Timing fluctuation correction for the front end of 100-PW laser

The timing fluctuation of the laser pulses is crucial for the pump-probe experiments, which is one of the vital means to observe the ultrafast dynamics driven by intense laser pulses. In this letter, we demonstrate the timing fluctuation characterization and control of the front end of 100-PW laser which is composed of a high-contrast optical parametric amplifier (seed) and a 200-TW optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (preamplifier).

By combining the timing jitter measurement with a feedback system, the laser seed and preamplifier are synchronized to the reference with timing fluctuation of 1.82 fs and 4.48 fs, respectively. The timing system will be a key prerequisite for the stable operation of 100-PW laser facility and provide the basis for the potential pump-probe experiments performed on the laser.