Multi-Mirror Multi-Pass Cells for Compression of Energetic Narrowband Laser Pulses into the Femtosecond Regime

Post-compression of (sub)-picosecond laser pulses down to sub-100 fs durations has become a standard approach for high-peak-power sources at a high average power [1]. Here, we propose a new post-compression geometry suited for extreme temporal compression of energetic narrowband lasers, such as diode or electrically pumped four-level systems which can deliver kW-average powers [2], but typically exhibit pulse durations from a few to hundreds of picoseconds. Their direct compression into the femtosecond regime will further enhance the achievable average power of high-peak-power sources, a critical factor for next-generation laser-plasma accelerators [3].