Chirped Pulse Amplification

A short laser pulse cannot simply be amplified to enormous power because its peak intensity can damage the amplifier. Strickland and Mourou’s solution stretched the pulse in time, amplified its lower peak safely, and then compressed it again.

Published in 1985 as part of Strickland’s doctoral work, chirped pulse amplification became a standard route to high-intensity laser systems. Its elegance lies in rearranging the pulse rather than demanding an impossibly damage-resistant amplifier.