Demonstration Of Joule-Level Chirped Pulse Amplification Based On Tiled Ti:Sapphire Amplifier

A novel tiled Ti:sapphire (Ti:S) amplifier was experimentally demonstrated with >1 J amplified chirped pulse output. Two Ti:S crystals having dimensions of 14 mm x 14 mm x 25 mm were tiled as the gain medium in a four-pass amplifier. Maximum output energy of 1.18 J was obtained with 2.75 J pump energy. The energy conversion efficiency of the tiled Ti:S amplifier was comparable with a single Ti:S amplifier. The laser pulse having the maximum peak power of 28 TW was obtained after the compressor. Moreover, the influence of the beam gap on the far field was discussed. This novel tiled Ti:S amplifier technique can provide a potential way for 100 PW or EW lasers in the future.