Large-aperture Nd-glass laser amplifier for high-peak-power application

Abstract

A 110‐mm‐square aperture face pumped Nd‐glass amplifier has been designed and tested under input beam energy density conditions of up to 5 J/cm². The measured gain of 120‐psec pulses compares favorably with the calculated values based on a three‐level model of the amplifying medium. Maximum storage efficiency of 2.3%, high repetition rate of ½ pulse/min, and minimum beam distortion combine to make this design attractive for high‐peak‐power applications.