Amplification of broadband chirped pulses up to the 100 mJ level using alexandrite-pumped neodymium-doped glasses

Summary form only given. We report the amplification of broadband pulses in laser-pumped Nd:glasses with obvious applications to ultrashort pulse technology and to a front-end for the envisioned Megajoules laser facility devoted to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) studies and ignition demonstration. The broadband capability is then required to implement optical smoothing techniques with nanosecond pulses or possibly the fast ignition scheme based on the use of picosecond pulses.