Principle of a coherent amplifier network. An initial pulse from a seed laser (1) is stretched (2), and split into many fiber channels (3). Each channel is amplified in several stages, with the final stages producing pulses of ~1 mJ at a high repetition rate (4). All the channels are combined coherently, compressed (5) and focused (6) to produce a pulse with an energy of >10 J at a repetition rate of ~10 kHz (7). Illustration: Phil Saunder. |
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