Iterative wavefront optimization of ultrafast laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum

Structured intense laser beams offer degrees of freedom that are highly attractive for high-field science applications. However, the performance of high-power laser beams in these applications is often hindered by deviations from the desired spatiotemporal profile. This study reports the wavefront optimization of ultrafast Laguerre-Gaussian beams through the synergy of adaptive optics and genetic algorithm-guided feedback. The results indicate that the intensity fluctuations along the perimeter of the target ring-shaped profile can be reduced up to similar to 15%. Furthermore, the radius of the ring beam profile can be tailored to a certain extent by establishing threshold fitting criteria. The versatility of this approach is experimentally demonstrated in conjunction with different focusing geometries. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement