The next generation of high-energy physics experiments requires laser systems that can deliver unprecedented peak power, a goal currently obstructed by the damage threshold of conventional solid-state optics. We report on a novel all-optical pulse compression mechanism utilizing the highly nonlinear environment of underdense plasma to bypass this critical barrier. Crucially, we identify that employing a cosh-Gaussian pulse profile significantly optimizes the intensity-dependent refractive index modulation, leading to strongly enhanced self-focusing and frequency chirping. Numerical simulations confirm that this technique achieves a remarkable compression factor of up to 300 in the anomalous dispersion regime. This robust and scalable platform for plasma-based pulse compression offers a direct and practical pathway to generate ultrashort pulses with unprecedentedly high intensities, directly enabling Exawatt to Zettawatt laser development and opening new frontiers in quantum electrodynamics and inertial confinement fusion.
Kumar et al. (2026) studied this question.