Optical Surfaces has collaborated with the Institute of Plasma Physics and Lasers (IPPL) at the Hellenic Mediterranean University in Crete, Greece, to develop high-quality customised optics, including off-axis parabolic mirrors, as key focusing elements for its Zeus 45TW ultrashort laser pulse system.
IPPL, one of the access points of the National Research Infrastructure - HELLAS-CH, conducts research on laser matter and plasma interactions, and pulsed power-generated plasmas.
Director of the IPPL lab, Professor Michael Tatarakis, said: “The two new 76.14mm diameter, 1008.7mm focal length, hard dielectric coated mirrors are to replace damaged mirrors that Optical Surfaces made for us back in 2015. The damage is due to the natural impact of repeated highly energetic pulses (1018-1020 W/cm²) and the inevitable coating deterioration after extended high repetition rate use under such conditions.
Tatarakis added: “The intended application for these two new off-axis parabolic mirrors will be to explore new regimes in high repetition rate accelerated electron and ion beams with high stability via the interaction of the Zeus laser pulses with plasmas using gaseous targets."
Optical Surfaces says it can routinely produce off-axis parabolic mirrors with surface accuracy to lambda/20 (peak-to-valley) depending upon off-axis angles. Using proprietary polishing techniques the firm can, depending on the surface accuracy required, achieve the natural limit to the off-axis angle of around 25-30 degrees and surface micro-roughness of less than 1nm.
A range of coatings is available for standard and custom components from metallic with or without protective overcoat to multilayer dielectrics and ultra-hard coatings.
