Generation of near-Fourier-transform-limited high-energy pulses in a chain of fiber-bulk amplifiers.

We demonstrate the generation of high-power near-Fourier-transform-limited pulses with variable pulse duration in the nanosecond regime through a combination of fiber and bulk amplification. The fiber amplifier consists of a dual-stage fiber amplifier based on Nd- and Yb-doped single- and double-clad fibers. The bulk amplifier consists of a four-pass, flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG rod. Since no resonance condition is required for locking of the seed source to a slave cavity, the setup is extremely rugged.