Amplification of multi-gigawatt 3 ps pulses in an atmospheric CO2 laser using ac Stark effect.

The 3 ps pulses are amplified to ~20 GW peak power in a TEA CO(2) laser using ac Stark broadening. Demonstration of such broadband coherent amplification of 10 μm pulses opens opportunities for a powerful mid-IR source at a high-repetition rate.

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