A High Power and High Repetition Rate Modelocked Ti-Sapphire Laser for Photoinjectors

A high power cw mode-locked Ti-sapphire laser has been constructed to drive the Jefferson Lab polarized photoinjector and provide > 500 mW average power with 50 ps pulsewidths at 499 MHz or 1497 MHz pulse repetition rates. This laser allows efficient, high current synchronous photoinjection for extended periods of time before intrusive steps must be taken to restore the quantum efficiency of the strained layer GaAs photocathode. The use of this laser has greatly enhanced the maximum high polarization beam current capability and operating lifetime of the Jefferson Lab photoinjector compared with previous performance using diode laser systems. A novel modelocking technique provides a simple means to phase-lock the optical pulse train of the laser to the accelerator and allows for operation at higher pulse repetition rates to ∼ 3 GHz without modification of the laser cavity. The laser design and characteristics are described below