dataset for Advances in High-Power Ultrashort Pulse Laser Technology for the Shenguang-II Series Facilities

Significance The proposal of chirped pulse amplification (CPA) technology marked a breakthrough in the advancement of high-power laser, successfully resolving the fundamental challenge between scaling up the peak power of ultrashort pulses and avoiding optical damage. Prior to CPA, laser amplification faced a critical bottleneck: direct amplification of ultrashort pulses resulted in extremely high peak power densities, which readily induced nonlinear self-focusing within the gain medium. This not only caused optical damage but also severely limited further increases in output peak power. In 1985, G. Mourou and D. Strickland first introduced CPA, whose core principle involves dividing the amplification process into three stages—pulse stretching, amplification, and compression—thereby significantly reducing the instantaneous peak power density during amplification and effectively mitigating the risk of optical damage. In 1996, NOVA-PW, the world’s first petawatt-class laser system based on CPA, was developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the United States. With an output of 660 J in 440 fs, the system employed a large-aperture neodymium-doped glass (Nd:glass) amplifier chain, establishing the foundational architecture for picosecond petawatt laser systems. Titanium-doped sapphire (Ti:sapphire), with its broad gain bandwidth of hundreds of nanometers, emerged as a primary approach for generating tens-of-femtosecond pulses when combined with CPA, enabling the realization of femtosecond petawatt-level laser systems. Since the late 1990s, the integration of CPA with optical parametric amplification (OPA) has led to the development of optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA). This approach offers advantages such as high gain, broad spectral bandwidth, and low thermal load, effectively alleviating the gain-narrowing limitations inherent in conventional CPA and further driving the evolution of high-power ultrafast laser systems.Progress In recent years, the development of ultrashort pulse lasers has been driven by three primary technical approaches. The first is CPA based on Nd:glass systems, exemplified by facilities such as NIF-ARC and OMEGA-EP in the United States, LMJ-PETAL in France, Vulcan in the United Kingdom, LFEX in Japan, PHELIX in Germany, and SG-II-UP PW in China. The second is CPA employing Ti:sapphire systems, with representative facilities including ELI in the European Union, BELLA in the United States, CORELS in South Korea, J-KAREN-P in Japan, and SULF in China. The third is OPCPA based on nonlinear crystal systems, as demonstrated by facilities such as PEARL in Russia, CAEP-PW, and SG-II 5PW in China.The National Laboratory on High Power Laser and Physics (NLHPLP) at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has successively developed three landmark ultrashort pulse laser facilities based on the SG-II platform. The Sub-Picosecond System (SPS), completed in 2003, was the first Nd:glass-based ultrashort pulse laser facility in China, providing critical experience for the subsequent design, construction, and operation of domestic high-power picosecond laser systems. The SG-II facility, upgraded in 2014, marked the first picosecond petawatt laser system in China. Several significant physics experiments were conducted, including the world’s first indirect-drive fast ignition and the acceleration of 70 MeV protons. Following an expansion, the facility achieved the capability for combined target irradiation using two high-energy picosecond petawatt laser beams in 2024. The SG-II 5PW, completed in 2017, incorporated a fully non-collinear OPCPA architecture throughout its amplification chain, realizing synchronized targeting with femtosecond petawatt lasers and high-energy nanosecond lasers for the first time. Conclusions and Prospects NLHPLP has taken a leading role in the research in China, development, and application of high-power ultrashort pulse laser facilities based on CPA and OPCPA technologies. It has established the SG-II platform and formed a comprehensive research system of "technological breakthrough – facility development – physical application". The completion of three major facilities—SPS, SG-II-UP, and SG-II 5PW—has filled domestic technological gaps in high-power laser. Significant technological advances have been made in areas such as high SNR front-ends, broadband pulse amplification, laser pulse compression, and advanced ultrafast diagnostics. In physical applications, the SG-II platform has achieved multiple milestones, including the world’s first indirect-drive fast ignition experiment, a new national record in proton acceleration, and innovative plasma diagnostic techniques.Significant potential remains for advancing both the output capability and spatiotemporal precision control of high-power ultrashort pulse lasers. Urgent efforts are required to overcome key technical bottlenecks, including ultrashort pulse laser-induced damage, small-focal-spot beam combining for target irradiation, and ultra-high SNR control. Addressing these challenges will enable laser–target interactions characterized by higher intensities, improved coupling precision, and enhanced energy transport efficiency. Sustained research is essential in areas such as optimization of pulse compression architectures, beam quality control, and increasing the damage thresholds of optics—all of which are critical to further enhancing the performance of picosecond petawatt laser systems. To achieve high-precision beam combining for target irradiation, two core requirements must be met: first, each beam must support tight focusing with microradian-level pointing accuracy and precise target positioning; second, sub-picosecond inter-beam synchronization must be achieved. Furthermore, improving the efficiency of laser energy delivery to the target necessitates further enhancement of the SNR in picosecond lasers, a critical measure to suppress target surface pre-ionization and the reflective effects of pre-plasma on the main pulse.In the future, the development of ultrashort pulse lasers is undergoing a shift—from a primary focus on fundamental scientific research driven by peak power as a singular metric toward meeting the demands of engineering applications that require simultaneous high peak power and high average power. This transition is driving the evolution of laser systems from traditional single-shot operation to stable, high-repetition-rate operational regimes. Petawatt-class lasers featuring high efficiency, high energy output, and high repetition rates not only represent a major leap in laser performance but also catalyze systematic innovation across enabling technologies, including laser gain materials, optics, and amplification and beam transport systems. Meanwhile, high-repetition-rate petawatt lasers are progressively transforming high-energy-density physics research, providing new momentum for disciplinary advancement through the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.