High-intensity ultrafast lasers are used as drivers for Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) and as a source for secondary radiation. A conceptual design is proposed for a high repetition rate petawatt-class laser system based on Cr:YAG operating at 1.45 μm, pumped by a Yb:YAG laser in a multi-slab, gas-cooled architecture. The concept leverages direct 1μm-pumping in Cr:YAG with a unique energy storage and extraction scheme for efficiency improvement as well as ASE management. Modelling results show post-compression energy can reach in excess of 80J, 80fs at 10Hz repetition rates, allowing laser-matter interaction experiments in a previously unexplored spectral region.
The Matter in Extreme Conditions Upgrade (MEC-U) project is a major upgrade to the MEC instrument on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) user facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The MEC instrument combines the XFEL with a high-power, short-pulse laser and high energy shock driver laser to produce and study high energy density plasmas and materials found in extreme environments such as the interior of stars and fusion reactors, providing the fundamental understanding needed for applications ranging from astronomy to fusion energy. When completed, this project will significantly increase the power and repetition rate of the MEC high intensity laser system to the petawatt level at up to 10 Hz, increase the energy of the shock-driver laser to the kilojoule level, and expand the capabilities of the MEC instrument to support groundbreaking experiments enabled by the combination of high-power lasers with the world’s brightest X-ray source. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a directly diode-pumped, 10 Hz repetition rate, 150 J, 150 fs, 1 PW laser system to be installed in the upgraded MEC facility. This laser system is an implementation of LLNL’s Scalable High power Advanced Radiographic Capability (SHARC) concept and is based on chirped pulse amplification in the diode-pumped, gas-cooled slab architecture developed for the Mercury and HAPLS laser systems. The conceptual design and capabilities of this laser system will be presented.
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