Study of laser pulses propagation through an ultrashort pulse amplifying systems for the development of an Offner temporal stretcher

The study of laser pulses propagation through an ultrashort pulses amplifying system containing dispersive and spectral modifying media was performed. The study emphasis was the development of an ultrashort pulse stretcher to replace the one inside a hybrid Ti:Sapphire/Cr:LiSAF CPA system operating at the Center for Lasers and Applications at IPEN/CNEN-SP. A spherical aberration free Offner stretcher was theoretically studied, aiming to obtain a stretching ratio larger than the one available in our system. The influence of the phase components in the amplified pulse final duration was also studied, and the bandwidth limiting elements of the system in operation were mapped, with the purpose of determining the conditions under which a new stretcher should be implemented. Based on the actual measurements, computing routines were implemented in order to determine the consequences of an ultrashort pulse travelling through a bandwidth limiting component. (author)