神光Ⅱ大型固体高功率激光装置是我国激光驱动器发展历史的里程碑, 其成功研制使我国高功率固体激光工程与技术、聚变物理与基础物理研究实现了全面且本质的跨越式发展。简要概述了神光Ⅱ激光装置研制中创新发展的大量工程方案与技术手段, 举例介绍了神光Ⅱ激光装置在近20年来的高质量运行中取得的众多有国际影响力的研究成果。经多方支持和多年持续发展, 已经形成数万焦耳级纳秒激光装置、皮秒拍瓦以及飞秒拍瓦激光装置等, 这些装置是我国惯性约束核聚变、强场物理、高能量密度物理等研究领域中重要的物理实验核心平台之一。

为了提高神光II 5 PW (SGII-5 PW) 超短脉冲激光系统的运行安全性, 针对大能量光参量啁啾脉冲放大(OPCPA)光束近场分布均匀性问题, 从理论上进行了数值模拟, 并与实验数据进行了对比分析。在1 PW级放大器模拟中, 以预放大器以及神光II大能量抽运脉冲的测量数据为基础, 利用参量耦合波方程组数值模拟方法, 得到了近场填充因子与光通量对比度在光参量放大过程中的演变, 并结合转换效率与输出稳定性进行讨论, 得到了对应于高光束质量、高转换效率与高稳定性的非线性晶体长度优化范围, 结果还表明抽运光对放大后光束均匀性影响较大, 进一步提升神光II第7路光束质量是大幅提升第2级OPCPA (OPCPA-II)光束均匀性的切实途径。

振镜作为一种二维扫描器件, 可以实现光学元件不同位置处表面情况在CCD相机上的成像, 利用振镜扫描方式无需移动待检测光学元件和成像系统即可完成大口径光学元件表面损伤的扫描检测,提出了一种基于振镜扫描方式的大口径光学元件表面损伤检测方法。利用该方法对光学元件表面损伤点检测进行了验证实验, 通过在元件表面设置基准点, 利用振镜扫描步数及图像处理技术确定损伤点位置及尺寸, 并与光学显微镜观察到的损伤情况进行对比, 结果显示利用振镜扫描方法对元件表面损伤点位置及尺寸的检测结果与光学显微镜检测结果偏差较小。该检测系统分辨率可达到(2.08±0.015) μm/pixel, 检测范围大于2.5 cm, 水平方向和竖直方向位置坐标检测准确度分别为3.76%和1.37%, 损伤点尺寸检测准确度为6.19%, 能够实现较大尺寸光学元件表面损伤点的高准确性检测。

The development of the optically addressed spatial light modulator (OASLM) was reported. Its structure and working principle was introduced in detail. Meanwhile, the photosensitive response curve, static wave-front distortion and temporal waveform distortion was investigated in detail in the process of experiment. Besides, OASLM was successfully demonstrated in the online experiment. The results show that OASLM not only has the ability to achieve the desired transmittance distribution, but also has no additional effect on the high-power laser system. Finally, the shaping effect of spatial filter in the laser system was analyzed. The result shows that the size of spatial filter was also an important factor which determined the shaping precision when this device was used in high power laser systems.

Without discrete optical components influencing the fiber format, all-fiber mode-locked laser has tremendous potential practical applications due to its advantages of better stability, alignment free, and better compaction. All-fiber laser mode-locked by nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) can obtain good performances in terms of pulse duration and spectrum. But the effective saturable absorption mirror can be overdriven at high peak power, which leads to multiple pulses, limiting the output pulse energy. And there is a trade-off between avoiding overdriving the NPE and ease of self-starting. In addition, the polarization of the pulse propagating in a long fiber is so sensitive to the environment vibration that it is difficult to implement a stable lone-time operation. All-fiber ring laser mode-locked by NPE alone is analyzed and realized. The simulation results show that even a polarization vibration of /38 can break the mode-locking completely. Experimentally, after carefully adjusting, singlepulse mode-locking is achieved with the spectrum centered at 1053.4 nm and a maximum pulse energy of 82 pJ. But the output parameters change continually during operating. After 60 min, the mode-locking is broken. The conclusion is obtained that instability and unreliability of self-starting are inevitable for such a laser. Here, we show significant improvements of the pulse energy, operating stability, and self-starting reliability from an all-fiber Yb-doped mode-locked fiber laser. The laser is mode-locked by NPE combined with chirped pulse spectral filtering (CPSF). In order to easily self-start and stabilize mode locking, a spectral filter is employed in the all-normal group velocity dispersion NPE cavity to provide additional amplitude modulation. Combined effects of NPE and CPSF result in desirable pulse output, desirable operating stability, and reliable self-starting simultaneously. Stable mode-locking centered at 1053 nm is achieved with a 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 9.1 nm and pulse duration of 17.8 ps. The average output power is 66.9 mW at a repetition rate of 15.2 MHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 4.25 nJ. Especially, high operating stability and easily one-button self-starting are achieved simultaneously. The fluctuations of output parameters including pulse energy, pulse duration, and spectrum are within 0.3% during 150-min operation. Self-starting reliability is tested. The testing time lasts two weeks. During the two weeks, the laser is turned off and turned on 48 times by using a power supplying button, without any adjustment. And the re-turned on intervals change randomly. Each time, the mode-locking can start itself. The repeatabilities of output parameters including pulse energy, pulse duration, and spectrum are within 0.55%.

Based on the mass fraction of 65% deuterated DKDP crystals, the fourth harmonic conversion of 1053 nm laser is realized under the condition of noncritical phase matching (NCPM). The experimentally measured crystal temperature is 29.4 ℃ and the acceptance angle width of the crystals under the NCPM condition is around 55 mrad. Effects of the deuterated amount and the temperature of the DKDP crystals in the process of NCPM on the fourth harmonic conversion are theoretically analyzed. The relationship between the deuterated amount and temperature and the changing of the fourth harmonic conversion efficiency versus the double frequency light intensity are numerically simulated. These results provide a theoretical basis for the application of fourth harmonic laser in the high power laser system.

报道了自研的光寻址空间光调制器的最新进展, 介绍了器件工作原理与结构, 并对其光敏响应特性曲线、静态位相波前畸变、透射时间波形畸变的离线测试结果进行了报道, 同时也利用该器件在高功率激光装置上进行了在线测试。结果表明, 该调制器可以根据需求实现所需的强度透过率分布, 而且对高功率激光系统没有引入附加的影响。最后, 结合该调制器的实际使用环境, 分析了激光系统空间滤波器对整形效果的影响, 说明在高功率激光系统中使用该调制器时, 空间滤波器尺寸也是决定光束整形精度的重要因素。

利用质量分数为65%的掺氘DKDP晶体实现了1053 nm激光在非临界相位匹配(NCPM)条件下的四次谐波转换，实验测得NCPM条件下晶体温度为29.4 ℃、晶体接收角宽约为55 mrad。理论分析了NCPM过程中DKDP晶体掺氘量和温度对四次谐波转换的影响，数值模拟了四次谐波转换过程中晶体掺氘量和温度的关系以及四倍频转换效率随倍频光强的变化，这些结果为四倍频光在高功率激光系统中的应用提供了理论依据。

Thermal effect is still the most serious problem: it restricts the high power and high beam quality of solid laser to be further enhanced. The efficient thermal management is an important approach to suppress the thermal effect. In this paper, the thermal effect in a gas-cooled laser diode pumped multislab Nd:glass amplifier operating at a repetition rate is investigated in detail both theoretically and experimentally. The three-dimensional distributions of temperature, stress, strain, and birefringence are calculated by a finite element analysis. Based on these data, the thermally induced wavefront distortions and depolarization losses are determined with considering six slabs and one laser head. It is revealed that the theoretical data are in good agreement with the experimental results: the total wavefront distortion is 6.77λ and a depolarization loss of more than 90% accumulates over six slabs when the heat deposition is 0.7 W/cm3.

The non-collinear phase-matching of 808 nm centered optical parametric amplification(OPA) is analyzed in detail in potassium dideuterium phosphate (DKDP) crystal. Phase-matching parameters for various deuteration DKDP crystals are calculated based on the concepts. Optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier(OPCPA) based on 95% deuteration DKDP crystal is designed and the output characteristics are simulated by OPA coupled wave equations for further discuss. It is concluded that DKDP crystals higher than 90% deuteration level can be utilized in ultra-short high power laser systems with compressed pulses broader than 30 fs. The disadvantage is that the acceptance angles are small, increasing the difficulty of engineering regulation.