Acquisition of Ti/Sapphire Amplifier for Upgrading Powerful Subpicosecond Laser Facility

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests funds to upgrade the existing Princeton Subpicosecond Laser Facility by replacing the current KrF amplifiers with a 600 mJ, 10 Hz repetition rate, multipass Ti/Sapphire amplifier. The funds requested are for direct purchase of the system from a commercial company. The first objective of the upgraded system is to further exploit ideas for the development of a compact soft x-ray laser in the "water window" region of the spectrum that is potentially so valuable for biological applications. At the same time, the facility would serve as a resource for faculty members and graduate students from different departments in multi-disciplinary projects, including Raman amplification of subpicosecond pulses, study of surface modification of solid materials, and the study of property changes in thin layers of semiconductor materials.