High-Power Femtosecond Lasers for Extreme Light Generation

Femtosecond lasers are essential to nonlinear optical and extreme light applications, enabling processes such as high harmonic generation, isolated attosecond pulse production, terahertz emission, and ultrafast electron diffraction. Many of these processes operate with intrinsic conversion efficiencies as low as 10?5–10?¹°, meaning that only a small fraction of input light is converted into useful output. As a result, usable signal levels depend on photon flux rather than on pulse energy alone. Achieving sufficiently high photon flux requires lasers that combine ultrashort pulse durations with high average power, while still delivering sufficient pulse energy to drive nonlinear processes at high repetition rates. This requirement is particularly crucial for experiments that rely on statistical data analysis, where Hz- to kHz-repetition-rate systems would stretch acquisition times to days or weeks.

This presentation will highlight how high-power femtosecond lasers expand the scope of experiments that aim to visualize the dynamic evolution of matter in real time. Examples from ongoing research will be discussed, along with the experimental setups and techniques developed to meet their demanding requirements. Emphasis will be placed on how high-power and higher repetition rates improve data quality by increasing usable photon and electron counts, enabling shorter acquisition times while preserving temporal resolution.

Together, these cases show how advances in femtosecond laser technology support the scientific community in overcoming the efficiency barrier of extreme light generation and enabling new experiments.

About the presenter
Valdas Maslinskas is a product manager for high-intensity systems at Light Conversion, with over 15 years of experience in the scientific laser systems sector.