Impact of holographic grating imperfections on wavefront quality in large-aperture treacy compressors

Manufacturing imperfections in large-aperture holographic gratings critically limit multi-petawatt Chirped Pulse Amplification systems. This study investigates their impact on wavefront quality using Zemax ray-tracing simulations based on real interferometric measurements. The results confirm that distortions are cumulative, with imperfections in the second and third gratings primarily driving beam degradation. Significantly, we demonstrate that rotating these critical gratings by 180° alters the residual wavefront structure. The study concludes that optimizing grating orientation, combined with adaptive optics, is an effective strategy to mitigate aberrations and restore peak intensity, offering vital guidelines for next-generation high-field laser facilities.