Rare isotope beams at ISAC—target & ion source systems

The present status of the ISAC facility for rare isotopes beams after its first 10 years of operation is presented. Planning for the ISAC facility started in 1985 with the Parksville workshop on radioactive ion beams (Buchmann and D’Auria 1985). It was put on halt by the KAON proposal and planning was only resumed in 1993 after the cancellation of KAON. The ISAC facility was built to satisfy the scientific need for accelerated beams of rare isotopes for use in applications such as nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, atomic and condensed matter physics as well as medicine. At the time of the ISAC proposal submission, a number of facilities were either planned or under construction. In order to have an impact in the field, the requirements and specifications for the driver beam intensity on target was set to 100 μA, 500 MeV protons, which for ISAC results in a driver beam power of 50 kW.     

Highly efficient,kW peak power, 1.55 µm all-fiber MOPA system with a diffraction-limited laser output beam

We report a high-efficiency, single-mode, all-fiber pulsed laser system built in a master oscillator power amplifier format, operating in the eye-safe (λ ~1,549 nm) spectral range, providing over 1.5 W of average output power with up to 51 dB of total signal gain. It comprises the flexibility of smooth pulse duration control from single ns to 260 ns with independently tunable repetition rate ranging from 40 kHz to 1 MHz. Pulses as short as 4 ns with up to 20 μJ energy and corresponding peak power of 5 kW are demonstrated. The laser system delivered a nearly diffraction-limited beam with M ² ~1.     

Single-frequency polarized eye-safe all-fiber laser with peak power over kilowatt

An all-fiber, single-frequency, linearly polarized, high peak-power, pulsed laser at 1,540 nm for Doppler wind lidar is presented. This laser is composed of a single-frequency, narrow-linewidth external cavity diode laser, and multistage fiber amplifiers. A peak power of 1.08 kW and a pulse width of 500 ns at 10 kHz repetition rate are achieved, which is the highest peak power with a linewidth of 800 kHz in erbium-doped silica fiber to our knowledge. The beam quality of M ² < 1.3 and a polarization extinction ratio over 16 dB are obtained. This laser will be employed in a compact long-range coherent Doppler wind lidar.     

High current density ion-beam extraction

High current density (up to 700 mA/cm²) ion-beam extraction has been studied by 3D code KOBRA3-INP [INP, Junkerstr. 99, 65205 Wiesbaden, Germany]. Ion beams with such high current densities can be generated by ECR ion source driven by 37.5 GHz/100 kW gyrotron [Golubev S.V. et al. Trans. Furion Sci. Technol., 47, n. 1T, fuste 8, 345]. The influence of plasma parameters on extracted ion beam has been investigated. Different geometries of extraction system and applied potentials have been simulated to optimize extracted and transported ion beam current. KOBRA3-INP code has been applied to simulate ion-beam transport as well. The results of simulations have been compared with experimental results. Good agreement between measurements and simulations was always found by varying ion-beam space-charge compensation degree.     

Experimental research on axisymmetric folded-combined cavity CO2 laser

Rationality and feasibility of axisymmetric folded-combined cavity CO₂ laser which is reported in this paper have been proved by principle experiments. The laser lays a foundation to manufacture higher power CO₂ lasers whose output power can easily reach 1 kW. Faculas at different positions in free space and facula of nine beams which pass through the beam focusing optics have been obtained. Analyses of the experimental results are made. These analyses lay a foundation for beam transformation, transmission and shaping.     

Generation of tunable 16 μm radiation from CO2 by cascade lasing

In this paper we propose a scheme to generate tunable 16 μm radiation from CO₂ molecules by cascade lasing. The stimulating 9.5 μm radiation is generated internally by the fast rotating mirror Q-switching technique. The optical scheme proposed by us uses an intracavity prism to separate the 9.5 μm and the 16 μm beams. This facilitates independent tuning of the two beams if required. In the present configuration, only the 16 μm cavity is dispersive. The 9.5 μm beam grows spontaneously in a stable semiconfocal resonator. We have developed a theoretical model to simulate the proposed scheme. The model predicts the energy and power of 16 μm radiation. The calculated values are much higher than the previously obtained experimental values. The results point out the feasibility of developing a laser system based on the theoretical design parameters presented in this paper. Such laser systems can find application in uranium isotope separation studies.     

High-peak-power,high-repetition-rate LD end-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> burst mode laser

A compact high-peak-power, high-repetition-rate burst mode laser is achieved by an acousto-optical Q-switched Nd:YVO₄ 1064 nm laser directly pumped at 878.6 nm. Pulse trains with 10–100 pulses are obtained using acousto-optical Q-switch at repetition rates of 10–100 kHz under a pulsed pumping with a 1 ms duration. At the maximum pump energy of 108.5 mJ, the pulse energy of 10 kHz burst mode laser reaches 44 mJ corresponding to a single pulse energy of 4.4 mJ and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 40.5 %.The maximum peak power of ~468.1 kW at 10 kHz is obtained with a pulse width of 9.4 ns. The beam quality factor is measured to be M ² ~1.5 and the pulse jitter is estimated to be less than 1 % in both amplitude and time region.     

High-energy Ho:LLF MOPA laser system using a top-hat pump profile for the amplifier stage

Numerical simulations show the advantage of using a top-hat intensity profile pumping the amplifier stage in an Ho:LuLiF₄ (Ho:LLF) master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration over a Gaussian pump profile: higher pulse energies could be generated simultaneously with reduced peak fluence in Q-switched operation. In the experimental implementation, the top-hat beam was realized with a coherent beam transformation of the non-absorbed pump beam transmitted by the oscillator to pump the amplifier stage. The Ho:LLF MOPA produced 103.6 mJ at a repetition rate of 100 Hz with a pulse duration of 30 ns at a wavelength of 2053 nm, which corresponds to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 12.9 %. The beam quality was nearly diffraction limited (M ² = 1.03).     

High repetition rate,Q-switched Ho:YAG laser resonantly pumped by a 20 W linearly polarized Tm: fiber laser

We describe an efficient, low-threshold, continuous-wave (CW) and Q-switched operation of a Ho:YAG laser resonantly, single-pass pumped by a 20 W linearly polarized narrow line width Tm: fiber laser at the wavelength of 1,908 nm. At room temperature for an output coupler of 30 % transmission, a maximum continuous-wave output power of 13.3 W for 18.9 W of absorbed pump power was achieved, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 73 %. In a quasi continuous-wave pumping regime, for several output couplers slope efficiencies of almost 82 % were observed. For a Q-switched operation, a Brewster-cut acousto-optic modulator was used. In a CW pumping regime, the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) was changed from 4 to 15 kHz. Under a Q-switched operation, the maximum output power of 12.25 W in relation to 15 kHz PRF was obtained; however, the maximum peak power of almost 250 kW at the PRF of 4 kHz was demonstrated. In the best case, for 4 kHz PRF, pulse energies of 2.18 mJ with a 8.8 ns FWHM pulse width (one of the shortest pulse durations observed in holmium-doped Q-switched lasers) were achieved. The laser operated at the wavelength of 2,090.23 nm with the FWHM line width of 0.95 nm. The beam quality factor of M ² was measured to be below 1.42 in both X and Y axis.     

Yb3+-doped 200 μm diameter core, gain guided index-antiguided fiber

The lasing in an end-pumped gain guided index-antiguided (GG-IAG) Yb³⁺-doped silicate glass fiber with a 200 μm diameter core is demonstrated. Laser beams with similar beam propagation factors M ² and mode field diameters W ₀ (>160 μm) were observed at the output end of the GG-IAG fibers under different pump powers, which indicated that single mode behavior and excellent beam quality were achieved during propagation. Furthermore, the laser amplifier characteristics in the present Yb³⁺-doped GG-IAG fiber were also evaluated.     

Planar electron beams in a wiggler magnet array

Transport of high current (～kA range with particle energy ～1 MeV) planar electron beams is a topic of increasing interest for applications in high-power (1–10 GW) and high-frequency (10–20 GHz) microwave devices such as backward wave oscillator (BWO), klystrons, gyro-BWOs, etc. In this paper, we give a simulated result for transport of electron beams with velocity $V_{\rm b} = 5.23 \times 10^{8}$  cm s^???1, relativistic factor γ?=?1.16, and beam voltage = ～80 kV in notched wiggler magnet array. The calculation includes self-consistent effects of beam-generated fields. Our results show that the notched wiggler configuration with ～6.97 kG magnetic field strength can provide vertical and horizontal confinements for a sheet electron beam with 0.3 cm thickness and 2 cm width. The feasibility calculation addresses to a system expected to drive for 13–20 GHz BWO with rippled waveguide parameters as width w?=?3.0 cm, thickness t?=?1.0 cm, corrugation depth h?=?0.225 cm, and spatial periodicity d?=?1.67 cm.     

Highly-efficient fully-fiberized mid-infrared differential frequency generation source and its application to laser spectroscopy

Widely-tunable, fully-monolithic, mid-infrared (mid-IR) deference frequency generation source (DFG) is presented. By using a custom designed fiber-pigtailed periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal module the idler beam was generated with an efficiency of 21%/W, yielding 2.6 mW of optical output power. The proposed all-fiber configuration radically simplified the optical frequency conversion setup, making it robust and easily configurable. The usefulness of the constructed source was verified by performing simultaneous wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) laser trace gas detection of methane, near 2999 cm^?1, and ethane, near 2997 cm^?1, via two independently generated, tunable idler beams.     

电子束注入简单磁镜中被电子迴旋共振加热捕获的实验研究

在简单磁镜MM-2中,在采用15GHz大功率迴旋管进行电子迴旋共振加热(ECRH)的同时,以不同的方式向磁镜中注入电子束,进行了ECRH捕获电子束的实验研究。结果表明:由于电子束的提前注入,等离子体的预电离时间被大大地缩短。由上ECRH对电子束的捕获,使得热电子环参数得到很大的改善,热电子环的反磁β值约增加62%,对应反磁增加的捕获效率约为(30—40)%。在迴旋管输出约30kW的条件下,适应建立热电环的气体压力窗为(4.67—21.3)×10^-4Pa。 关键词：     

High-power master-oscillator power-amplifier with optical vortex output

A high-power master-oscillator power-amplifier with optical vortex output is reported. The master oscillator for an optical vortex seed beam is a simple two-mirror Nd:YAG laser using a fiber-based pump beam conditioning scheme. The seed is amplified in a double-clad multimode fiber amplifier end-pumped by a high-power diode laser at 975 nm yielding 10.7 W of continuous-wave output at 1064 nm in the first-order Laguerre–Gaussian beam with M ² ≈ 2.11 for an absorbed pump power of 17.5 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of ~59 %. The ring-shaped intensity profile and the wave front handedness of the seed beam were well preserved in the fiber amplifier. The prospects of power scaling via this approach are discussed.     

Mode-locked L-band bismuth–erbium fiber laser using carbon nanotubes

A passively mode-locked, bismuth–erbium-co-doped fiber (Bi-EDF) with a pulse width of 460 fs is proposed and demonstrated. A highly doped, 180-cm Bi-EDF with an erbium concentration of 3,250 ppm/wt and an absorption rate of 133 dB/m at 1,530 nm serves as the gain medium. The cavity is 11.6 m long with an overall group velocity dispersion of +0.063 ps². The output pulses have a repetition rate, average output power, pulse energy and peak power of 11.18 MHz, 5 mW, 448 pJ and 1 kW, respectively. The system has a high beam quality and a narrow pulse width output in the L-band region.     

Multi-beam second-harmonic generation in beta barium borate with a spatial light modulator and application to internal structuring in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Parallel beam frequency doubling of 170 fs, NIR pulses is demonstrated by placing a thin beta barium borate (BBO) nonlinear crystal after a spatial light modulator. Computer-generated holograms applied to the spatial light modulator create 18 parallel diffracted beams at the fundamental wavelength λ=775 nm, then frequency doubled to λ=387 nm and focussed inside the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate for refractive index structuring. This procedure, demonstrated for the first time in PMMA, requires careful attention to phase matching of multiple beams and opens up dynamic parallel processing at UV wavelengths where nematic liquid crystal devices are more sensitive to optical damage. By overlapping filamentary modifications, an efficient, stable volume phase grating with dimensions 5×5×2.0 mm³ and pitch Λ=15 μm was fabricated in 18 minutes and reached a first-order diffraction efficiency of 70 % at the Bragg angle.     

Effects of the deformation of reflection volume Bragg gratings on the M-factor of super-Gaussian laser beams

When high-power laser beams pass through a volume Bragg grating (VBG), the surface of VBG occurs distortion because of thermal effects, and it results in the decline of the grating’s performance. Considering distortion of the surface induces differences of the index and period, the scalar wave equations for super-Gaussian (SG) laser beams propagating in the reflection VBG have been solved by using finite-different and sparse matrix methods. The changes of the total power reflection coefficient, the beam width, the far-field beam angle and the M²-factor for the laser beams through the reflection VBG with deformation have been analyzed quantitatively. It can be shown that the deformation of the VBG affects evidently on the intensity and phase distributions, the total power reflection coefficient, the beam width, the far-field divergence angle and the M²-factor. The beam width, the far-field divergence angle, and the M²-factor of the output beams increase significantly with the distortions of the grating. The influence of the distortions of the VBG on the power reflection coefficient, the far-field divergence angle and the M²-factor of the output beams are smaller for higher beam orders.     

Tapered diode lasers and laser modules near 635nm with efficient fiber coupling for flying-spot display applications

Flying-spot displays require light sources in the red, green and blue with a high optical output power and nearly diffraction limited beams. In this paper we present experimental results of red-emitting, AlGaInP based, tapered diode lasers and their integration into diode laser modules. The laser modules emit a collimated, almost diffraction limited beam with an optical output power as high as 1W at a wavelength close to 635 nm. The tapered laser chips were designed with emphasis on achieving a good beam quality in vertical and lateral directions of a collimated beam. To test the suitability for flying-spot display applications, we performed fiber coupling experiments with a low mode number optical fiber with an etendue as low as 6 × 10^?6 mm² sr. A maximum transmission of 70% of the launched power behind the uncoated fiber as well as a usable power in excess of 580mW were measured.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy of size-selected cluster ions using synchrotron radiation

A new experimental setup for photoelectron spectroscopy of size-selected cluster ions using synchrotron VUV radiation as generated by the Swiss Light Source is presented. An intense positively charged cluster ion beam is produced in a high-intensity magnetron sputter source. The clusters are subsequently mass selected in a sector magnet. To maximize the residence time of the cluster ions in the ionization region of the velocity map imaging spectrometer, the cluster ion beam is decelerated where it crosses the light beam. First experiments on (MoO₃) _n ⁺ (n = 69 and 59) cluster cations show that the approach is capable of delivering photoelectron spectra of size-selected transition metal cluster ions.     

β-NMR

The β-NMR facility at ISAC is constructed specifically for experiments in condensed matter physics with radioactive ion beams. Using co-linear optical pumping, a ⁸Li^?+? ion beam having a large nuclear spin polarisation and low energy (nominally 30 keV) can be generated. When implanted into materials these ions penetrate to shallow depths comparable to length scales of interest in the physics of surfaces and interfaces between materials. Such low-energy ions can be decelerated with simple electrostatic optics to enable depth-resolved studies of near-surface phenomena over the range of about 2–200 nm. Since the β-NMR signal is extracted from the asymmetry intrinsic to beta-decay and therefore monitors the polarisation of the radioactive probe nuclear magnetic moments, this technique is fundamentally a probe of local magnetism. More generally though, any phenomena which affects the polarisation of the implanted spins by, for example, a change in resonance frequency, line width or relaxation rate can be studied. The β-NMR program at ISAC currently supports a number of experiments in magnetism and superconductivity as well as novel ultra-thin heterostructures exhibiting properties that cannot occur in bulk materials. The general purpose zero/low field and high field spectrometers are configured to perform CW and pulsed RF nuclear magnetic resonance and spin relaxation experiments over a range of temperatures (3–300 K) and magnetic fields (0–9 T).