On the possibility of soliton-like double-frequency propagation of femtosecond pulses in an optical fiber under conditions of second harmonic generation

A soliton-like mode of double-frequency propagation of femtosecond pulses during second harmonic generation (SHG) in optical fibers is predicted on the basis of computer simulation. The essence of this mode is that, under certain conditions, the central part of the pulses of both the fundamental and the second harmonic waves propagate without a change in the intensity of either wave. This mode can be realized by either of two schemes of the SHG process. In the first scheme, the second harmonic enters a nonlinear medium with some definite input amplitude and definite phase shift with respect to the fundamental wave. In the other scheme, the second harmonic has a zero input amplitude and a phase shift is introduced into the interacting waves in particular cross sections of the medium.     

超高真空中C60光聚合效应光学二次谐波的研究

利用１．０６４μｍ基频超短脉冲激光，使用光学二次谐波方法研究了超高真空中蒸镀在多晶银表面上的Ｃ６０薄膜紫外光照射下的光聚合现象，发现聚合以后的Ｃ６０二阶非线性响应增强，同时观察到光聚合的饱和效应，Ｃ６０光聚合二阶非线性的提高可以用电四极了磁偶极子对二次谐波贡献的增强来解释。     

Second harmonic generation due to quadrupole interaction in a photonic crystal slab: angle dependence and symmetry of the unit cell

We investigate second harmonic generation (SHG) from a photonic crystal slab consisting of centrosymmetric materials. The SHG signal is observed in the transmission direction when the incident laser excites the quasiwaveguide mode. As the SHG frequency approaches the exciton level, the SHG intensity increases resonantly. When the incident angle is exactly 0, the SHG signal vanishes even if the transmission dip is excited. This fact is readily explained by a quadrupole theory based on the Lorentz oscillator model, where the source of the nonlinearity is the Lorentz force. When the unit cell in the photonic crystal lacks inversion symmetry, the SHG signal is expected even for the normal incidence. It is experimentally demonstrated for a square array of triangular semiconductor slabs.     

A possibility of compensating the effect of self-action on the efficiency of second harmonic generation by femtosecond pulses

The feasibility of compensating the self-action of waves involved in second harmonic generation (SHG) by femtosecond pulses in the case of group matching is shown. Propagation of pulses is described in terms of the Schrödinger equation with the inclusion of the second-order dispersion and cubic nonlinearity. Analytical and numerical studies are performed indicating that, with some constraints imposed on the cubic nonlinearity, the SHG process occurs in the same way as in the absence of nonlinearity within a rather long propagation path.     

Optical properties and CO_2 laser SHG with HgGa_2S_4

Optical properties and nonlinearity on phase-matching (PM) of two (yellow and orange) phase crystals were investigated in details. Damage threshold was determined in comparison with middle infrared (IR) crystal at identical experimental conditions. Second harmonic generation (SHG) of 30 ns TEA CO2 laser pulses was realized with 5% efficiency in energy and 6.9% in peak power.     

Threshold self-start of laser passive mode-locking under conditions of high-order frequency dispersion of the refractive index

The dependence of the self-start of laser passive mode-locking on the peak intensity of initial pulses under conditions of high-order frequency dispersion of the refractive index is analyzed using numerical simulation and analytical calculations. It is found that frequency dispersion of this type can lead to generation bistability. Specifically, laser passive mode-locking requires the generation of a sufficiently intense seed pulse in the initial noise distribution of the field in the laser cavity; otherwise, no laser passive mode-locking occurs and a steady-state lasing mode with the entire laser cavity filled with radiation is established in the system after the transient process is completed. The revealed threshold dependence of the self-start of laser passive mode-locking on the intensity of the initial seed pulse is one of the possible factors preventing the generation of ultrashort pulses in Kerr-lens lasers.     

Harmonic generation in bismuth triborate (BiB3O6)

We report a study of second- and third-harmonic generation in BiB₃O₆ (BiBO). The effective nonlinearity, phase-matching angle, acceptance bandwidth, and walk-off are calculated and analyzed within the principal planes of the optical indicatrix. In the experiment, the phase-matched harmonic generation is investigated within the xz and yz planes. Also, the temperature dependence of the noncritical phase matching for laser radiation propagating along the z axis is measured for second-harmonic generation (SHG) at crystal temperatures of 25–265^∘C. The corresponding wavelengths of the laser radiation are in the range of 1.16 to 1.34μm. In addition, SHG of 1342-nm radiation of a q-switched Nd:YVO₄ laser system is investigated for noncritical and critical phase matching. The achieved conversion efficiencies are 59% and 20%, respectively. Besides SHG, third-harmonic generation (THG) of 1064-nm, ns laser pulses is investigated. The measured conversion efficiency is as high as 34%. For THG the properties of BiBO are compared with those of BBO and LBO.     

Generation of electron nanobunches and short-wavelength radiation upon reflection of a relativistic-intensity laser pulse from a finite-size target

We have proposed an efficient scheme of generation of short dense electron bunches during the interaction at large angles of incidence of a laser pulse with a thin transversally semibounded laser target. Streams of bunches can be used to simultaneously and independently generate pulsed X-ray radiation as fast electrons hit secondary targets. Dependences of bunch parameters (the number of particles in the bunch and the bunch energy and thickness) on the angle of incidence and laser intensity have been obtained. It has been shown that, upon reflection from the target, the relativistic-intensity laser wave is efficiently converted (the energy-conversion factor reaches ～20%) into a sequence of electromagnetic tens-of-nanometer-long atto pulses, which follow one after another in the period of the initial laser wave. We have investigated how the parameters of the atto pulse depend on the angle of incidence and the laser intensity. We have shown that atto pulses are generated most efficiently at large angles of incidence (≥50°) of the laser pulse on the target.     

Nonstationary intracavity stimulated raman scattering by polaritons

Stimulated Raman scattering by polaritons when employing a nonlinear crystal inside the cavity of the laser with Q-switching and locked to fundamental frequency was theoretically studied. The equations were formulated describing the dynamics of the fundamental, Stokes and polariton waves under the assumption of instant Q-switching and uniformity of radiation except in the longitudinal direction. Numerical solutions of the equations were found and analysed. We demonstrate the influence, on generation characteristics, of the most important parameters, such as the effective nonlinearity, the initial level of population inversion, the feedback of the Stokes wave and the group mismatch between a Stokes and a pump wave. Optimum generation conditions are determined. Possibilities of the method are discussed for the generation of a) giant pulses which are controllable with regard to carrier frequency and duration but are unachievable with other methods, b) Stokes pulses of very small duration and high energy having sharp trailing edges, and c) analogous polariton pulses in the middle and far infrared range. The generation using a number of polariton branches in LiNbO₃ was considered as an example. Calculations are in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

Second-harmonic generation from nonlocal interaction between terahertz waves and step quantum wells

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) excited by a p-polarized terahertz wave interacting with AlGaAs/GaAs step quantum wells (STQW’s) is investigated on the basis of the microscopic nonlocal response theory. The numerical results show that there are two resonant peaks in the energy reflection spectrum of the SHG, whose position and amplitude are tunable via the structural parameters of the STQW’s and the incident optical intensity. It is clarified that the spatial nonlocality of the linear and second-order nonlinear optical responses can lead to a blueshift of the second-harmonic spectra, while the third-order nonlinearity can induce a spectral redshift. Furthermore, an optimal STQW is presented, for obtaining the largest SHG signal and observing the SH spectra by experiment.     

双波长双脉冲激光三次谐波的产生方法

提出双波长双脉冲激光产生三次谐波的方法。波长不同的两脉冲激光束由反射使它们合拢后通过两块非线性的BBO晶体 ,激光脉冲第一次通过BBO晶体产生两波长的二次谐波 (SHG) ,它们由各自的反射镜反射再次通过BBO又产生了二次谐波 ,这两次产生的二次谐波和基波通过用于产生三次谐波的BBO晶体可产生双波长的三次谐波 ,它们由 45°斜置的耦合镜输出。文中分析了满足二次谐波和三次谐波的四个相位匹配的条件 ,该方法也可用于腔内双波长双脉冲的三次谐波激光的产生 ,给出了相应的实验结果。     

Investigation on high efficiency temporal phase modulated broadband second harmonic laser

In this paper, it is the first time to experimentally demonstrate the second harmonic generation (SHG) of temporal phase modulated broadband laser. The SHG conversion efficiency and the characteristic of SHG spectrum are investigated in detail and the relation between SHG conversion efficiency and incident fundamental light intensity is obtained. The highest efficiency of nearly 70% is achieved at the fundamental pulse intensity of 1.6 GW/cm². The experimental results show that the SHG spectrum widths under high and low intensity are both half of the incident fundamental lights, and don’t result in the spectrum narrowing. The obtained results are very useful for operation at the second harmonic wavelength in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) laser facility.     

Efficient third-harmonic generation in partly periodically poled KTiOPO(4) crystal

A partly periodically poled KTiOPO(4) (KTP) crystal has been designed to integrate quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation (QPM SHG) with sum-frequency generation in one crystal for generating a third-harmonic beam. The highest conversion efficiencies of 45% and 3% have been achieved in our experiments for QPM SHG and third-harmonic generation, respectively, by use of picosecond laser pulses at 1.327 microm . We have also discovered that periodically poled KTP has slightly different indices (n(z)) from bulk KTP.     

二倍频晶体温升分布对输出光场分布的影响

 利用分步快速傅里叶变换和四阶龙格-库塔法,对具有一定温升分布的倍频晶体的二次谐波转换过程进行了研究。综合考虑了谐波转换过程中的离散、衍射、二阶、三阶非线性等效应,着重讨论了倍频晶体吸收光能后,晶体内温升分布对晶体内o光和e光的折射率分布的影响,定量分析了温度分布引起的相位失配量、输出光场分布、二次谐波转换效率随倍频晶体温度分布变化的规律。结果表明:在高功率倍频系统中,倍频晶体温升分布引起基频光、倍频光的相位失配,相位失配导致输出光场光强分布的变化以及谐波转换效率的降低。     

Measurement of ultrashort laser pulses using single-crystal films of 4-aminobenzophenone

Single-crystal thin-film of an organic second-order nonlinear optical material, 4-aminobenzophenone (ABP), is used to measure the pulsewidth of a Ti-Sapphire laser producing 45 fs pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate, by the non-collinear second-harmonic generation (SHG) intensity autocorrelation technique. These films are suitable for measurements over a broad wavelength range, down to 780 nm, due to their wide optical transparency. The single-crystal film with thickness (3 μm) less than the coherence length requires no phase-matching for efficient broadband SHG. Pulse walk-off due to group-velocity mismatch (GVM) and temporal broadening of the pulses due to group-velocity dispersion (GVD) are found to be negligible. These effects have been estimated for pulse width down to few-cycle pulses (10 fs), and the analyses show that these films can be used to characterize such ultrashort optical pulses.     

Frequency doubling of phase-modulated femtosecond laser pulses in periodically poled and chirped nonlinear crystals

The second harmonic generation (SHG) at a wavelength of 0.8 μm by 50-and 10-fs pulses with and without phase modulation (PM) was systematically studied in LiNbO₃ crystals with regular domain structure and linearly varied domain thickness. The main results were obtained by numerical method, taking into account the difference between group velocities of interacting pulses and the group-velocity dispersion. In the approximation of the given field of the fundamental radiation, an analytical expression was derived for the spectral density of the second harmonic in the periodically poled nonlinear crystal (PPNC) under nonstationary excitation conditions. It was numerically found that the conversion efficiency of about 90% can be achieved by doubling the frequency of 50-fs laser pulses without PM in the LiNbO₃ PPNC. The maximum conversion efficiency for the SHG by PM pulses is achieved at a certain optimum chirp step in the crystal domain length, which depends on both the value and sign of frequency modulation.     

High power 4.65 μm single-wavelength laser by second-harmonic generation of pulsed TEA CO2 laser in AgGaSe2 and ZnGeP2

A high power 4.65 ??m single-wavelength laser by second-harmonic generation (SHG) of TEA CO₂ laser pulses in silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe₂) and zinc germanium phosphide (ZnGeP₂) crystals is reported. Experimental results show that the average output power of SHG laser is not only restricted by the damage threshold of the nonlinear crystals, but also limited by the irradiated power of fundamental-wave laser depending on the operating repetition-rate. It is found that ZnGeP₂ can withstand higher 9.3 ??m laser irradiation intensity than AgGaSe₂. As a result, using a parallel array stacked by seven ZnGeP₂ crystals, an average power of 20.3 W 4.65 ??m laser is obtained at 250 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest output power for SHG of CO₂ laser by far.     

Generation of 15 W femtosecond laser pulse from a Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator

We demonstrated a robust power-scalable Kerr-lens mode-locked(KLM) operation based on a Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator.15-W,272-fs pulses were realized at a repetition rate of 86.7 MHz with an additional Kerr medium and a 2.5 mm hard aperture in the cavity.247-fs pulses with an average power of 11 W could also be obtained by using a 2.4 mm hard aperture.Based on this shorter pulse,high efficient second-harmonic generation(SHG) was performed with a 1.7-mm-long Li B3O5(LBO) crystal.The SHG laser power was up to 5 W with the power fluctuation RMS of 1% measured over one hour.     

激光参数对非理想真空激光光强极限的影响

人类在实验室可实现的激光强度极限是强场量子电动力学（QED）的重要问题。在非理想真空条件下,极端超强激光与残留的电子相互作用触发伽马光子辐射与正负电子对产生的QED级联效应,从而显著消耗激光能量,大幅降低可实现的激光峰值强度。考虑到QED级联效应与激光偏振、焦斑尺寸、脉宽长度有着密切的关系,基于囊括QED过程的粒子网格模拟方法（Particle-in-cell, PIC）对上述参数的效应进行分析,同时构建了激光场演化的自洽方程来进行解释,二者结果基本保持一致,获得的强度极限在考虑的参数范围内为1026～1027 W/cm?2。结果表明,同等情形下,圆偏振激光可激发更强的QED级联,使得激光强度上限略低于线偏振。此外,紧聚焦激光由于QED级联发生的时空间尺度更小,从而激光的吸收效应被显著抑制,进而可以实现更强的聚焦强度。对于更长脉宽的激光,由于正负电子对吸收的能量区域更加弥散,使得可实现的激光强度上限阈值有所提升。但对于超短脉宽情形（如单周期）,由于QED级联的种子源电子束不能很好地被约束在激光区域,理论分析耗散的激光能量偏高。此外,在高真空度的情形下,残余电子的随机性也会对可实现激光强度产生一定的影响。研究结果可为后续开展极端强场QED实验和数100 PW级超强超短激光装置建设提供指导。     

Transmission confocal laser scanning microscopy with a virtual pinhole based on nonlinear detection

We present a transmission-mode confocal laser scanning microscope system based on the use of second-harmonic generation (SHG) for signal detection. Our method exploits the quadratic intensity dependence of SHG to preferentially reveal unscattered signal light and reject out-of-focus scattered background. The SHG crystal acts as a virtual pinhole that remains self-aligned without the need for descanning.