b. Ceramic-Based Optical Materials

To achieve high average power and high peak power will require new gain materials with superior damage threshold, dopant density, optical bandwidth, and thermal properties. Sintered laser gain materials for ultrafast lasers offer promise of achieving many of these characteristics. Broad bandwidth (>10%) and scalability to high peak power (>10 TW), high average power (>kW) operation is essential. In addition, the development of techniques for producing precisely controlled spatial gain profiles is strongly encouraged.

c. Optical Coatings for Ultrafast Optics

The cost and reliability of ultrafast laser systems depend in part on the optical robustness of coated optics such as mirrors and windows. R&D proposals are sought that will lead to significant advances in low loss, low scatter, ultra-high damage threshold broad-bandwidth coatings that can sustain fluences exceeding >2 J/cm2 for 100 fs pulses. Coatings must also be stable at incident average powers exceeding 100 W, and provide high quality transmission or reflection properties over >10% bandwidth under both vacuum and in-air use. Also of interest are low-loss AR coatings with high damage threshold that simultaneously operate at optical and THz frequencies, which can increase the efficiency and average power generated from dual frequency sources.

d. Robust Nonlinear Optical Materials

Nonlinear optical materials for frequency conversion are key to producing a wide array of laboratory-scale sources of radiation. Materials supporting conversion of laser power to frequencies in the terahertz to EUV range (wavelength between 300 and 0.1 micron) at high conversion efficiency, high damage threshold, and at high average power (>100 W incident power, CW) are sought.

Questions – Contact: Eric Colby, eric.colby@science.doe.gov

Reference

1. Workshop on Laser Technology for Accelerators. January 23-25, 2013
2. Zgadzaj, R., Gaul, E., and Downer, M., June 10-15, 2012, Advanced Accelerator Concepts: 15th Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop, AIP Conference Proceedings. Vol. 1507, Austin,