High-power, low-coherence laser pulse generation via plasma-based optical modulation

Hong Ai; Suming Weng; Ping Li; Zhao Liu; Xiaobo Zhang; Zhichao Shen; Xiangbing Wang; Zhaohui Wu; Kaiqiang Pan; Ji Yan; Xiantao Cheng; Zhengming Sheng

doi:10.1063/5.0304306

Volume 11 Issue 4

Jul. 2026

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Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2026 > 11(4): 047401

Hong Ai, Suming Weng, Ping Li, Zhao Liu, Xiaobo Zhang, Zhichao Shen, Xiangbing Wang, Zhaohui Wu, Kaiqiang Pan, Ji Yan, Xiantao Cheng, Zhengming Sheng. High-power, low-coherence laser pulse generation via plasma-based optical modulation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047401. doi: 10.1063/5.0304306

Citation:

Hong Ai, Suming Weng, Ping Li, Zhao Liu, Xiaobo Zhang, Zhichao Shen, Xiangbing Wang, Zhaohui Wu, Kaiqiang Pan, Ji Yan, Xiantao Cheng, Zhengming Sheng. High-power, low-coherence laser pulse generation via plasma-based optical modulation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047401. doi: 10.1063/5.0304306

Citation:

Hong Ai, Suming Weng, Ping Li, Zhao Liu, Xiaobo Zhang, Zhichao Shen, Xiangbing Wang, Zhaohui Wu, Kaiqiang Pan, Ji Yan, Xiantao Cheng, Zhengming Sheng. High-power, low-coherence laser pulse generation via plasma-based optical modulation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047401. doi: 10.1063/5.0304306

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High-power, low-coherence laser pulse generation via plasma-based optical modulation

doi: 10.1063/5.0304306

Hong Ai^{1, 2
,},
Suming Weng^{1, 2
,
,
,},
Ping Li^{3
,
,
,},
Zhao Liu⁴,
Xiaobo Zhang^5
,,
Zhichao Shen^3
,,
Xiangbing Wang^3
,,
Zhaohui Wu^3
,,
Kaiqiang Pan³,
Ji Yan³,
Xiantao Cheng^{1, 2},
Zhengming Sheng^{1, 2
,
,
,}

1.
National Key Laboratory of Dark Matter Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
2.
Laboratory for Laser Plasmas and Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
3.
Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
4.
Shanghai Institute of Laser Plasma, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Shanghai 201800, China
5.
College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: wengsuming@sjtu.edu.cn; liping1984@caep.cn; and zmsheng@sjtu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2025-09-28
Accepted Date: 2026-03-03

Available Online: 2026-07-24

Publish Date: 2026-07-24

Abstract

Abstract

High-power, low-coherence laser pulses are essential for suppressing laser–plasma instabilities (LPIs) in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). However, it remains challenging for conventional optical techniques to generate high-power, low-coherence lasers with a fractional bandwidth Δω/ω₀ exceeding 1%. Here, we propose and numerically validate a plasma-based optical modulation scheme for generating high-power, low-coherence laser pulses with an ultrabroad bandwidth of Δω/ω₀ ∼ 5%. This scheme utilizes two laser pulses co-propagating in an underdense plasma: an intense femtosecond driver laser pulse that excites an electron plasma wave, and a subsequent picosecond signal pulse that is spectrally broadened via forward stimulated Raman scattering within the electron plasma wave. More importantly, when the initial signal pulse already possesses a continuous spectrum with a bandwidth Δω larger than the electron plasma frequency ω_pe, the modulated signal pulse exhibits not only a broadened continuous spectrum, but also a significantly shortened coherence time, which is nearly an order of magnitude shorter than that achieved using an initially monochromatic signal pulse. For high-power ICF lasers, the coherence time is a more critical parameter than the bandwidth in evaluating their capability to suppress LPIs. Furthermore, this plasma-based optical modulation scheme achieves a high energy conversion efficiency (η ≳ 99%) and is applicable to frequency-doubled or -tripled laser pulses. Therefore, it offers a promising pathway to the generation of high-power, low-coherence laser pulses for suppressing LPIs in ICF.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Author Contributions
Hong Ai: Data curation (lead); Formal analysis (lead); Investigation (lead); Methodology (lead); Software (lead); Validation (lead); Visualization (lead); Writing – original draft (lead). Suming Weng: Conceptualization (lead); Funding acquisition (lead); Investigation (equal); Project administration (lead); Resources (lead); Supervision (lead); Visualization (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (lead). Ping Li: Funding acquisition (equal); Investigation (lead); Resources (lead); Writing – review & editing (equal). Zhao Liu: Software (equal); Visualization (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Xiaobo Zhang: Formal analysis (equal); Software (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Zhichao Shen: Data curation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Xiangbing Wang: Data curation (equal); Resources (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Zhaohui Wu: Data curation (equal); Resources (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Kaiqiang Pan: Formal analysis (equal); Resources (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Ji Yan: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Resources (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Xiantao Cheng: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Software (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Zhengming Sheng: Conceptualization (equal); Funding acquisition (equal); Project administration (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – review & editing (lead).
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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References(39)

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