Experimental study of a plasma-filled backward wave oscillator

Experimental studies of a plasma-filled X-band backward-wave oscillator (BWO) are presented. Depending on the background gas pressure, microwave frequency upshifts of up to 1 GHz appeared along with an enhancement by a factor of 7 in the total microwave power emission. The bandwidth of the microwave emission increased from ⩽0.5 GHz to 2 GHz when the BWO was working at the RF power enhancement pressure region. The RF power enhancement appeared over a much wider pressure range in a high beam current case (10-100 mT for 3 kA) than in a lower beam case (80-115 mT for 1.6 kA). The plasma-filled BWO has higher power output than the vacuum BWO over a broader region of magnetic guide field strength. Trivelpiece-Gould modes (T-G modes) are observed with frequencies up to the background plasma frequency in a plasma-filled BWO. Mode competition between the T-G modes and the X-band Tm₀₁ mode prevailed when the background plasma density was below 6×10¹¹ cm^-3 . At a critical background plasma density of ≃8×10¹¹ cm^-3 power enhancement appeared in both X-band and the T-G modes. Power enhancement of the S-band in this mode collaboration region reached up to 8 dB. Electric fields measured by the Stark-effect method were as high as 34 kV/cm while the BWO power level was 80 MW. These electric fields lasted throughout the high-power microwave pulse     

超短脉冲激光烧蚀石墨产生的喷射物的时间分辨发射光谱研究

本文使用不同激光能流(18 J/cm²–115 J/cm²)和脉冲宽度(50 fs–4 ps)的超短脉冲激光在真空中(4×10^-4 Pa)烧蚀高定向热解石墨. 通过测量烧蚀喷射物的时间分辨发射光谱研究喷射物的超快时间演化. 在喷射物发射光谱中, 观察到了C₂基团的天鹅带光谱系统, 416 nm附近C₁₅基团的由电子能级¹Σ_u⁺ 和¹Σ_g⁺之间的振动跃迁产生的光谱峰以及连续谱. 50 fs, 115 J/cm²的脉冲激光烧蚀产生的喷射物的连续谱的强度衰减分为快速下降和慢速下降两个阶段(以20 ns时间延迟为分界). 这表明连续谱是由两种不同的组分贡献的. 快速下降阶段, 连续谱主要由碳等离子体通过韧致辐射产生; 慢速下降阶段, 连续谱主要由烧蚀后期产生的大颗粒碳簇的热辐射贡献. 实验结果还揭示了激光能流的提高, 会明显增加喷射物中碳等离子体和激发态C₂的含量, 但对质量稍大的C₁₅的影响较小; 此外, 50 fs脉冲激光烧蚀产生的连续谱的存在时间会随着激光能流的减小而增大, 这说明低能流更有利于在烧蚀后期产生碳簇. 脉宽主要影响喷射物连续谱的时间演化. 4 ps脉冲激光烧蚀产生的连续谱的整个时间演化过程明显慢于50 fs脉冲产生的连续谱.     

激光诱导AlO自由基B2∑+–X2∑+跃迁光谱研究

基于激光诱导击穿光谱技术, 利用Nd:YAG脉冲激光激发Al₂O₃ (含量为99%)陶瓷片产生等离子体, 获得了AlO自由基B²∑⁺–X²∑⁺跃迁的33条发射谱线. 就AlO自由基光谱的时间演化规律和激光能量对谱线的影响规律进行了研究与分析. 结果表明, AlO自由基光谱出现在Al原子和Al离子光谱之后, 且持续时间较长. 当激光的脉冲能量由10 mJ起不断增加时, AlO自由基光谱强度逐渐减小, 且最大值出现时间随激光能量的增加而后移. 在此基础上, 进行了陶瓷等离子体在空气和氩气环境下的对比试验, 发现从Al₂O₃陶瓷片中激发所产生的AlO自由基必须有空气中O₂参与反应. 关键词： 激光诱导击穿光谱 AlO自由基 B²∑⁺–X²∑⁺跃迁光谱')" href="#">B²∑⁺–X²∑⁺跃迁光谱     

Observation of Raman forward scattering and electron accelerationin the relativistic regime

Raman forward scattering (RFS) is observed in the interaction of a high intensity (>10¹⁸ W/cm²) short pulse (<1 ps) laser with an underdense plasma (n_e~10¹⁹ cm ^-3). Electrons are trapped and accelerated up to 44 MeV by the high-amplitude plasma wave produced by RFS. The laser spectrum is strongly modulated by the interaction, showing sidebands at the plasma frequency. Furthermore, as the quiver velocity of the electrons in the high electric field of the laser beam becomes relativistic, various effects are observed which can be attributed to the variation of electron mass with laser intensity     

A Raman regime free-electron laser in a partially dielectric-loadedwaveguide

A partially dielectric-loaded waveguide supports modes with phase velocity ν_ph>c/∈^1/2, where ∈ is the dielectric constant of the lining. The coupling of a fast mode (with ν_ph>c) with a slow mode (with c /∈^1/2<ν_ph<c) via a negative-energy beam mode gives rise to the explosive growth of all the three waves at the expense of the energy of the beam. The slow mode of lower frequency can be launched from an external source and can become an efficient wiggler for the generation of the fast free-electron laser mode     

Validity conditions for complete and partial local thermodynamicequilibrium of nonhydrogenic level systems and their application tocopper vapor arcs in vacuum

Validity conditions for complete and partial local thermodynamic equilibrium (CLTE and PLTE) of homogeneous, time-dependent, and optically thin plasmas are derived. For Cu I, electron densities of n_e⩾(5×10²²-5×10²³ ) m^-3 are required for the establishment of CLTE. For Cu I and Cu II, n_e⩾(5×10²¹-5×10²¹ -5×10²²) m^-3 is necessary for PLTE (for electron temperatures of 1-2 eV). Application to low-current copper vapor arcs in vacuum shows that CLTE can be expected for r<200-600 μm (r=distance from the cathode spot). A further limitation follows for temperatures of 2 eV or higher if diffusion effects are taken into consideration. Consequently, the use of the LTE formulas in plasma spectroscopy of low-current vacuum arcs is very limited     

超短超强激光脉冲辐照超薄碳膜电离状态研究

为了进一步理解极端条件下物质的电离特性, 特别是超短超强激光脉冲辐照超薄靶时等离子体的形成与分布, 本文以超薄碳膜为例, 细致研究了超短超强激光脉冲辐照下原子的离化过程. 分析和比较了强激光场直接作用电离和靶内静电场电离等两种场致电离形式, 在碰撞电离可以忽略的情况下, 发现更多的电离份额是来自靶内静电场的电离方式. 研究了激光脉冲强度对电离的影响, 发现激光脉冲强度越强, 电离速度越快, 产生的高价态离子所占比例也越高.当激光强度为1×10²⁰ W/cm²时, 尽管该强度高于电离生成C⁺⁶所需要的激光强度阈值, 但该激光脉冲并不能将整个靶电离成C⁺⁶离子, 对此本文进行了详细的分析. 在研究激光脉冲宽度的影响时, 发现激光脉宽越小, 电离速度越快, 但越小的激光脉冲电离获得的高价态离子越少.     

Initial stage of discharge current growth in a triggered vacuum gap

The dynamics of light emission accompanying the initial stage of electric discharge in a substantially undervoltaged vacuum gap was studied with a knock-down model using high-speed photorecording. Voltage across the gap was maintained within the range of 0.5-5 kV, which corresponded to the minimum operating voltage of vacuum-triggered gaps. It was found that front layers of a plasma cloud near a cathode, formed by a firing pulse, scattered at a speed of (5-8)×10⁶ cm/s. During firing, a channel directed to the opposite electrode was formed from the plasma cloud near the cathode. It was found that the average switch-on delay time of the triggered vacuum gap is ~d(1+h/d) I_f^-α, where d is the interelectrode gap length, h is the trigger assembly penetration height, and I_f is the firing current     

Extending plasma accelerators: guiding with capillary tubes

In order to extend plasma accelerators, the laser beam has to be guided inside gas or plasma over a distance of the order of the dephasing length, which is typically much larger than the diffraction length z_R of the laser. A capillary tube can be used as a waveguide for high-intensity laser pulses over distances well in excess of z_R. Experimental demonstration of monomode guiding over 100 z_R of 10¹⁶ W/cm² pulses has been obtained in evacuated capillary tubes (45-70-μm inner diameter). A drop of transmission has been observed when the intensity of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is high enough to ionize the capillary tube entrance. Propagation in helium gas-filled (10-40 mbar) capillary tubes has been studied at intensities up to 10¹⁶ W/cm²; a plasma column with on-axis density of the order of 10¹⁷ cm^-3 has been created on a length of the order of 4 cm. The use of a capillary tube for an extended accelerator is discussed for the ease of linear, resonant excitation of plasma waves by laser wakefield     

Ultrabright γ-ray emission from the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a near-critical-density plasma

An efficient scheme for generating ultrabright γ-rays from the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a near-critical-density plasma is studied by using the two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation including quantum electrodynamic effects. We investigate the effects of target shape on γ-ray generation efficiency using three configurations of the solid foils attached behind the near-critical-density plasma: a flat foil without a channel (target 1), a flat foil with a channel (target 2), and a convex foil with a channel (target 3). When an intense laser propagates in a near-critical-density plasma, a large number of electrons are trapped and accelerated to GeV energy, and emit γ-rays via nonlinear betatron oscillation in the first stage. In the second stage, the accelerated electrons collide with the laser pulse reflected from the foil and emit high-energy, high-density γ-rays via nonlinear Compton scattering. The simulation results show that compared with the other two targets, target 3 affords better focusing of the laser field and electrons, which decreases the divergence angle of γ-photons. Consequently, denser and brighter γ-rays are emitted when target 3 is used. Specifically, a dense γ-ray pulse with a peak brightness of 4.6×10²⁶ photons/s/mm²/mrad²/0.1%BW (at 100 MeV) and 1.8×10²³ photons/s/mm²/mrad²/0.1%BW (at 2 GeV) are obtained at a laser intensity of 8.5×10²² W/cm² when the plasma density is equal to the critical plasma density n_c. In addition, for target 3, the effects of plasma channel length, foil curvature radius, laser polarization, and laser intensity on the γ-ray emission are discussed, and optimal values based on a series of simulations are proposed.     

Absolute spectral distribution of soft X-ray emission from laserproduced gold plasma

Quantitative measurement of spectral distribution of soft X-ray emission from laser produced plasmas and estimation of X-ray conversion efficiency are reported. The X-ray emission from planar gold target irradiated by an Nd:glass laser was recorded using a high resolution transmission grating spectrograph. Spectral distribution of X-ray intensity was derived using calibrated film data and a deconvolution procedure to account for contribution of higher diffraction orders. Results of conversion efficiency per unit solid angle, at a laser intensity of ~4×10¹² W/cm² (λ_L = 1.054 μm), for 10< λ <80 Å and in the water window spectral region (23< λ< 44 Å) are presented. A three-fold increase in conversion efficiency was observed for second harmonic laser irradiation (λ_L = 0.527 μm) at an intensity of 8×10¹² W/cm²     

ZBLAN玻璃中Pr3+掺杂离子3P0和1D2能级的发光特性和寿命

对ZBLAN氟锆酸盐玻璃中Pr³⁺掺杂离子³P₀和¹D₂能级的寿命和发光特性进行了较详细的光谱学研究。首先测量了两种掺杂浓度(质量分数分别为1×10^-3,5×10^-3)的Pr³⁺:ZBLAN玻璃的吸收光谱,然后运用时间分辨激光光谱技术测量了³P₀和¹D₂能级在激光单光子共振激发下的荧光发射谱和能级寿命。将不同荧光发射谱带的强度和文献报道的Judd Ofelt理论计算辐射跃迁几率数值做了比较分析,证明了文献中理论计算结果的可靠性。由于浓度猝灭效应,在相同的激发条件下,掺杂浓度为1×10^-3样品的荧光发射强度明显大于5×10^-3样品的荧光发射强度。但是从我们的测量结果看,掺杂浓度对³P₀和¹D₂ 的能级寿命值无显著影响。掺杂浓度为1×10^-3时,Pr³⁺离子³P₀和¹D₂能级的寿命值分别为46,322μ_s。     

ON CALCULATION OF THE HYDROGEN NEGATIVE ION BETA SPECTRUM

The wavefunctions of the gxound states of negative hydrogen ion and the 10 first lowest ¹S states of helium atom are calculated by using a general wavefunction expansion form.The beta spectrum of the negative tritium ion is given by calculating a few most important transitions and including the remainder in terms of the closure approximation. Besides,the transition to ¹S(2S²) state is also studied.The result showed that the transition to a double-electron excited state of the helium atom may be very important. It indicates that there probably exists a resonance in the continuous spectrum.     

Odd harmonic generation of ultra-intense laser pulses reflectedfrom an overdense plasma

A method of generating odd harmonics from an intense laser incident upon a sharp vacuum-overdense plasma interface is presented. One- and two-dimensional simulations are used to investigate the interaction of ultra-intense laser pulses with a sharp vacuum-plasma interface. With an intensity greater than 10¹⁸ W/cm² , these pulses have a pressure greater than 10³ Mbar creating large density oscillations and relativistic electron velocities at the surface. This results in efficient odd harmonic generation. The author present is a physical model for this harmonic generation mechanism, along with some scaling of the power in the third harmonic. This is compared with relativistic particle-in-cell simulations that include mobile and immobile ions, as well as a variety of upper shelf densities. A discussion on how ion profile modifications influence the harmonics is also presented     

Stimulated acceleration and confinement of deuterons in focuseddischarges. II

For pt.I see ibid., vol.16, no.3, p.368-73, June 1988. Methods of increasing, by a factor greater than five, the neutron yield/short Y _n from D-D fusion reactions in a plasma focus (PF) enhance both the D⁺-ion acceleration to energy values E _d>1-8 MeV and the ion confinement in the pinch region. Nuclear activation of C and N in the (doped) filling gas of the discharge chamber and of solid targets of C and BN bombarded by the ion beam in the direction of the electrode axis (0°) confirms earlier determination of the energy spectrum of the trapped ions (dφ_t/dE∝φ_0tE ^-m) and of the ejected beam (dφ_b/dE∝φ_0bE _d^-m, m=2.5±0.5 for 0.1 MeV≲E≲3 MeV). A Thomson (parabola) spectrometer with nanosecond time resolution determines the time of emission t( E) of the beam at 0°. Ion acceleration and trapping occur within the small (filamentary) elements of the magnetic fine structure of the pinch, which can be dispersed on a relatively large confinement volume after the pinch disintegration. It has been found that φ_t/φ_b≳10-10³ for E_d≳1 MeV, depending on Y_n     

X-ray laser research at the LULI (Palaiseau)

The X-ray laser program at Palaiseau is based on the recombination scheme in lithiumlike ions, which requires a moderate pump power and seems to be promising for the purpose of scaling to shorter wavelengths. In aluminum plasmas, peak gain values of 2-2.5 cm^-1 have been obtained at a wavelength of 105.7 Å corresponding to the 3d -5f transition, 6 ns after the top of a 2 ns laser pulse. The same transition in sulfur is emitted at 65.2 Å and has shown a gain of 1 cm^-1 in a preliminary time-integrated experiment. Simulations using a collisional-radiative model as the postprocessor of a hydrodynamic numerical code predict amplifications for the 3d-4f, 3d-5f, and 4d-5f transitions. A new experiment, in progress at the present time, has been designed to enhance the gain-length product up to 10-15 at 105.7 Å. The recently extended facilities of the LULI make it possible to produce a 6-cm-long plasma column, keeping the flux density at the same level as in the previous experiments     

Photo-ionized lithium source for plasma accelerator applications

A photo-ionized lithium source is developed for plasma acceleration applications. A homogeneous column of lithium neutral vapor with a density of 2×10^15-3 is confined by helium gas in a heat-pipe oven. A UV laser pulse ionizes the vapor. In this device, the length of the neutral vapor and plasma column is 25 cm. The plasma density was measured by laser interferometry in the visible on the lithium neutrals and by CO₂ laser interferometry on the plasma electrons. The maximum measured plasma density was 2.9×10 ¹⁴ cm^-3, limited by the available UV fluence (≈83 mJ/cm²), corresponding to a 15% ionization fraction. After ionization, the plasma density decreases by a factor of two in about 12 μs. These results show that such a plasma source is scaleable to lengths of the order of 1 m and should satisfy all the requirements for demonstrating the acceleration of electrons by 1 GeV in a 1-GeV/m amplitude plasma wake     

Spatial characteristics of nanosecond pulsed micro-discharges in atmospheric pressure He/H2O mixture by optical emission spectroscopy

Atmospheric pressure micro-discharges in helium gas with a mixture of 0.5%water vapor between two pin electrodes are generated with nanosecond overvoltage pulses.The temporal and spatial characteristics of the discharges are investigated by means of time-resolved imaging and optical emission spectroscopy with respect to the discharge morphology,gas temperature,electron density,and excited species.The evolution of micro-discharges is captured by intensified CCD camera and electrical properties.The gas temperature is diagnosed by a two-temperature fit to the ro-vibrational OH(A²Σ⁺–X^П(2),0–0)emission band and is found to remain low at 425 K during the discharge pulses.The profile of electron density performed by the Stark broadening of Ha 656.1-nm and He I 667.8-nm lines is uniform across the discharge gap at the initial of discharge and reaches as high as 10²³m^-3.The excited species of He,OH,and H show different spatio-temporal behaviors from each other by the measurement of their emission intensities,which are discussed qualitatively in regard of their plasma kinetics.     

Comparison of nanosecond laser ablation at 1064 and 308 nm wavelength

To study the solid Cu ablation in vacuum, two different laser sources operating at 1064 and 308 nm wavelength are employed at similar values of laser fluences. The infrared laser is a Q-switched Nd:Yag having 9 ns pulse width (INFN-LNS, Catania), while the ultraviolet one is a XeCl excimer having 20 ns pulse width (INFN-LEA, Lecce). Both experiments produced a narrow angular distribution of the ejected material along the normal to the target surface. The ablation showed a threshold laser power density, of about 7 and 3 J/cm² at 1064 and 308 nm, respectively, below which the ablation effect was negligible. The laser interaction produces a plasma at the target surface, which expands very fast in the vacuum chamber. Time-of-flight (TOF) measurements of the ion emission indicated an average ion velocity of the order of 4.7×10⁴ and 2.3×10⁴ m/s for the infrared and ultraviolet radiation, respectively. We also estimated approximately the corresponding temperature of the plasma from which ions originated, i.e. about 10⁶ and 10⁵ K for IR and UV wavelength, respectively. A discussion of the analysis of the ablation mechanism is presented. At the used laser power densities the produced Cu ions showed ionisation states between 1+ and 5+ in both cases.     

GENERATION OF MULTI-WAVELENGTH VISIBLE LIGHT IN Er3+-DOPED AND Er3+/Yb3+-DOPED SINGLE-MODE OPTICAL FIBER PUMPED AT 1313 nm

We report the generation of multi-wavelength visible light through amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in Er³⁺-doped and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺-doped germanosilicate single-mode optical fiber pumped by a Nd:YLF laser at 1313nm. In the Er³⁺-doped fiber, the intense multi-wavelength blue emission hnes around 463-510nm corre-spond to transitions born ²G_7/2 etc. excited states to the metastable ⁴I_13/2 state, and their pumping mechanists is aecomphshed by a stepwise four-photon absorption. Some emission hnes in this wavelength region are attributed to the three-wave sum-frequency process of 1313 and 1530nm (corresponds to ⁴I_13/2 -⁴I_15/2). The intense green emission hnes at 525 and 540 nm are also observed in the Er³⁺-doped fiber. In the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺-doped fiber the blue and green lines are very weak compared with those in the Er³⁺-doped fiber.