HiLUX Artemis will run two high-average power femtosecond laser systems for experiments with XUV pulses. One laser system is completely new, and one - commissioned in 2021 - has been upgraded.
New 1-micron laser system
Full specification
This new laser system is based on three synchronised, industrial 100 kHz laser systems, based on highly stable industrial ytterbium laser technology from Light Conversion. Two of the systems are 200 W average power (2 mJ at 100 kHz) and one is 80 W (0.8 mJ at 100 kHz).
One of the 200 W laser systems will be post-compressed in a hollow-core fibre from FewCycle, to give 1.5 mJ, < 50 fs pulses at 1-micron wavelength. These pulses are used to generate XUV through high harmonic generation.
The second 200 W laser pumps two OPAs, giving pulses that are tuneable across the spectrum from 235 nm to 10 microns, with no gaps in spectral coverage. The pulse durations are <50 fs from the UV to 4 microns, and <100 fs from 4-10 microns. The output energies are > 2 microJ across the spectrum.
The full system is due to arrive in autumn 2026.
Interim specification
Artemis is now running a lightly smaller laser system on loan from Light Conversion. This system has 2 x 80 W Carbide lasers, an Orpheus UV-VIS OPA and a fibre from FewCycle. At installation, this achieved 25 fs pulses with an average power of 70 W (1.75 mJ at 40 kHz), with an RMS stbility of ~ 0.2%.
1700 nm OPCPA laser system
Artemis is retaining and upgrading the 100 kHz infrared
OPCPA laser system from Fastlite. This system produces 20 W in short pulses at 1700 nm (200 uJ, 50 fs, 100 kHz) and is pumped by a 200 W thin-disk amplifier at 1 micron wavelength.
Part of the 1-micron pump is now picked off and compressed in a muli-pass cell, to give 60 fs, 300 uJ pulses at 1 micron. These are used to generate XUV through high harmonic generation.
The tuneable signal (~1700 nm) and idler (~3000 nm) pulses from the OPCPA system and their second to fourth harmonics are now used as pump pulses to initiate dynamics. These can be tuned from 350-3900 nm, with small gaps in spectral coverage.
