Gain saturation studies in LG-750 and LG-770 amplifier glass

Experiments were performed on the 100-J class Optical Sciences Laser (OSL) at LLNL to characterize the saturation fluence and small-signal gain of a solid-state Nd:glass amplifier utilizing LG-750 and LG-770, an amplifier glass developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These high quality measurements of gain saturation at NIF level fluences, i.e., 10-15 J/cm{sup 2}, provide essential parameters for the amplifier performance codes used to design NIF and future high power laser systems. The small-signal gain, saturation fluence and square-pulse distortion were measured as a function of input fluence and pulse length in platinum-free LG-750 and LG-770. The input fluence, output fluence, small-signal gain and passive losses were measured to allow calculation of the saturation fluence. Least square fits of the output vs. input fluence data using a Frantz-Nodvik model was used to obtain an average saturation fluence for each data set. Overall, gain saturation in LG-750 and LG-770 is comparable at long pulse lengths. For shorter pulse length, < 5 ns, LG-770 exhibits a stronger pulse length dependence than LG-750, possibly due to a longer terminal level lifetime. LG-770 also has a higher cross- section, which is reflected by its slightly higher extraction efficiency. 52 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs