Carrier-envelope phase stabilization of high-contrast femtosecond laser pulses with a relativistic intensity

We report on the generation of carrier-envelope phase (CEP)-stabilized pulses with a relativistic intensity and a high-contrast ratio. The CEP stabilization is achieved with a jitter of 0.95 rad from a 0.5 kHz femtosecond laser pulses with a focal intensity of 2.6x10(18) W/cm(2) and a picosecond contrast of 2.5x10(-9). CEP noise analysis shows that the beam pointing at the pulse compressor is a dominant factor of the CEP fluctuation with our laser system. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.