Gentec-EO webinar: From photons to nuclear fusion: How to measure energy in any laser system

Image: Gentec-EO QE25SP-H-MT-D0 Pyroelectric detector for laser energy measurement up to 3.0 J.

Does your laser system always produce the exact same energy output? One may be tempted to assume that lasers always produce energy as per their specifications and that it never changes over time. The reality is often very different.

Gentec-EO Blu Series honoured at Laser Focus World's Innovator Awards 2020

HP280A-30KW-HD-IMP-BLU-D0: High power detector for laser power measurement up to 30000 W. With BLU (Bluetooth) embedded wireless monitor. Includes USB Bluetooth receptor.

This year again Laser Focus World held its Innovators Awards program, which celebrates innovative technologies, products and systems found in the photonics market. We are proud to share with you that the Gentec-EO HP-BLU series was selected as Bronze-level honoree.

Gentec-EO QE95 Energy Detectors helped demonstrate the highest peak power capability in the world

Researchers from the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) and Thales recently demonstrated that the two-arm hybrid high-power laser system (HPLS) is able to deliver 2 × 10 PW femtosecond pulses.

The HPLS is composed of multiple pulse amplifiers and compressors, and at the end of this system is a beam-steering periscope with a leaky mirror that transmits a fraction of the beam to diagnostics equipment.

The energy meter, a QE95 detector, allowed the authors to obtain data about the HPLS's final output stage. They were able to characterize the laser's extraction efficiency and show that the system could reach up to 327 J per pulse, with a duration of merely 23 fs. They also used the energy meter to demonstrate the reliability of the system, by measuring its repetition rate and pulse-to-pulse stability.

This achievement is a new milestone in the development of high-power laser systems, and Gentec-EO is proud to have played a small part in it.

The paper describing the results is: "High-energy hybrid femtosecond laser system demonstrating 2 × 10 PW capability" by Lureau et al. Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2020

It is available online here. 

Image above shows the Gentec-EO QE95LP-S-MB-D0 Pyroelectric detector for laser energy measurement up to 35 J.

Gentec-EO Energy Detectors

Gentec-EO's pyroelectric energy meters cover a very wide range, going from nanojoules to several tens of joules per pulse. They also come in various sizes, from 8 mm to 95 mm in diameter and most of them are available with an optional attenuator.

For a list of all available models, please read further below.

Gentec-EO add metric thread on low-energy and low-power detector heads

An extra mounting hole with metric thread was recently added to the Gentec-EO detectors with a cylindrical housing. This second mounting hole makes it simpler to integrate these detectors in any optical system. 

In the upcoming weeks, the new casing will be provided for new orders of the following products:

• Photodiode power detectors (PH series)
• Pyroelectric power detectors (UM series)
• Photodiode energy detectors (PE series)
• Some pyroelectric energy detectors: QE8SP-B-BL-D0 and QE8SP-B-MT-D0

A word of caution from our product engineers: because these detectors are very sensitive, you will obtain cleaner measurement results if the detectors are well isolated from vibrations and electrical noise. Therefore, when mounting a detector on your optical bench, we recommend that you use a Delrin post such as the ones in our recommended stands:

• STAND-D-233
• STAND-D-443

These stands provide isolation from mechanical vibrations that might be present in your lab and prevents the possibility of establishing a ground loop.

Gentec-EO QE-12 & QE-25 Pyroelectric detectors for laser energy measurement: Now available at higher repetition rates

Gentec-EO have released new models in the QE12 and QE25 series of Pyroelectric detectors for laser energy measurement up to 3.9 J with higher repetition rates: