Diffraction gratings and high power lasers

Diffraction gratings are widely used in various areas of physics. There operation in high power laser domains is less well known. Based on the diffraction properties of light, this optical component can offer some interesting options for laser based applications. After a brief overview of the working principles of gratings and manufacturing processes, this article focuses on two laser applications using gratings: LIL (laser integration line) LMJ (Laser Megajoule) facilities, and pulse compression gratings. In both cases, CEA had an important role in designing the laser baselines, in developing and following the manufacturing of the grating, and in controlling the delivered optical components. (authors)