GROUP-VELOCITY DISPERSION IN CHIRPED-PULSE AMPLIFIER

By using the pulse propagation equation in the nonlinear dispersive medium, the effects of second- and third-order group-velocity dispersion on pulse evolution in the stretching, amplification and compressing are studied when chirped pulse am-plification is applied to the pulses of a width <30fs, and the optimum dispersion-compensated conditions among the stretcher, amplifier and compressor are deter-mined. From the standpoint of dispersion compensation and control and the com-pressor adjustment, it is proposed that low-groove-density gratings (≤800 line/mm) are the better choices for stretching and compressing the pulses of a width <30fs in chirped-pulse amplification. It is also shown that, with a proper adjustment of the compressor incident angle and grating separation, an exact null in both second- and third-order dispersions can be achieved without any additional dispersion- compensated elements.