High-energy, high-average-power laser with Nd:YLF rods corrected by magnetorheological finishing

A high-energy, high-average-power laser system, optimized to efficiently pump a high-performance optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier at 527 nm, has been demonstrated. The crystal large-aperture ring amplifier employs two flash-lamp-pumped, 25.4-mm-diameter Nd:YLF rods. The transmitted wave front of these rods is corrected by magnetorheological finishing to achieve nearly diffraction-limited. output performance with frequency-doubled pulse energies up to 1.8 J at 5 Hz. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.