Methodology for designing grism stretchers for idler-based optical parametric chirped-pulse-amplification systems

Powerful ultrafast lasers with wavelengths above 1 μm are in demand to create attosecond pulses and ultra-intense laser sources. A promising technology to achieve these laser sources uses the by-product from an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier, known as the idler. Compression of the idler to high peak powers requires a grism stretcher and a grating compressor. Grism stretchers have many more design parameters than conventional stretchers, complicating the design process. This paper presents a method for designing a grism stretcher and grating compressor that logically navigates the design process. This method was applied to design a grism stretcher for the optical parametric amplifier line that is under construction at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics to produce a 50 mJ, 115 fs pulse at 1170 nm.