US team breaks [laser] power density record
From: Sam Wormley (swormley1_at_mchsi.com)
Date: 07/05/04
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Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 16:41:37 GMT
Ref: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/7/2
Scientists from the Center for Ultrafast Optical Sciences at the
University of Michigan in the US, claim to have generated a laser
spot with a power density of 0.85 x 10^22 watts per centimetre
squared -- the highest intensity ever recorded. The intense focal
spot, which measures 0.8 microns across, was made by optimizing the
focusing of pulses from the Center's HERCULES laser system.
HERCULES is a custom-made titanium:sapphire laser that uses chirped
pulse amplification (CPA) to generate ultrashort pulses with a power
of 45 terawatts (27 femtosecond pulses containing 1.2 joules of
energy). The Michigan team used adaptive optics, a well known
technique for correcting wave-front distortion, to focus their pulses
to the smallest spot possible. Pulses from HERCULES were reflected
off a deformable mirror before being focused down by a paraboloid
mirror.
See: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/7/2
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