Laser pulse compression by stimulated Brillouin scattering in tapered waveguides

Laser pulse compression by stimulated Brillouin scattering in a waveguide with a convergent taper is modeled numerically. The dynamics of the process are investigated for this geometry, with particular attention given to the parameters which control the degree of compression and the conversion efficiency of the process. A practical consideration of the scaling of a Brillouin compressor to high-power laser systems is presented, with emphasis on the KrF excimer laser whose lack of storage necessitates an extended compression system to efficiently extract pulses in the nanosecond timescale. Specific compressor arrangement and a survey of some compressor media are presentd.