Picosecond Amplifier and OPAs

A Spectra-Physics Tsunami pumped with a Spectra-Physics Millenia DPSS laser seeds a customized Spectra-Physics Spitfire two-stage amplifier pumped by two Spectra-Physics Merlins to produce ~2 mJ pulses of 800 nm/1-2 ps light at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. This light is then split into two 1 mJ pulse trains to pump two independent Quantronix TOPAS OPA systems equipped with a Difference Frequency Generator capable of producing wavelengths from 10 mm to 200 nm with pulse energies of ~20 mJ. This affords the luxury of two-color experiments of any color combination and with any relative delay between the sources. In rare cases where some of the other colors produced as a by-product of the OPA process can be used, three- or many-color experiments are also possible.