Stimulated-Raman pulse peaker for terawatt femtosecond laser systems

An optical layout for shortening the rise time of femtosecond light pulses is proposed. A stimulated-Raman converter operating on rotational levels of orthohydrogen is placed between amplifier stages of a wide-band, terawatt, femtosecond titanium-sapphire laser system. Light in the first Stokes component is extracted by a polarization technique and then amplified.