Thermomechanical effects in uniformly aligned dye-doped nematic liquid crystals

We show theoretically that thermomechanical effects in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals when illuminated by laser beams, can become important and lead to molecular reorientation at intensities substantially lower than that needed for optical Fréedericksz transition. We propose a 1D model that assumes homogenous intensity distribution in the plane of the layer and is capable to describe such a thermally induced threshold lowering. We consider a particular geometry, with a linearly polarized light incident perpendicularly on a layer of homeotropically aligned dye-doped nematics.     

High-damage-threshold static laser beam shaping using optically patterned liquid-crystal devices

Beam shaping of coherent laser beams is demonstrated using liquid crystal (LC) cells with optically patterned pixels. The twist angle of a nematic LC is locally set to either 0 or 90° by an alignment layer prepared via exposure to polarized UV light. The two distinct pixel types induce either no polarization rotation or a 90° polarization rotation, respectively, on a linearly polarized optical field. An LC device placed between polarizers functions as a binary transmission beam shaper with a highly improved damage threshold compared to metal beam shapers. Using a coumarin-based photoalignment layer, various devices have been fabricated and tested, with a measured single-shot nanosecond damage threshold higher than 30?J/cm2.     

亚波长光栅偏振片的纳秒脉冲激光损伤特性

偏振片在诸多光学系统中有着重要的应用。亚波长介质光栅可用作正入射偏振片，在高能激光系统中有着广泛的应用前景。为了探究波长为1 064 nm的纳秒脉冲激光对于亚波长全介质光栅的诱导损伤特性，使用了粒子群优化算法结合严格耦合波分析设计了光栅的几何参数，计算表明亚波长光栅偏振片在入射光波长1 064 nm附近带宽0.5 nm内，平均消光比为1 500。使用了紫外曝光配合离子束刻蚀的工艺制备了HfO₂光栅，并对其纳秒脉冲激光损伤阈值进行了测试。测试结果表明S光损伤阈值约为P光损伤阈值的5倍，且都大于5 J/cm2。结果表明亚波长全介质光栅偏振片可广泛用于正入射激光系统中。     

Low-threshold single-wavelength all-fiber laser generating cylindrical vector beams using a few-mode fiber Bragg grating

We propose and demonstrate a low-threshold single-wavelength all-fiber laser generating cylindrical vector beams using a few-mode fiber Bragg grating. Both radially and azimuthally polarized beams have been generated with very good modal symmetry and polarization purity higher than 94%. The radially and azimuthally polarized modes can be switched by simply adjusting the polarization controllers built in the fiber laser cavity. This fiber laser operates at a single wavelength of 1053 nm with a 3 dB linewidth of less than 0.02 nm, signal-to-background ratio of more than 55 dB, and a threshold as low as 16 mW. A new method for the polarization purity measurement is also proposed.     

Theoretical and experimental research on spectral performance and laser induced damage of Brewster's thin film polarizers

Polarizers respectively with broad polarizing region bandwidth, large layer thickness error tolerance and high extinction ratio are designed and prepared. Transmittance spectra of the prepared samples are measured at Brewster's angle, and the results show that different requirements can be fulfilled by optimized designs. Spectral performance of designs with higher layer thickness error tolerance coincides better with the theoretical spectra. Laser induced damage threshold of the prepared samples are evaluated. Electric field distribution, defect, film absorption, and damage morphology are investigated, and the results indicate that electric field distribution in high index layers is the main reason that causes the difference of laser induced damage threshold. For both p polarized and s polarized light, the lower the electric field peak value and the farther the layer, which has the strongest electric field away from air, the higher the laser induced damage threshold.     

Study on polarization effect of azimuthally polarized LG beam in high NA Lens system

Based on vector diffraction theory, the intensity distributions of azimuthally polarized double-ring-shaped higher order beams near the focus are calculated numerically. It is shown that a subwavelength focal hole with a quite long depth of focus, multiple focal holes are achieved near the focus, when tuning β (is the ratio of the pupil radius to the beam waist) in the focal plane for different modes under tight focusing through high NA lens. Such kind of beams plays an important role in optical trapping, laser cutting and optical manipulation applications.     

Experimental verification on tightly focused radially polarized vortex beams

The theoretical and experimental results of tightly focused radially polarized vortex beams are demonstrated. An auto-focus technology is introduced into the measurement system in order to enhance the measurement precision, and the radially polarized vortex beams are generated by a liquid-crystal polarization converter and a vortex phase plate. The focused fields of radially polarized vortex beams with different topological charges at numerical apertures （NAs） of 0.65 and 0.85 are measured respectively, and the results indicate that the total intensity distribution at focus is dependent not only on the NA of the focusing objective lens and polarization pattern of the beam but also on the topological charge l of the beam. Some unique focusing properties of radially polarized vortex beams with fractional topological charges are presented based on numerical calculations. The experimental verification paves the way for some practical applications of radially polarized vortex beams, such as in optical trapping, near-field microscopy, and material processing.     

Numerical aperture invariant focus shaping using spirally polarized beams

The concept of spiral polarization is proposed as an extension of the generalized cylindrical vector beam. The focusing properties of this spatially variant polarization under high NA are studied. It can be shown that with one such polarization, the focus maintains a flat-top intensity shape independent of NA from NA = 0.82 up to NA = 0.95.     

Femtosecond laser induced periodic large-scale surface structures on metals

The periodic ripple structures on wolfram and titanium surfaces are induced experimentally by linear polarized femtosecond laser pulses at small incident angles. The structural features show a material difference in the s- and p-polarized laser irradiation. The interspace between the ripples increases significantly for p-polarized laser irradiation when it exceeds a threshold angle, and the ripples' periodicities are larger than the wavelength of the incident p-polarized femtosecond laser; however, no significant change in the period of the ripples is observed with increasing incident angle for s-polarized laser irradiation. To explain these phenomena we propose a resonant absorption mechanism, by which the experimental observations can be interpreted.     

Tight Focusing of Radially and Azimuthally Polarized Vortex Beams through a Dielectric Interface

Based on vectorial Debye theory, tight focusing of radially and azimuthally polarized vortex beams passing through a dielectric interface are studied. The intensity distribution in the focal region is illustrated by numerical calculations. We show the influence of numerical-aperture （NA） on the full-width at half maximum （FWHM） of the focal spot or the focal hole. It has been found that compared with the azimuthally polarized Besse~Gaussian （BG） beams, the longitudinal component in the z direction of the radially polarized BG beams has no influence on the FWHM of the focal spot and hole, but enhances the total light intensity.     

Induced focusing and conversion of a Gaussian beam into an elliptic Gaussian beam

We have presented an investigation of the induced focusing in Kerr media of two laser beams, the pump beam and the probe beam, which could be either Gaussian or elliptic Gaussian or a combination of the two. We have used variational formalism to derive relevant beam-width equations. Among several important findings, the finding that a very week probe beam can be guided and focused when power of both beams are well below their individual threshold for self-focusing, is a noteworthy one. It has been found that induced focusing is not possible for laser beams of any wavelength and beam radius. In case both beams are elliptic Gaussian, we have shown that when power of both beams is above a certain threshold value then the effective radius of both beams collapses and collapse distance depends on power. Moreover, it has been found that induced focusing can be employed to convert a circular Gaussian beam into an elliptic Gaussian beam.     

高功率激光表面大气击穿阈值的波长关系

通过对大气击穿的物理机制、低空大气中的自由电子及其寿命和电离机制进行讨论,给出了高功率激光大气击穿较为明晰的物理图像。并通过理论分析,给出了激光大气击穿阈值的波长关系,对给定波长激光的大气击穿阈值可以作出迅速的估值,是一种较为简捷的方法     

Azimuthally polarized 1 kW CO2 laser with a triple-axicon retroreflector optical resonator

An optical resonator for generating high-power, axially symmetric polarized beams is demonstrated. The rear mirror of a commercial CO(2) laser is replaced by a triple-axicon retroreflector unit that is composed of a waxicon and an axicon accurately fitted together. The selection of the polarization is made by the reflectivity difference between p and s polarizations at the inclined surfaces. Sharp discrimination of polarization within a 0.4% of difference in reflectivity is demonstrated. A stable 1 kW azimuthally polarized LG01 laser beam is generated, and the measured beam quality is 2.0.     

Varied laser induced damage phenomena of gold coated gratings for pulse compression

In this paper, gold-coated gratings for pulse compression have been prepared and their laser damage experiments have been performed. Varied laser damage morphologies have been observed: when a 60 fs-pulsed laser with energy density slightly higher than the damage threshold was used, damage morphology with a characteristic of discrete distribution of small pits was appeared. These damage pits are linearly distributed at the junction of ridges and grooves. If the laser energy density is much higher than the damage threshold, the gold films was overall ablated and the grating structure disappeared. Besides, if the gold film has poor adhesion, it was peeled off. When a 450 ps-pulsed laser with energy density slightly higher than the damage threshold was used, part of grating ridges will be ablated and an obvious line exists between the ablated area and the unchanged area. In theory, the laser induced temperature field and stress field in gold-coated gratings were calculated based on the electromagnetic field using the finite element method. It is demonstrated that the temperature and thermal stress distribution characteristics are affected by the laser heating rate and the heat diffusion time (the calculated diffusion time ranges from 6 fs to 450 ps), which determines the laser damage characteristics. The possible damage drivers have electron hydrodynamic pressure, thermal ablation and thermal stress.     

KrF Laser-induced Damage to ZrO_2/SiO_2 Coatings

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Superintense laser fields in circular array: effects of phase and pulse jitters

Extremely intense laser field that makes nonlinear quantum vacuum can be generated by coherent superposition of multiple lasers in circular configuration that incorporates optical fibers synchronization scheme and piecewise mirrors in circular array operating below typical damage threshold. Coherent amplification and large laser beams can produce intensity reaching nonlinear quantum vacuum regime. The effects of phase jitter and envelope timing of the pulses due to imperfect synchronization are simulated and analyzed for both linear and circularly polarized pulses. We obtain simple analytical expressions that well describe the envelope jitter and phase jitter. Several practical aspects are discussed, including implications of scaling the laser dimension and pulse duration, with possibility for giant laser facility.     

Laser frequency stabilization using a balanced bi-polarimeter

We report on a Doppler-free polarization spectroscopy based technique of laser frequency stabilization using a balanced bi-polarimeter set-up. Two linearly polarized weak laser beams are used to probe birefringence induced by two oppositely circularly polarized strong pump beams in a vapour cell. Subtraction of balanced polarimeter signals obtained from the two probe beams results in a background-free dispersion-like reference signal without frequency modulation. The dispersion-like signal corresponding to the closed transition 5 ² S _1/2 (F=2) →5 ² P _3/2 (F^′=3) of ⁸⁷Rb was used for frequency locking of a diode laser. The frequency fluctuations and the drift were measured to be less than 0.25 MHz and 0.02 MHz, respectively, for an observation period of more than 10 hours. PACS 42.62.Fi; 42.55.Px; 32.30.-r     

High-numerical-aperture focusing of radially polarized doughnut beams with a parabolic mirror and a flat diffractive lens

Recently, Dorn et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 233901 (2003)] demonstrated the significance of radially polarized doughnut beams in obtaining very small focal spots (with an area of approximately 0.26 lambda2) with high-numerical-aperture (NA) aplanatic microscope objectives. We propose two simple alternative ways to focus such radially polarized beams: a parabolic mirror and a flat diffractive lens. Because of their large apodization factor for a high NA, a significant further reduction in spot area (up to a factor of 1.76 at a NA of 1) compared with the aplanatic system can be achieved.     

Stimulated Brillouin scattering of Q-switched laser pulses in large-core optical fibres

Q-switched Nd : glass laser pulses of 60 ns duration are transmitted through multimode fused-silica fibres of 0.4–1 mm core diam and lengths of up to 20 m. For laser radiation with narrow spectral width, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is observed for energies well below the threshold energy of fibre damage. The SBS threshold is shifted beyond the threshold of fibre damage through increasing the spectral width of the laser radiation. The SBS threshold energies of step-index and gradient-index fibres are measured for various fibre and laser parameters.     

熔石英表面热致应力对激光损伤行为影响的研究

为了研究热致应力对光学元件损伤特性的影响,通过实验测试退火处理消除热应力和未消热应力石英基片的激光损伤特性,研究了热致应力对石英元件初始损伤阈值、损伤增长阈值以及损伤增长规律的影响.结果表明,热致应力对熔石英光学元件的初始损伤阈值有影响,初始损伤阈值随着热致应力增大而降低;热致应力会加剧激光引发的损伤增长,相同的激光通量下,表面应力越大的区域拥有越高的损伤增长因子,但损伤增长仍遵从指数增长规律.热致应力对损伤增长阈值没有明显的影响.本文的研究将为CO2激光预处理工艺能否被应用于大口径光学元件提供一个必要的技术参考.