Science and applications of the coherent amplifying network (CAN) laser

Lasers in the terawatt (TW) and peta-watt (PW) regime have the potential to replace conventional accelerators with the distinct advantage to be dramatically shorter by a factor of a thousand or more. For instance, electrons are accelerated to few GeV over only few centimeters, representing three to four orders of magnitude higher accelerating gradients than traditional RF-based accelerators can offer. Today, state-of-the-art high peak power laser system cannot pretend to be tomorrow's replacement to conventional RF Technology, a new class of ultrafast lasers is urgently needed. The following laser parameters are envisaged for what could be a future linear e^-e⁺ collider: peak power in the PW regime, defined by a tenth of Joules of pulse energy and an ultrashort pulse duration below 50 fs, in combination with an unparalleled average power exceeding 100 kW even exceeding the megawatt level, implying repetition rates greater than 10 kHz. These extreme parameters should be contained in a beam of excellent spatial quality, featuring outstanding temporal stability and temporal contrast. (A.C.)