Generation of optically synchronized pump–signal beams for ultrafast OPCPA via the optical Kerr effect

In recent years, multi-petawatt laser installations have achieved unprecedented peak powers, opening new horizons to laser-matter interaction studies. Ultra-broadband and extreme temporal contrast pulse requirements make optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) in the few-picosecond regime the key technology in these systems. To guarantee high fidelity output, however, OPCPA requires excellent synchronization between pump and signal pulses. Here, we propose a new highly versatile architecture for the generation of optically synchronized pump-signal pairs based on the Kerr shutter effect. We obtained >550µ J pump pulses of 12 ps duration at 532 nm optically synchronized with a typical ultrashort CPA source at 800 nm. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, our system was also used for amplification of ∼20µ J ultra-broadband pulses based on an OPCPA setup.