Observation of Quantum Beating from Two Coupled Parametric Six-Wave Mixing Signals in Rb

Two processes of coupled difference-frequency axially phase-matched parametric six-wave mixing are carried out in Rb vapour by two-photon excitation using fs laser pulses, and parametric six-wave mixing signals in the infrared and near infrared regime are detected. The infrared parametric six-wave mixing signals are up-converted into the visible spectral range by sum-frequency mixing with the pump laser in a LiIO₃ crystal. Moreover, quantum beating at 608cm^-1, corresponding to the 7s-5d energy difference in Rb, is observed from the sum-frequency signal at 495nm. As a result, we obtain modulated light signals in the visible, near infrared and infrared spectral ranges, and study the interference between 7s and 5d states of Rb.     

Polarization properties of coherent VUV light at 125 nm generated by sum-frequency four-wave mixing in mercury

The polarization of the VUV light generated by four-wave sum-frequency mixing process ω₄=2ω₁+ω₂ in mercury vapor at room temperature is analyzed in detail. Due to the specific two-photon transition used to enhance the nonlinear process, the polarization of the VUV wave is shown to be identical to the polarization of the wave at the frequency ω₂. In particular, circularly polarized VUV is observed with degree of circular polarization exceeding 0.99. Received: 11 July 1999 / Revised version: 8 October 1999 / Published online: 8 March 2000     

Generation of continuous-wave coherent radiation tunable down to 190.8nm in β-BaB2O4

Continuous-wave coherent radiation tunable in the wavelength range 190.8–196.1 nm has been generated by sum-frequency generation in -BaB₂O₄. The fundamental beams were supplied by a Ti:Al₂O₃ laser and a frequency-doubled argon-ion laser.     

Polarized Micro-Raman Study of the Temperature-Induced Phase Transition In 0.67 Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）O3-0.33PbTiO3

Polarized Raman spectra of ferroelectric relaxor 0.67Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）O3-0.33PbTiO3 （0.67PMN-0.33PT） single crystal are systematically investigated in a wide temperature range from -196 to 600℃ by micro-Raman scattering technique. The results clearly reveal that there are two structural phase transitions in such composite ferroelectric relaxor： the rhombohedral-tetragonal （R- T） phase transition and the tetragonal-cubic （T- C） phase transition. The former occurs at about TR-T =34℃, corresponding to the vanishing of the soft A1 mode at 106cm^-1 recorded in the parallel polarization. The latter appears at about TT-C = 144℃, which can be verified with the vanishing of mode at 780cm^-1 measured in the crossed polarization.     

Effects of Interfacial Polarization on Voltage Tunability of Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)1-xTixO3 Single Crystals

The voltage tunability of Pb(Fe_1/2Nb_1/2)_1-xTi_xO₃ single crystals is investigated at a low electric field (<130 V/cm) in a low frequency range (<1 MHz). The results show that the capacitance is strongly suppressed by the applied dc biases for both the rhombohedral sample and the tetragonal sample. A negative voltage tunability is only detected in the tetragonal sample. The origin of the giant tunability and the negative tunability is discussed based on the multipolarization-mechanism model and the equivalent circuit model, respectively. It is ascribed to the interfacial polarization at the interface of electrode/sample.     

Properties of a New Nonlinear Optical Crystal CdZn2B2O6

Cadmium dizinc diborate （CdZn2B2O6） single crystals have been grown for the first time. The crystal structure of CdZn2B2O6 is the same as that of the Cd3Zn3B4O12. The x-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectra, differential scanning calorimetry analysis and density indicate that the physical and chemical properties of both crystals are very similar. Especially, the nonlinear optical coefficients of CdZn2B2O6 and Cd3Zn3B4O12 crystals are 2.6 and 2.4 times as large as that of KH2PO4 crystal respectively. Chemical etching experiments indicated that these crystals are very stable in neutral solution and not hygroscopic in air at room temperature.     

Surface Emitting THz Wave Parametrical Oscillator Using MgO：LiNbO3

Room-temperature operation terahertz （THz） wave source is demonstrated using three MgO：LiNbO3 crystals which have a noncollinear arrangement. The experimental results show that the THz wave can be tunable from 0.8 THz to 3.0 THz, and the peak energy output is 103 pJ/pulse at 1.5 THz. The noncoilinear cavity configuration makes the THz beam have Gaussian-like spatial distribution, small divergence angle, perpendicularly eradiated from the crystal surface. The beam quality factor M2 is measured to be Mx^2 = 1.15, Mx^2 = 1.25 for characterizing the THz wave beam. Experiments also show that the THz beam can be focused by using a polyethylene lens, and the focal spot size is close to the diffraction limit.     

Sixth Harmonic of A Nd：YVO4 Laser Generation In KBBF for ARPES

We report that a deep ultraviolet （DUV） laser from the sixth harmonic of a 1064nm laser has been firstly used as light source in an ultrahigh energy-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy （ARPES）. The wavelength is 177.3nm obtained by using the second harmonic KBe2BO3F2 crystal with a frequency tripled 1064nm Nd：YVO4 laser. The large flux （10^14 - 10^15 photons/s） and narrow line width （0.26 meV） are suitable for the ultrahigh-energy resolution ARPES. The laser-ARPES can be a powerful tool to study the electronic structure at and near the Fermi level of the superconductor and correlated materials. The laser-ARPES has worked more than 500 h already.     

Fine-Structure Splittings of Nitrogen Isoelectronic Sequence： Competitions among Spin-Orbit Interactions, Breit Interactions and Electron Correlations

Using the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock self-consistent field method and the relativistic configuration interaction method with quantum-electrodynamics corrections performed by the GRASP code, we calculate the fine-structure energy levels of the ground-state configuration （1s^22s^22p^3） of the nitrogen isoelectronic sequence, according to the L-S coupling scheme with atomic number Z up to 22. Based on the calculated results, we elucidate the mechanism of the orderings of fine-structure energy levels of 2^ D3/2,5/2 and 2^P1/2,3/2 respectively, i.e. for 2^D3/2,5/2 orderings, the competition between the spin-orbit interactions and the Breit interactions; for 2^P1/2,3/2 orderings, the electron correlations, especially the electron correlations owing to the 2p^5 configuration interactions.     

Scattering-Enhanced Femtosecond Optical Parametric Generation

Scattering-enhanced femtosecond optical parametric generation （OPG） has been observed and studied in detail, which may decrease the pump threshold of OPGs dramatically and may make OPGs reliable. The experimental demonstration in a LiNbO3 crystal shows that strong enough OPG can be obtained at pump intensity of only about 30GW/cm2 which is well below the crystal damage threshold Either a synchronized pulsed laser or a cw laser has been used as the scattering source, of which the wavelength, spectral shape and irradiating angle are not strictly required.     

An 8.1 W diode pumped solid-state quasi-continuous-wave yellow laser at 589 nm by intracavity sum-frequency mixing generation

We report an L-shaped symmetrical co-folding-arm plane-plane diode pumped solid-state yellow laser at 589 nm by using intracavity sum-frequency mixing. By carefully designing the cavity and employing various techniques to optimize the laser’s specifications, a quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) free-oscillation yellow laser source, which has an average output power of 8.1 W, a beam quality factor of M² = 2.3, and a repetition rate of 1.1 kHz, is developed. The generation of yellow laser at 589 nm is achieved by intracavity sum-frequency mixing between the laser lines at 1319 nm and 1064 nm of an Nd:YAG laser in a KTP crystal. To the best of our knowledge, the 8.1 W output at 589 nm is higher than any other diode pumped solid-state yellow laser generated by intracavity sum-frequency generation so far.     

High-power picosecond LiB3O5 optical parametric oscillators tunable in the blue spectral range

The paper reports on an experimental investigation and numerical analysis of noncritically and critically phasematched LiB₃O₅ (LBO) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) synchronously pumped by the third harmonic of a cw diode-pumped mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ oscillator–amplifier system. The laser system generates 9.0 W of 355-nm mode-locked radiation with a pulse duration of 7.5 ps and a repetition rate of 84 MHz. The LBO OPO, synchronously pumped by the 355-nm pulses, generates a signal wave tunable in the blue spectral range 457–479 nm. With a power of up to 5.0 W at 462 nm and 1.7 W at 1535 nm the conversion efficiency is 74%. The OPO is characterized experimentally by measuring the output power (and its dependence on the pump power, the transmission of the output coupler and the resonator length) and the pulse properties (such as pulse duration and spectral width). Also the beam quality of the resonant and nonresonant waves is investigated. The measured results are compared with the predictions of a numerical analysis for Gaussian laser and OPO beams. In addition to the blue-signal output visible-red 629-nm radiation is generated by sum-frequency mixing of the 1.535-μm infrared idler wave with the residual 1.064-μm laser radiation. A power of 1.25 W of 1.535-μm idler radiation and 5.7 W of 1.064-μm laser light generated a red 629-nm output power of 2.25 W. Received: 2 February 2000 / Revised version: 28 July 2000 / Published online: 22 November 2000     

Polarization spectroscopy applied to C2 detection in a flame

The detection of C₂ radicals in a premixed acetylene-oxygen flame by using polarization spectroscopy is reported. The signal was recorded in the Swan system,d ³ II _g–a ₃ II _u (0, 0), using a pulsed dye laser. The spectrum shows a very good signal-to-noise ratio with clearly resolved rotational structures of theP andR triplets. The dependence of the signal on the pump-beam polarization was also studied. The spatial distribution of the signal from C₂ radicals in the flame was measured as a demonstration of the use of polarization spectroscopy in combustion diagnostics.     

Role of bismuth precursor in crystallization of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films

Crystallization of SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films was studied as a function of viscosity of bismuth precursor and baking temperature, in order to fabricate capacitors with improved ferroelectric properties. SBT thin films were deposited on to Pt substrates using a chemical solution deposition (CSD) technique. Post-deposition anneal at 750 °C for 1 h in oxygen atmosphere revealed a significant influence of baking temperature and the viscosity of bismuth precursor on the microstructure and the ferroelectric properties of SBT thin films. A high baking temperature (350 °C) and a low viscosity of bismuth precursor (8 cp) yielded larger amounts of Bi₂O₃ secondary phase, smaller SBT grains (104 nm), and lower remanent polarization (P_r=2.0 7c/cm²). Additionally, these films exhibited a very high rate of ageing (>45% reduction in P_r after 7 days). A modified CSD process is suggested, which could suppress the formation of Bi₂O₃ secondary phase. Films fabricated using modified CSD technique exhibited a much larger grain size of 165 nm, higher P_r of 7.2 7c/cm², and significantly improved ageing characteristics (<1% reduction in P_r after 7 days). A qualitative model to describe the ageing in SBT-based capacitors is also suggested.     

All-optical dual-direction half-subtracter based on sum-frequency generation

We report a simple method to realize all-optical dual-direction half-subtracter at 40 Gb/s based on sum-frequency generation (SFG) using only one periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide. The SFG process generates the Borrow outputs and the combination of the outputs from PPLN after SFG results in the Difference. The operation performance of the proposed scheme is simulated, including eye diagrams, Q-factor, extinction ratio, and tunability. For different input optical powers, the length of the PPLN waveguide is optimized.     

Polarization of Radiation Emitted after Electron Impact Excitation

A programme is developed to calculate the polarizations of the radiation emitted after electron impact excitation. The fully relativistic distorted-wave method is used in cross-section calculations. The programme is applied to He- and Li-like ions. The calculated values of line polarization are compared with other theoretical results and experimental values. For He-like U, at lower incident energy, the present polarization agrees with the other theoretical ones within 1%, while at higher energy, the differences increase up to about 10%. For He-like Fe and Ti, the present results of polarization degree for most of the lines agree with the experimental data within the experimental error bars. For the Li-like Ti line q （ls2s2p^2p3/2 to ls^22s）, the present value of the polarization agree excellently with another theoretical one, and both the values are consistent with the measured data within the experimental error bar.     

The optimum configuration for the third-harmonic generation of 1.064 μm in a YCOB crystal

A method of determining the spatial configuration of a YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (YCOB) crystal is introduced. The type-I phase-matching points for the sum-frequency of 1.064 μm and 0.532 μm, as well as the conversion efficiency for YCOB samples cut in different directions, have been measured. When the input intensity is 0.76 GW/cm², the third-harmonic generation (THG) conversion efficiency for the (106°, 77.2°)-cut YCOB crystal reaches 26.2%, which is the highest that we know so far. Both the calculations and the experiments show that the optimum THG configuration for a YCOB crystal is near (106°, 77.2°), or other equivalent directions in space. Received: 11 September 2000 / Revised version: 25 January 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

High-resolution sum-frequency generation from alkylsiloxane monolayers

During the last decade, infrared optical sum-frequency generation (SFG) has been demonstrated to be a valuable technique for acquiring vibrational spectra of molecules at interfaces. However, the instrumentation that most frequently has been employed, which is based upon picosecond-scale pulse-width lasers, is fundamentally limited in the spectral resolution that can be achieved (typically ∼6 cm^-1). We have optimized an older technology, based on a nanosecond-scale pulse-width laser, which enables the infrared frequency to be specified to within 0.2 cm^-1. Exploiting this advantage, we have observed previously unrecognized features in the SFG spectrum of self-assembled monolayers. We demonstrate this through experiments performed on rubbed octadecylsiloxane (ODS) on glass, a system of considerable importance in liquid-crystal-display technology. Received: 14 August 2001 / Revised version: 15 January 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Luminescence characteristics of ultraviolet upconversion from Er 3 + :YAG crystal by Ar + laser (488 nm) excitation

Ultraviolet and violet upconversion signals at 271 nm, 317 nm, 381 nm and 407 nm were observed when an erbium-doped YAG crystal was pumped by an Ar⁺ laser (488 nm). The dependence of intensity of luminescence emitting from the ⁴S _3/2 state and the ²P _3/2 state on pump power (I) was experimentally investigated. Changes from I¹ down to I ^1/2 for the ⁴S _3/2 state and from I² down to I¹ for the ²P _3/2 state were observed. The upconversion mechanism was discussed by means of the rate equations. It appears that energy-transfer upconversion (ETU) is a dominant process for the Er³⁺:YAG crystal used in our experiment. Received 20 March 2001 and Received in final form 11 July 2001     

Nonresonant tripling and sum-frequency mixing in Hg

Nonresonant frequency tripling and sum-frequency mixing of pulsed dye-laser radiation generates in Hg vapor continuously tunable coherent vuv radiation in the wavelength range _vuv=132-185nm. Laser pulse powers of 1–2 MW produce vuv light pulses of 0.6–1.5 W (2–4.8×10⁹ photons/pulse).