Palm-sized short-pulse laser sets new 80 percent efficiency record

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart, in collaboration with Stuttgart Instruments GmbH, have developed a palm-sized short-pulse laser system that achieves an unprecedented efficiency of over 80 percent—more than double the typical 30–35 percent efficiency of conventional room-sized systems. This compact device, occupying just a few square centimeters and comprising only five components, maintains high power, ultrafast pulse durations below 50 femtoseconds, and broad bandwidth without the bulky setups and cooling systems traditionally required. The breakthrough was made possible by a novel "multipass optical parametric amplification" technique, where light pulses pass multiple times through a single short crystal with realignment and resynchronization between passes, preserving bandwidth while significantly boosting efficiency. This innovation addresses longstanding challenges in combining compactness, efficiency, and wide bandwidth in short-pulse lasers, which are crucial tools in precision micromachining, medical procedures, quantum research, and semiconductor fabrication. The new laser’s portability, tunability, and adaptability to various wavelengths