Status of HiLASE project: High average power pulsed DPSSL systems for research and industry

We introduce the Czech national RandD project HiLASE which focuses on strategic development of advanced high-repetition rate, diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) systems that may find use in research, high-tech industry and in the future European large-scale facilities such as HiPER and ELI. Within HiLASE we explore two major concepts: thin-disk and cryogenically cooled multi-slab amplifiers capable of delivering average output powers above 1 kW level in picosecond-to-nanosecond pulsed regime. In particular, we have started a programme of technology development to demonstrate the scalability of multi-slab concept up to the kJ level at repetition rate of 1-10 Hz. (authors)