Ultra-short high-intensity laser pulse generation and amplification

Abstract : Since the beginning of the 1990s the generation of high-intensity laser pulses has known an unprecedented evolution thanks to the conjunction of the possibility of the chirped pulse technique and the availability of spectrally broad-band laser media. Lasers capable of producing multi-terawatt pulses can now be built on few optical tables in a small laboratory. We review the generation and the amplification of ultra-short pulses by the chirped pulse amplification technique.