\rangle$ d $≈$ 37 elementary charge units. The measured charge values are lower than those predicted by orbital motion limited theory, which may be attributed to significant electron depletion in the nanodusty plasma. LSPD results in Ar/C 2 H 2 nano-dusty plasma confirm the applicability of this method for estimating individual nanoparticle charges. However, it has also been demonstrated that electron detachment from residual background negative ions can influence the detachment current decay and must be carefully considered.

dust particle charge↗