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.     

High-power Nd:YAG laser picosecond pulse delivery by a polymer-coated silver hollow-glass waveguide

An oscillator-amplifier high-power Nd:YAG laser system was used for transmission of a single 50-ps-long pulse or a train of pulses through a cyclic olefin polymer-coated silver hollow-glass waveguide. The maximum energy that was transmitted was 150 mJ for the train of pulses and 40 mJ for the single pulse, from which followed a delivered power of 100 GW/cm(2) . The characteristics that were obtained make these waveguides promising for the delivery of high-power laser pulses in medical as well as other applications.     

Fabrication of hollow optical waveguides in fused silica by three-dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining

We report on the fabrication of hollow optical waveguides in fused silica using femtosecond laser micromachining. We show that in such hollow waveguides, high-intensity femtosecond laser beams can be guided with low optical loss. Our technique, which was established earlier for fabrication of optofluidic structures in glass, can ensure a high smoothness at the inner surfaces of the hollow waveguides and provide the unique capability of fabrication of hollow waveguides with complex geometries and configurations. A transmission of ∼90% at 633 nm wavelength is obtained for a 62-mm-long hollow waveguide with an inner diameter of ∼250 μm. In addition, nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in the hollow waveguide is demonstrated, showing that the spectral bandwidth of the femtosecond pulses can be broadened from ∼27.2 to ∼55.7 nm.     

Self-compression of subgigawatt femtosecond laser pulses in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber

We report experimental evidence of waveguide self-compression for high-power Cr: forsterite-laser femtosecond pulses in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber. Dispersion spreading typical of low-intensity laser pulses is replaced by nonuniform compression for pulses with high power (above 100 MW) with the compression efficiency reaching its maximum around the peak of the laser pulse.     

Phase-matched four-wave mixing of isolated waveguide modes of high-intensity femtosecond pulses in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers with a special dispersion profile are shown to allow phase-matched nonlinear optical interactions of isolated air-guided modes of high-intensity femtosecond laser pulses confined in the hollow fiber core. We present theoretical and experimental studies of the four-wave mixing of fundamental and second-harmonic pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser with an initial pulse duration of about 50 fs and an intensity on the order of 10¹⁴ W/cm² in waveguide modes of a hollow photonic-crystal fiber with a core diameter of about 13μm.     

Transmission of 1.6 J Er:YAG laser light by ZnS-coated silver hollow waveguides

A maximum energy of 1.6 J at 5 pps of Er:YAG laser light has been transmitted through a flexible ZnS-coated silver hollow waveguide which has an inner diameter of 800 μm and is 116 cm long. The straight waveguide loss is 0.6 dB m⁻¹ and no significant loss and mechanical changes have been found after an endurance test of 10000 pulse transmissions and bending 400 times with a bending radius of 30 cm.     

The influence of higher order waveguide modes on coherent four-wave mixing in hollow fibers

Coherent four-wave mixing (FWM) of laser pulses in gas-filled hollow fibers is studied. The experimental data and the expressions derived for the amplitude of the FWM signal indicate that the excitation of higher order waveguide modes is an important physical factor having a considerable influence on nonlinear optical processes in hollow fibers.     

Self-channeling of subgigawatt femtosecond laser pulses in a ground-state waveguide induced in the hollow core of a photonic crystal fiber

Femtosecond laser pulses with powers below the blowup threshold for self-focused beams are shown to experience spatial self-action in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers filled with argon, nitrogen, and atmospheric air. Regardless of the transverse field distribution at the input of the fiber, the output beam pattern in this regime tends to a circularly symmetric profile, corresponding to a ground-state waveguide induced by laser pulses inside a hollow fiber.     

Ionization-assisted guided-wave pulse compression to extreme peak powers and single-cycle pulse widths in the mid-infrared

Ionization-assisted spectral broadening of high-energy 10.6 μm laser pulses in a gas-filled hollow waveguide is shown to yield single-cycle pulses with multiterawatt peak powers in the mid-IR. While the highest quality of pulse compression is achieved in the regime of weak ionization, careful management of complex ionization-assisted spectral broadening of guided-wave fields is the key to compressing the output of advanced high-power mid-IR laser sources to single-cycle pulse widths.     

Low loss smart hollow waveguides with new polymer coating material

A new kind of cyclic olefin polymer COP-E48R has been selected as the dielectric material for a silver hollow glass tube. Owing to its lower extinction coefficient at the wavelength of 10.6 μm, transmission losses for the CO₂ laser light has been reduced significantly in the COP-E48R-coated silver (COP-E48R/Ag) hollow glass waveguide. By properly selecting the film thickness of COP, Er:YAG and CO₂ laser light are shown to be transmitted with low loss simultaneously or independently. Delivery properties of red and green pilot beams were also evaluated.     

Radiative lifetimes of excited W II levels

Radiative lifetimes of 19 selected W II levels with energies between 36 000 cm^-1 and 55 000 cm^-1 have been measured with the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique. The ions are generated in a hollow cathode discharge and stored in a linear Paul trap. Selected states are populated with tunable dye laser pulses and the subsequent fluorescence is measured by means of a 5 Gigasample transient digitizer and a fast photodetector with a risetime of 700 ps. By taking into account both the temporal profile of the laser pulses and the separately measured response function of the system, the lifetime can be determined from the full decay curve. A refined evaluation procedure, taking into account saturation effects in the signals, reduces the uncertainty in our data to around 1%. Received: 30 July 1998 / Revised: 18 August 1998     

Guiding of high-intensity laser pulses with a hydrogen-filled capillary discharge waveguide

We report guiding of laser pulses with peak input intensities greater than 10(17) W cm(-2) in 30 mm and 50 mm long H2-filled capillary discharge waveguides. Under conditions producing good guiding the coupling and propagation losses of the waveguide were <4% and (7+/-1) m(-1), respectively. The spectra of the transmitted pulses were not broadened significantly, but were shifted to shorter wavelength. It is concluded that this shift is not associated with significant temporal distortion of the laser pulse.     

A time-resolved study of sub-nanosecond pulse generation by the combined effects of stimulated brillouin scattering and laser-induced breakdown

The generation of subnanosecond pulses by the combined effects of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and laser-induced breakdown has been investigated by obtaining simultaneous streak photographs of the spark, the backscattered and the transmitted pulses. The results demonstrate that the output from an excimer pumped dye laser can yield subnanosecond pulses with a duration of 20ps. The pulse shortening effect results from the nonlinear reflection properties of the Brillouin mirror and the strong absorption of visible radiation by the laser-breakdown plasma.     

Surface modification of tooth root canal after application of an X-ray opaque waveguide

The interest in endodontic use of dental laser systems has been increasing. With the development of thin and flexible delivery systems for various wavelengths, laser applications in endodontics may become even more desirable. The aim of this study is to check the X-ray opacity of a hollow waveguide and to observe the results after laser root canal treatment. The root canal systems of 10 molars were treated endodontically by laser. For the laser radiation source, an Er:YAG laser system generating a wavelength of 2940 nm and an Alexandrite laser system generating a wavelength of 375 nm were used. The hollow waveguide used was checked under X-ray . A root canal surface treated by laser radiation was analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The special hollow glass waveguide used was visible in the root canal system under X-ray imaging.Surface modification of the root canal after laser treatment was not found. After conventional treatment the root canal was enlarged. The surface was covered with a smear layer. After application of both laser systems, the smear layer was removed. The resulting canal surface was found to be clean and smooth. Under SEM observation open dentinal tubules were visible. No cracks were present, nor were surface modifications observed. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.62.Be; 42.81.Qb     

镍金属表面双光束激光干涉直写研究

利用波长为351 nm的半导体抽运全固态脉冲激光器,采用双光束干涉方法,对金属镍板表面直接刻蚀形成微光栅结构的方法进行了实验研究.通过改变激光功率和激光脉冲数等实验参量,研究其对制备的微光栅结构槽形和一级衍射效率的影响.利用扫描电镜和原子力显微镜测量光栅槽形,测得光栅周期为1.25 μm,光栅槽深为10～280 nm,并测量了相应的衍射效率.发现当采用激光单脉冲能量为1.2 mJ,采用10个脉冲加工时,测得槽深为280 nm,一级衍射效率最高（18%）的微光栅结构.利用光栅的衍射理论对衍射效率变化进行了分析.该研究拓展了纳秒激光在加工微结构方面的应用,为在金属材料表面制作纳米压印模版提供了一种新方法.     

一种高品质中空金属光波导

讨论了高品质中空金属光波导的工作原理及其制作工艺，制备了以金和银作为波导材料的中空波导管，并对空芯以及充入不同透明液体的液芯波导的透光特性进行了测试，结果表明：与中空介质波导相比，中空金属波导具有光传输损耗低，透过率对波导弯曲与失调不甚敏感等优点；而液芯金属波导的透光效率与透明材料的折射系数无关。文中描述了在特定波段内“中空光纤”的原理，并报道了Ｈｅ－Ｎｅ和ＣＯ２激光在中空金壁波导传输的实验结果。     

Generation of intense ultrabroadband optical pulses by induced phase modulation in an argon-filled single-mode hollow waveguide

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of intense ultrabroadband optical pulses whose spectrum ranges from 300 to 1000 nm (700-THz bandwidth) with a well-behaved spectral phase and 23-muJ pulse energy by a novel, simple setup utilizing induced phase modulation (IPM) in an argon-filled single-mode hollow waveguide. Fundamental as well as second-harmonic pulses produced by one common femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser-amplifier system are copropagated in the hollow waveguide. The effect of the delay time between the two input pulses on the IPM spectral broadening is clarified and confirmed to agree with the theoretical result. It is found that the compressed pulse duration from this pulse is 1.51 fs if its phase is completely compensated for.     

Intensity-driven,laser induced transformation of Ag nanospheres to anisotropic shapes

The shapes of initially spherical Ag nanoparticles in soda-lime glass are persistently changed using fs laser irradiation. With linearly polarized pulses, this shape transformation of the nanoparticles causes optical dichroism of the material. The intensity dependence of this effect is studied comprehensively, addressing the whole intensity range of permanent modifications as well as the influence of the number of laser pulses applied to one spot on the sample. The results are used as basis to develop a complete scenario of the possible mechanisms leading to the laser-induced shape transformation of metallic nanoparticles in glass.     

Stressed waveguides with tubular depressed-cladding inscribed in phosphate glasses by femtosecond hollow laser beams

We report on the single-step fabrication of stressed optical waveguides with tubular depressed-refractive-index cladding in phosphate glasses by the use of focused femtosecond hollow laser beams. Tubelike low index regions appear under direct exposure due to material rarefaction following expansion. Strained compacted zones emerged in domains neighboring the tubular track of lower refractive index, and waveguiding occurs mainly within the tube core fabricated by the engineered femtosecond laser beam. The refractive index profile of the optical waveguide was reconstructed from the measured transmitted near-field intensity.     

Generation of intense 8-fs pulses at 400 nm

Frequency-doubled pulses from a sub-40-fs, 1-kHz Ti:sapphire amplifier system are spectrally broadened in an argon-filled hollow waveguide. Compression of the self-phase-modulated pulses is implemented with chirped mirrors and a prism pair, yielding 8-fs, 15-muJ pulses in the violet spectral range.