Oct 14 2010
Researchers from the Universities of Strathclyde, Lancaster, St. Andrews, Imperial College London, and the Instituto Superior Tecnico have showcased the possibility of increasing Raman amplification into a multipetawatt system through simulations. Faculty from Central Laser Facility at the Science and Technology Facilities Council also took part in the study.
Enhancement of the Raman amplification can condense as much as 1000 laser-pulse lengths, while the peak powers can also be increased simultaneously by a factor of 300. Existing laser set-ups are complex and prove quite expensive. Through simulation technique, such laser systems can be replaced with cost-effective and compact systems.
For more than two years, the simulation technique has been observed using supercomputers to determine every potential aspect of the theory.
Raoul Trines from the Central Laser Facility stated that the new model has demonstrated that the laser ray breaks up into spikes and makes it complicated to project the laser beam on a tiny spot. Trines added that the laser pulse is of high-quality and allows tight focusing of the laser beam.