Yb:YAG thin-disk CPA laser system for intense THz pulse generation at 1 kHz repetition rate

We have developed a high average power picosecond laser system dedicated to intense terahertz (THz) pulse generation. The system is a chirped pulse amplification laser equipping with a Yb:YAG thin-disk amplifier. The Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier at room temperature provides pulses with energy over 10 mJ and spectral bandwidth of 1.2 nm at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. In a pulse compressor, the laser pulse is compressed to be 1.3 ps. By employing this picosecond pulse as a pump source, THz pulses at the center frequency of 0.3 THz with energy over a few microjoules have been generated at 1 kHz repetition rate by the optical rectification in Mg-LiNbO
₃
crystal.