High-peak-power picosecond optical pulse generation from Q-switched bow-tie laser with a tapered traveling wave amplifier

Picosecond optical pulse amplification along with spatial mode filtering has been demonstrated, using a tapered traveling wave semiconductor post-amplifier and multicontact Q-switched bow-tie laser. Optical pulses of 13 ps duration were generated with a single-lobed, near diffraction-limited radiation pattern. Peak powers of 44.7 W, and pulse energies as high as 0.58 nJ were observed.