Heating of nonequilibrium electrons by laser radiation in solid transparent dielectrics

A computer simulation of the heating of nonequilibrium electrons by an intense high-frequency electromagnetic field leading to the bulk damage of solid transparent dielectrics under single irradiation has been carried out. The dependences of the avalanche ionization rate on threshold field strength have been derived. Using the Fokker-Planck equation with a flux-doubling boundary condition is shown to lead to noticeable errors even at a ratio of the photon energy to the band gap ∼0.1. The series of dependences of the critical fields on pulse duration have been constructed for various initial lattice temperatures and laser wavelengths, which allow the electron avalanche to be identified as a limiting breakdown mechanism. The ratio of the energy stored in the electron subsystem to the excess (with respect to the equilibrium state) energy of the phonon subsystem by the end of laser pulse action has been calculated both with and without allowance for phonon heating. The influence of phonon heating on the impact avalanche ionization rate is analyzed.     

Photoionization of H atoms in few-cycle laser pulses

Photoionization of hydrogen atoms in few-cycle laser pulses is studied numerically. The total ionization probability, the instantaneous ionization probability, and the partial ionization probabilities in a pair of opposite directions are obtained. The partial ionization probabilities are not always equal to each other which is termed as inversion asymmetry. The variation of asymmetry degree with the CE phase, the pulse duration and the pulse intensity is studied. It is found that the pulse intensity affects the asymmetry degree in many aspects. Firstly, the asymmetry is more distinct at higher intensities than that at lower intensities when the pulse duration exceeds 4 cycles; secondly, the maximal asymmetry in lower intensities varies with the CE phase visibly while at higher intensities not; thirdly, the partial ionization probabilities equal to each other for some special CE phases. For lower pulse intensities, the corresponding value of CE phase is always 0.5π and 1.5π, while for higher pulse intensities, the corresponding value varies with the pulse intensity. Similar phenomena were observed in a recent experiment using few-cycle radio-frequency (RF) pulses.     

Microwave energy channeling in plasma waveguides created by a high-power UV laser in the atmosphere

The grazing mode of microwave propagation in a hollow plasma waveguide formed by ionization of atmospheric air with a small easily ionized additive by strong UV pulses of the Garpun KrF laser (λ = 248 nm, the pulse duration and energy are ∼70 ns and ∼50 J) was experimentally demonstrated for the first time. The annular laser beam produced a hollow tube ∼10 cm in diameter with an electron density of ∼10¹² cm⁻³ in a plasma wall ∼1 cm thick, over whichmicrowave radiation with λ _mw ∼ 8 mm was transmitted to a distance of 60 m. Themicrowave signal transmitted by the waveguide was amplified by a factor of 6 in comparison with propagation in free space.     

Three-photon interference spectra in four-level atomic systems

We have considered the interference spectra that occur at the three-photon generated frequency arising from the interaction of three laser fields with a four-level atom, where two of the laser fields are on two-photon resonance with the three levels forming a “λ” scheme while the third laser operates between the second ground and the second excited state of the atom. At low intensities of all three laser fields, the overall intensity of the peak at the three-photon generated frequency, describing the spectrum of an electron in the second excited state, depends on the strength of the combined field of the two laser fields that are on two-photon resonance and it takes negative values. This indicates that light amplification without population inversion is likely to occur at the three-photon generated frequency. The combined field of the three laser fields induces multiphoton excitations near the three-photon generated frequency, whose peaks are characterized by linewidths which are much less than the natural linewidths of the atoms. These excitations describe absorption or stimulating emission processes depending on the values of the detunings of the laser fields. The derived results are graphically presented and discussed. Received: 24 January 2001 / Published online: 8 June 2001     

Interaction of frequency modulated light pulses with rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap

The spatial displacement of the ⁸⁵Rb atoms in a Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) under the influence of series of frequency modulated light pulse pairs propagating opposite to each other is measured as a function of the time elapsed after the start of the pulse train, and compared with the results of simulations. Adiabatic excitation and consecutive de-excitation take place between the ground 5²S_1/2 (F=3) and the 5²P_3/2 (F'=2, 3, 4) excited levels as the result of the interaction. The displacement of the ⁸⁵Rb atoms is calculated as the solution of simple equation of motion where the expelling force is that arising from the action of the frequency modulated light pulses. The restoring and friction forces of the MOT are taken into account also. The system of Bloch equations for the density matrix elements is solved numerically for transitions between six working hyperfine levels of the atom interacting with the sequence of the frequency modulated laser pulses. According to these simulations, the momentum transferred by one pulse pair is always smaller than the expected 2ħk, (1) where ħ is the Plank constant and k=2π/λ where λ is the wavelength, (2) having a maximum value in a restricted region of variation of the laser pulse peak intensity and the chirp.     

Rescattering of electrons at laser-cluster interactions

The goal of this work is to derive the angular distributions of electrons irradiated at the outer ionization of large atomic clusters from Xe atoms by relativistic laser pulses taking into account rescattering processes. Both the magnetic field of the laser pulse and the Coulomb field of the ionized cluster significantly influence the rescattering of ejected electrons. The multiply inner ionization of atoms occurs at the leading edge of the laser pulse. The atomic ions with charge multiplicities up to Z = 26 are subsequently produced (each atomic ion with the next charge multiplicity appears in 3–5 fs) when the laser intensity increases. The measurements of the angular distributions of electrons allow us to reproduce the imaging dynamics of outer ionization of the cluster at the leading edge of the relativistic femtosecond laser pulse.     

Peculiarities of the ionization of many-electron systems and generation of attosecond pulses in ultrashort laser fields

The ionization of a model two-electron atom in the field of a strong ultrashort laser pulse is studied by numerical integration of the nonstationary Schrödinger equation describing the dynamics of a quantum system in the field of an electromagnetic wave. Pecularities of the two-electron ionization are analyzed for pulses whose duration amounts to one to two periods of oscillation of the electric field of the wave at different frequencies of the incident radiation. For extremely short pulses, the double ionization is found to be suppressed. This effect is caused by the finiteness of the interelectron energy exchange time during the laser action. Peculiarities of the generation of high-order harmonics and single XUV attosecond pulses upon ionization of atoms by laser pulses, whose duration is within one to two optical cycles, are investigated.     

On the Theory of Hydrogen Atom Ionization by Ultra‐Short Electromagnetic Pulses

An investigation of the probability of hydrogen atom ionization by ultra‐short electromagnetic pulses is carried out in the frame of perturbation theory We consider the case when the electric field strength amplitude E₀ in a pulse by two orders lower than characteristic atomic field strength E_a (E_a ? 5.1 · 10⁹ V/cm). A detailed investigation of the dependence of the probabilities on the pulse duration was performed for Gaussian pulse shapes. In the case where the carrier frequency of the Gaussian pulse is larger than the atomic ionization potential, the probability goes to the standard limit of perturbation per unit time. At the same pulse durations, the probabilities for carrier frequencies less than the ionization potential go to zero. The frequency dependence of the ionization probability becomes equal to the standard threshold dependence with increasing pulse duration time. A comparison between the ionization effects caused by wavelet pulses without carrier frequency and Gaussian pulses with carrier frequency shows that the same ionization probability values are achieved when the pulse carrier frequency is detuned by about 20% from the ionization threshold. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Observation of the Dipole Blockade Effect in Detecting Rydberg Atoms by the Selective Field Ionization Method

The dipole blockade effect at laser excitation of mesoscopic ensembles of Rydberg atoms lies in the fact that the excitation of one atom to a Rydberg state blocks the excitation of other atoms due to the shift in the collective energy levels of interacting Rydberg atoms. It is used to obtain the entangled qubit states based on single neutral atoms in optical traps. In this paper, we present our experimental results on the observation of the dipole blockade for mesoscopic ensembles of 1–5 atoms when they are detected by the selective field ionization method. We have investigated the spectra of the three-photon laser excitation 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 → 6S1/2 → nP3/2 of cold Rydberg Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap. We have found that for mesoscopic ensembles this method allows only a partial dipole blockage to be observed. This is most likely related to the presence of parasitic electric fields reducing the interaction energy of Rydberg atoms, the decrease in the probability of detecting high states, and the strong angular dependence of the interaction energy of Rydberg atoms in a single interaction volume.     

Investigation of Rb <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis><Subscript>1</Subscript> atomic lines in strong magnetic fields by fluorescence from a half-wave-thick cell

It has been experimentally demonstrated that the use of the effect of significant narrowing of the fluorescence spectrum from a nanocell that contains a column of atomic Rb vapor with a thickness of L = 0.5λ (where λ = 794 nm is the wavelength of laser radiation, whose frequency is resonant with the atomic transition of the D ₁ line of Rb) and the application of narrowband diode lasers allow the spectral separation and investigation of changes in probabilities of optical atomic transitions between levels of the hyperfine structure of the D ₁ line of ⁸⁷Rb and ⁸⁵Rb atoms in external magnetic fields of 10–2500 Gs (for example, for one of transitions, the probability increases ∼17 times). Small column thicknesses (∼390 nm) allow the application of permanent magnets, which facilitates significantly the creation of strong magnetic fields. Experimental results are in a good agreement with the theoretical values. The advantages of this method over other existing methods are noted. The results obtained show that a magnetometer with a local spatial resolution of ∼390 nm can be created based on a nanocell with the column thickness L = 0.5λ. This result is important for mapping strongly inhomogeneous magnetic fields.     

Energy efficiency of femtosecond laser ablation of refractory metals

We present the results of an experimental study of the ablation energy thresholds and ablated mass for a number of refractory metals (Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo) by femtosecond (τ _0.5 = 45–70 fs) exposed to laser pulses in the ultraviolet — near infrared range (λ = 266, 400, 800 nm) under atmospheric conditions and under vacuum (p ~ 10^–2 Pa). We have analyzed the ablation efficiency (mass yield per unit energy of the acting coherent radiation) and ablation energy thresholds vs. the laser pulse duration and photon energy.     

Structure and optical properties of carbon films obtained by multipulse pulsed laser deposition

We have obtained carbon thin films on silicon and glass substrates with multipulse pulsed laser irradiation of graphite under vacuum (p ≈ 2.6 Pa) using a high-frequency series of nanosecond laser pulses (τ = 85 ns, λ = 1060 nm) with pulse repetition frequency f ≈ 10–20 kHz and laser power density q ≈ 15–40 MW/cm². We established the optimal laser power density and laser pulse repetition frequency for obtaining amorphous nanostructured diamond-like films.     

Few cycle dynamics of multiphoton double ionization

In intense field ionization, an electron removed from the atomic core oscillates in the combined fields of the laser and the parent ion. This oscillation forces repeated revivals of its spatial correlation with the bound electrons. The total probability of double ionization depends on the number of returns and therefore on the number of optical periods in the laser pulse. We observed the yield of Ne(2+) relative to Ne(+) with 12 fs pulses to be clearly less compared to 50 fs pulses in qualitative agreement with our theoretical model.     

Dynamics of generation of a pulsed Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:KGd(WO)<Subscript>2</Subscript>/V<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:YAG laser emitting in the self-frequency Raman conversion mode at λ = 1.538 μm

It has been shown that the generation of the 1st Stokes component (λ = 1.538 μm) in an Nd:KGW laser with a passive V:YAG Q Q -switch is multimodal and its dynamics have a complex spatio-temporal character. The SRS-generation features the impact excitation manifested as the formation of a high-intensity peak at the beginning of the pulse, the peak position relative to the subsequent part of the pulse depending on the radius of curvature of the end cavity mirror. The SRS-conversion of the fundamental laser radiation (λ = 1.351 μm) starts in the central region of the Nd:KGW-element and then spreads towards its boundaries. The total integral SRS-pulse of duration 15–25 ns represents an envelope of shorter (1–2 ns) time-shifted pulses generated by separate local areas of the active medium cross-section. The multimode character of generation results in gradual damage to the V:YAG Q Q -switch at the attained SRS-radiation energy of 8–14 mJ.     

Attosecond spectral shearing interferometry

We show that the complete characterization of arbitrarily short isolated attosecond x-ray pulses can be achieved by applying spectral shearing interferometry to photoelectron wave packets. These wave packets are coherently produced through the photoionization of atoms by two time-delayed replicas of the x-ray pulse, and are shifted in energy with respect to each other by simultaneously applying a strong laser field. The x-ray pulse is reconstructed with the algorithm developed for optical pulses, which requires no knowledge of ionization physics. Using a 800-nm shearing field, x-ray pulses shorter than approximately 400 asec can be fully characterized.     

Correlation function of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays favors point sources

Closed analytical expressions for the probability of multiphoton ionization of atoms and ions by a time-varying electric field ?(t) are obtained by the imaginary time method. These expressions apply for arbitrary values of the Keldysh parameter γ. The dependence of the ionization probability and the photoelectron momentum spectrum on the shape of an ultrashort laser pulse is considered.     

Energy- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectra of above-threshold ionization and detachment

We analyze strong-laser-field induced above-threshold ionization and above-threshold detachment processes within the strong-field approximation. Energy and angular distribution of photoelectrons are presented for two cases: (1) high-order above-threshold ionization of electrons from neutral atoms by a linearly polarized laser field and (2) above-threshold detachment of electrons from negative ions by a bicircular laser field. In particular, for the case (1) we compare the results obtained using a long pulse with the flat-top spatial intensity distribution in the laser focus with the results obtained using the Gaussian distribution. We also analyze the intensity-dependent resonant-like enhancements. We show that the position and shape of these enhancements strongly depend on the atomic ground state parity. The bicircular field of the case (2) consists of two counter-rotating circularly polarized fields having the frequencies rω and sω with integer r and s. The properties of the photoelectron spectra generated by such bicircular field are illustrated using an ω–4ω example. The spectra obtained are explained in terms of the interference of partial detachment amplitudes which correspond to different complex solutions of the saddle-point equations.     

Thermonuclear fusion in a strong laser field

Thermonuclear fusion induced by the irradiation of solid deuterated cluster targets and foils with fields of strong femtosecond and picosecond laser pulses is discussed. The thermonuclear-fusion process D(d, n)³He in a collision of two deuterons at an energy of 50 to 100 keV in a deuterium cluster target irradiated with a strong laser pulse is discussed. A theory of thermonuclear fusion proceeding upon the irradiation of clusters formed by deuterium iodide (DI) molecules with the field of a superintense femtosecond laser pulse is developed. This theory is based on an above-barrier process in which the sequential multiple inner ionization of atomic ions within a cluster is accompanied by field-induced outer ionization. The yield of neutrons from thermonuclear fusion in a deuteron-deuteron collision after the completion of a laser pulse is calculated. The yield of neutrons is determined for the thermonuclear-fusion reaction proceeding in the interaction of an intense picosecond laser pulse with thin TiD₂ foils. A multiple ionization of titanium atoms at the front edge of the laser pulse is considered. The heating of free electron occurs in induced inverse bremsstrahlung in the process of electron scattering on multiply charged titanium ions. The yield of alpha particles in the thermonuclear-fusion reaction involving protons and ¹¹B nuclei that is induced in microdrops by a strong laser field is determined. Experimental data on laser-induced thermonuclear fusion are discussed.     

High-order harmonics generation by few-cycle and multi-cycle femtosecond laser pulses

This paper investigates experimentally high-order harmonic generation(HHG) of neon gas with 5-fs and 25-fs driving laser pulses.It has been demonstrated that the cutoff energy of the harmonic extreme ultraviolet photons is extended to 131 eV and the HHG spectrum near the cutoff region becomes continuum as the driving laser pulse duration is 5 fs;whereas much lower cutoff photon energy and discrete harmonic spectrum near the cutoff region are presented as the laser pulse duration is 25 fs.The results can be explained by the fact that neutral atoms can be exposed to more intense laser field before they are depleted by ionization because of the extremely short rising time of the few-cycle pulse.The 5-fs driving laser pulse paves the way of generation of coherent x-ray in the water window and single attosecond pulse.     

Multiphoton atomic ionization in the field of a very short laser pulse

Closed analytic expressions are derived for the probability of multiphoton atomic and ionic ionization in a variable electric field ?(t), which are applicable for arbitrary Keldysh parameters γ. Dependencies of the ionization probability and photoelectron pulse spectrum on the shape of a very short laser pulse are analyzed. Examples of pulse fields of various forms, including a modulated light pulse with a Gaussian or Lorentz envelope, are considered in detail. The interference effect in the photoelectron energy spectrum during atomic ionization by a periodic field of a general form is examined. The range of applicability of the adiabatic approximation in the multiphoton ionization theory is discussed. The imaginary time method is used in the calculations, which allows the probability of particle tunneling through oscillating barriers to be effectively calculated.