Optical properties of lithium niobate and lithium tantalate crystals with impurities and defects

The photoinduced and Raman scattering in lithium niobate and lithium tantalate crystals with impurities and defects have been studied. An exciting laser beam propagated either along the ferroelectric Z axis or perpendicular to it. The conditions for exciting transverse and longitudinal polar optical modes in Raman spectra are established. The regularities of the excitation of Raman spectra in several polarization geometries (X(ZZ)Y, Z(XX, Y Y)Z, Z(XX, Y Y)Z, X(ZX)Y, X(ZX)X and X(ZX)X) have been investigated. Additional (extra) spectral lines are interpreted as a manifestation of a biphonon enhanced by the Fermi resonance and the result of violation of selection rules for pseudoscalar modes of the A ₂ type due to the reduction of the point symmetry group caused by the presence of impurities and defects in real crystals. The conditions for exciting coherent longitudinal and transverse modes in lithium niobate and lithium tantalate single crystals upon stimulated Raman scattering are analyzed. The temperature evolution of the spectra recorded in the X(ZZ)Y geometry near the ferroelectric phase transition point is explained based on the concept of effective soft mode and analysis of the isofrequency opalescence effect. Strong photoluminescence is found in copper-doped lithium niobate crystals.     

Optoacoustic Effects in Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate with Ultrafine Aluminum-Particle Inclusions under Pulsed-Laser Action

Results of studying optoacoustic characteristics of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) specimens with inclusions of ultrafine aluminum particles (100 nm) are presented. Regularities of the increase of extinction coefficient k_ef and signal amplitude U on a piezodetector by increasing laser-pulse fluence H have been established. Estimates have been made, and it has been concluded that, during a laser pulse, heating of aluminum inclusions and a shell surrounding it occurs up to a gasification temperature and appear craters on a specimen’s surface appear at H > 0.1 J/cm².     

Laser ignition of low-rank coal

The measured thresholds (H _cr) and kinetic characteristics of the ignition of the volatile substances and the coke residue of low-rank coal under the action of the pulses of a neodymium laser (1064 nm, 120 μs) are reported here. The ignition of volatile substances was observed in microsecond (H _cr = 0.3 J/cm²) and millisecond time intervals (H _cr = 1.2 J/cm²). The combustion of the coke residue occurred in a time interval of 30–100 ms (H _cr = 2.6 J/cm²).     

Photoinduced semiconductor-metal phase transition in a peierls system

The dynamical equation for the order parameter of the metal-semiconductor phase transition, as well as the kinetic equation for the density of nonequilibrium electron-hole pairs of a Peierls system in a light field, has been derived. An expression for the time τ of the nonthermal photoinduced semiconductor-metal phase transition has been obtained from these equations for the case of an ultrashort light pulse. It has been shown that, to initiate the phase transition, the energy density W of the light pulse must be higher than the critical value W _c. The W _c, τ, and optical absorption coefficient γ₀ that are calculated in the framework of the proposed model are in agreement with the experimental data (W _c ≈ 12 mJ/cm², τ ≈ 75 fs, and γ₀ ≈ 10⁵ cm^?1) on the irradiation of a vanadium dioxide film by a laser pulse with a duration of τ_p ≈ 15 fs, a photon energy of ?θ₀ = 1.6 eV, and an energy density of W = 50 mJ/cm².     

Explosive boiling of water induced by the pulsed HF-laser radiation

The surface evaporation and explosive boiling of water induced by the radiation of a nonchain pulsed HF laser are studied using piezoelectric acoustic pressure transducers. The evolution of pressure signals is studied and the relative contributions of thermal (photoacoustic) and evaporation mechanisms to these signals are determined for a wide range of the laser energy densities. A threshold of bulk explosive boiling with respect to laser pulse energy density (W ₀ = 0.23 J/cm²) is determined.     

Field-free molecular orientation with chirped laser pulse

We demonstrate theoretically that an efficient field-free molecular orientation driven by the positively chirped laser pulse whose frequency is in the terahertz regime can be achieved, taking the LiH molecule for example. Exact numerical calculations are performed by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation including the vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. The maximal orientation degree of the LiH molecule  |  ? cosθ ?  |  _max  = 0.85 under the action of chirped laser pulse with the peak intensity of 4.78 × 10⁸ W/cm² at T = 0 K, which is larger than  |  ? cosθ ?  |  _max =0.75 driven by the half-cycle laser pulse with the same intensity. The molecular orientation degree decreases with the increase of temperature.     

Generation regimes of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with transverse LED pumping and multiloop self-pumped phase-conjugate cavity

The generation regimes in a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with transverse LED pumping and multiloop self-pumped phase-conjugate cavity on the gain gratings are studied. The differential efficiency of laser is 27% in the free-running regime at a pulse energy of up to 1 J and quality parameter M ² of no greater than 1.5. The pulse energy under passive Q-switching is no less than 60% of the pulse energy in the free-running regime at the same beam quality. The generation of the narrow-band radiation is demonstrated. A generation band of no greater than 1.2 GHz corresponds to the primary single-frequency high-power laser pulse in the free-running mode under conditions for self-Q-switching on the gain gratings. When additional elements (F ₂ ^? :LiF and Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystals) are introduced in the optical scheme of the phase-conjugate cavity, similar narrowband single-mode generation is observed in the passive Q-switching regime as a pulse train or monopulse. The laser pulse power is up to 2 MW at a pulse duration of 20 ns.     

Ion dynamics in methylcellulose–LiBOB solid polymer electrolytes

A polymer electrolyte system comprising methylcellulose (MC) as the host polymer and lithium bis(oxalato) borate (LiBOB) as the lithium ion source has been prepared via the solution cast technique. The electrolyte with the highest conductivity of 2.79 μS cm^?1 has a composition of 75 wt% MC–25 wt% LiBOB. The mobile ion concentration (n) in this sample was estimated to be 5.70?×?10²⁰ cm^?3. A good correlation between ionic conductivity, dielectric constant, and free ion concentration has been observed. The ratio of mobile ion number density (n) at a particular temperature to the concentration n ₀ of free ions at T?=?∞ (n/n ₀) and the power law exponents (s) exhibit opposite trends when varied with salt concentration.     

Astrophysical <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-factor of T(<Superscript>4</Superscript>He, γ)<Superscript>7</Superscript>Li reaction at <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis><Subscript>cm</Subscript> = 15.7 keV

The astrophysical S-factor of the reaction T(⁴He, γ)⁷Li is measured for the first time at the center of mass energy E _cm = 15.7 keV, lower than the energy range of the Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (SBBN) model. The experiment is performed on a Hall pulsed accelerator (TPU, Tomsk). An acceleration pulse length of 10 μs allows one to suppress the background of cosmic radiation and the ambient medium by five orders of magnitude. A beam intensity of ~ 5 × 10^{14 4}He⁺ ions per pulse allows one to measure an extremely low reaction yield. The yield of γ-quanta with the energies E _γ ⁰ = 2483.7 keV and E _γ ¹ = 2006.1 keV is registered by NaI(Tl) detectors with the efficiency ε = 0.331 ± 0.026. A method for direct measurement of the background from the chain of reactions T(⁴He, ⁴He)T→T(T, 2n)X→(n, γ) and/or (n, n′γ) which ends by neutron activation of materials surrounding the target is proposed and implemented in this study. The value of the astrophysical S-factor of the reaction T(⁴He, γ)⁷Li S _αt (E _cm = 15.7 keV) = 0.091 ± 0.032 keV b provides the choice from the set of experimental data for the astrophysical S _αt -factor in favor of experimental data [4] with S _αt (E _cm = 0) = 0.1067 ± 0.0064 keV b.     

Anti-Stokes Luminescence in LiYF<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Ho<Superscript>3+</Superscript>, Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Ceramics Excited at 1.93 μm

Conversion of IR radiation of a Tm:YAP laser with a wavelength of 1930 nm into visible light by ceramics of composition LiY_(1–x–y) Ho _x Yb _y , where х = 1–5 mol % and y = 0–15 mol %, is demonstrated. It is shown that the threshold power density of IR light visualization decreases with increasing concentration of Ho³⁺ ions, while additional doping of ceramic samples with Yb³⁺ ions changes the anti-Stokes luminescence spectrum. The threshold power density of visualization of the Tm:YAP laser radiation decreases with increasing concentration of holmium ions and is I_thr ≈ 0.8 W cm^–2 in the samples of composition LiYF₄:5%Ho³⁺–15%Yb³⁺.     

Raman spectra of lithium niobate crystals heavily doped with zinc and magnesium

We have examined the Raman spectra of heavily doped lithium niobate single crystals (at close-to-threshold concentrations of doping cations): LiNbO₃:Zn (4.5 mol % ZnO), LiNbO₃:Mg (5.01 mol %):Fe (0.005 mol %), LiNbO₃:Mg (5.1 mol %), and LiNbO₃:Mg (5.3 mol % MgO). Low-intensity lines with frequencies at 209, 230, 298, 694, and 880 cm^–1 have been revealed for the first time. Analysis of the data from the literature on lattice dynamics calculations from first principles (ab initio) does not make it possible to unambiguously state that these lines correspond to fundamental vibrations of the А ₂ symmetry species, which are forbidden for the С _3V ⁶ (R3c) space group. At the same time, ab initio calculations unambiguously indicate that the experimentally observed low-intensity “superfluous” lines with the frequencies at 104 and 119 cm^–1 cannot correspond to vibrations of the А ₂ symmetry species. It is most likely that they correspond to two-particle states of acoustic phonons with a total wave vector equal to zero.     

Stable and Efficient Pulsed Mid-Infrared Laser Generation from an Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>-Doped ZBLAN Fiber Laser

We demonstrate a stable and efficient passively Q-switched 2.8 μm Er³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber laser with a broadband semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Enabled by the broadband optical modulator, the stable Q-switched fiber laser can deliver a maximum average power over 700 mW with corresponding per-pulse energy of 8.19 μJ and a pulse width of 1.3 μs at a repetition rate of 88.6 kHz under an incident pump power of 3.8 W. In addition, the slope efficiency can reach 22.5%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest reported slope efficiency for the passively Q-switched Er³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber laser.     

On <Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis><Superscript>−</Superscript> pair production by colliding electromagnetic pulses

Electron-positron pair production from vacuum in an electromagnetic field created by two counterpropagating focused laser pulses interacting with each other is analyzed. The dependence of the number of produced pairs on the intensity of a laser pulse and the focusing parameter is studied with a realistic three-dimensional model of the electromagnetic field of the focused wave, which is an exact solution of the Maxwell equations. It has been shown that e⁺e^? pair production can be experimentally observed when the intensity of each beam is I～10²⁶ W/cm², which is two orders of magnitude lower than that for a single pulse.     

Laser Ablation of Metals by Low-Density Picosecond Pulses

Thresholds of laser ablation ofmetals for the picosecond range of laser pulse duration are determined. Within the two-temperature metal model, the space-time dependences of the electron and lattice temperature are obtained. It is shown that ablation parameters become dependent on the pulse duration at the pulse duration τ _p ≥ τ _ie , where τ _ie is the cooling time of the electron gas. For noble metals, such pulse durations are τ _p ≈ 3 ? 10 ps.     

Weak antilocalization in a three-dimensional topological insulator based on a high-mobility HgTe film

The up-conversion luminescence of Er³⁺ from the ²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2, and ⁴F_9/2 levels in nanocrystals of Y_0.95(1?x)Yb_0.95xEr_0.05PO₄ (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1) orthophosphates activated with Er³⁺ ions has been studied under the excitation of Yb³⁺ ions to the ²F_5/2 level by 972-nm cw laser radiation. Broadband radiation in the wavelength range of 370–900 nm has been observed at certain power densities of exciting laser radiation; this broadband radiation is absent in the case of excitation of the powders under study by pulsed laser radiation with a wavelength of 972 nm at a pulse repetition frequency of 10 Hz and a duration of a pulse of 15 ns. Experimental data indicating that this radiation is thermal in nature have been presented.     

A Novel 1,066 nm Nd:Gd<Subscript>0<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>69</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>3</Subscript>NbO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Passively <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis>-Switched Pulse-Burst Laser

We demonstrate for the first time a Cr⁴⁺:YAG passively Q-switched 1066 nm pulse-burst laser under 879 nm direct pump with a novel Nd:Gd_0.69Y_0.3NbO₄ crystal. The output laser characteristics with different pump repetition rates and different Cr⁴⁺:YAG initial transmission are studied. Without the Cr⁴⁺:YAG, we obtain a maximum output energy of 2.55 mJ at an absorbed pump energy of 5.79 mJ with the highest 48% slope efficiency. The pulse-burst laser contains a maximum of 7 pulses for a Cr⁴⁺:YAG initial transmission of 55% and a pump repetition rate of 1 kHz. The single-pulse energy and narrowest pulse width reach 160 μJ and 5.5 ns at 38.2 kHz, with a peak power of 32 kW.     

Analysis of the refractive indices of lithium niobate at high temperatures

The temperature dependence of the refractive indices of lithium niobate crystals of stoichiometric composition is analyzed. It is shown that, in the region of the ferroelectric phase, the electronic dipole polarizability of oxygen ions significantly depends on the crystal temperature. The difference in the refractive indices Δn = n _e ? n _o in the paraelectric phase at λ = 1200 nm is determined to be 0.036 ± 0.003.     

Population and current noise in semiconductor laser junctions

The population noise in a semiconductor laser is calculated by means of the quantum mechanical Langevin method. The resulting population noise is given by 〈δ N _c ² 〉=(T _c/2) (rate in+rate out)+K(¯n), whereN _c is the total number of electrons in the conduction band in the active region,T _c is a relaxation time. The first expression is the usual shot noise term. The transition rates are the sum of the rates due to the light field, the pumping and the spontaneous emission. The last termK(¯ n) is caused by the light field fluctuations;¯n is the mean number of photons in the laser mode.K(¯ n) consists of two parts: a) The main part is proportional to the intensity noise of the light field, which increases below but near threshold and gets constant above threshold. b) There is a second term due to the fact that parts of the fluctuations of the population and of the light field are correlated. — The noise spectrumS _I(ω) of the junction currentI is calculated for low frequencies. Beyond the usual shot noise termS _I(0)=2eI, additional noise is found in and above the threshold region, a) mainly because of the fluctuations of the light field in the laser mode and b) to a small amount, because the absorption processes due to the laser photons weaken the forward current, which is carried by emission processes, while the absorption noise adds to the emission noise.     

Raman Scattering on the Effective Soft Mode for Lithium Niobate Crystals

The evolution of Raman spectra in a wide range of temperatures that includes the ferroelectric transition point in lithium niobate single crystals is studied for polarization geometry X(ZZ)Y. In this geometry, the soft mode responsible for the phase transition distinguished by 1A₁(TO)-type symmetry should appear in the spectra. Experimental studies show that the 1A₁(TO) mode interacts resonantly with nonfundamental modes in the low-frequency region of the spectrum. Near the ferroelectric phase transition point, an isofrequency opalescence effect is observed that consists of an abrupt increase in Raman signal intensity at fixed frequencies near the excitation line.     

Hard antineutrino source based on a lithium blanket: A version for the accelerator target

The β^–-active ⁸Li isotope has a hard and well-defined antineutrino spectrum (E _ν ^max= 13.0 MeV, E _ν= 6.5 MeV) that ensures the reliable detection of the threshold reactions (ν _e, p) and (ν _e, d). An intense ν _e source is proposed within a scheme comprising an accelerator with a neutron-producing target and a lithium blanket. The density analysis of ⁸Li production in this blanket shows that the mass of highly pure ⁷Li can be reduced to 100–200 kg, as compared to ~19.5 t in the option with metallic ⁷Li, and the size of the source can be decreased by a factor of ~2.5, which is important for the proposed short-base experiments on the search for sterile neutrinos.