Double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for trace element analysis in sintered iron oxide ceramics

Double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging technique for accurate compositional analysis of many different materials. We present a systematic study of collinear double-pulse LIBS for analysis of the trace and side elements boron, manganese, copper, aluminum, titanium, silicon, chromium, nickel, potassium, and calcium in sintered iron oxide targets. The samples were ablated in air by single-pulse and double-pulse Nd:YAG laser radiation (6 ns pulse duration, laser wavelength of 532 nm) and spectra were recorded with an Echelle spectrometer equipped with an ICCD camera. We investigated the evolution of atomic and ionic line emission intensities for different interpulse delay times between the laser pulses (from 100 ns to 50 μs) and gate delays after the second laser pulse. We also varied the energy partition between the first and second laser pulse and the size of the irradiated spot at the sample surface. For the trace and side elements, we observed double-pulse LIBS signals that were enhanced as compared to single-pulse measurements depending on the interpulse delay time, the energy partition between the pulses, and the spot size. For the elements boron, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, potassium, and calcium limits of detection below 10 ppm were achieved.     

电光调Q脉冲串Nd∶YAG激光器研究

设计了一台高能量输出的电光调Q脉冲串Nd∶YAG激光器,可以对脉冲串重复频率、脉冲数目、脉冲间隔进行调节。重复频率1～10Hz,每一个脉冲串含有1～3个脉,其间隔大于200μs可调。采用平凸腔的结构,对一定重频下的热透镜效应进行补偿。典型的实验结果为:当重频为10Hz、脉冲间隔为548μs时,三脉冲最大输出能量608mJ,双脉冲最大能量输出405mJ,单脉冲最大输出能量为200mJ,其中单个脉冲的脉宽约为8ns,发散角为3.4mrad。     

Double-pulse LIBS of gadolinium oxide ablated by femto- and nano-second laser pulses

Emission characteristics of gadolinium (Gd) oxide are studied, using ns and fs laser pulses for ablation in double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the current conditions of pulse energy and signal detection timing, emission intensity enhancement in the reheating mode is 25-fold, but little effect can be observed in a pre-pulse mode. It is shown that the optimum focus position of the ablation pulse is about 5 mm apart from the sample surface in the reheating mode. Although little emission can be observed in the single-pulse configuration with fs ablation pulses, the intense emission can be observed in the reheating mode in the double-pulse configuration.     

The influence of laser pulse on the photoabsorption spectra of Li atom in strong external field

Using the time-dependent perturbation theory and the calculation formula of the single-and double-pulse absorption spectra of the atom in strong external fields, we calculate the single-and double-pulse absorption spectra of Li atom in strong magnetic field for different pulse widths. The results show that a pulse of some width can reduce the contribution of the short period closed orbits and eliminate the contribution of the long period orbits. Compared with the single-pulse absorption spectra, we found that for some phase differences, the double-pulse laser absorption spectra are strengthened; while for others, they are reduced. Therefore, we can use the pulse laser to control the oscillation of the absorption spectra and obtain the optimization object.     

Crater drilling enhancement obtained in parallel non-collinear double-pulse laser ablation

In order to investigate the double-pulse ablation mechanism, two parallel but non-collinear laser beams, delayed with respect to each other by 1 μs, were focussed on an aluminium sample, so that a lateral distance of 600 microns exists between the centres of the two craters and no superposition of the laser-ablation zones is present. The use of such configuration results in a signal and in a plasma mass enhancement with respect to the single-pulse case almost equal to that obtained in the double-pulse collinear case. However, such a non-collinear geometry evidences a much more effective drilling of the surface. Such unexpected drilling seems to be related to a hydrodynamic drainage out of aerosol and molten material, hindering its re-deposition in and around the crater.     

LD-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YVO/LBO red laser with V:YAG

An LD-pumped Nd:YVO₄ passively Q-switched by V:YAG and intracavity frequency doubled by LBO red pulse laser at 671 nm was presented. With 1.6 W incident pump power, average output power of 53 mW, pulse duration (FWHM) of 29.5 ns, pulse repetition rate of 37.2 kHz, peak power of 48.3 W and single-pulse energy of 1.43 μJ were obtained. The stability of pulse energy and repetition rate was better than 3% for 4 h.     

Effect of experimental conditions on surface hardness measurements of calcified tissues via LIBS

This paper reports on the effects of LIBS experimental conditions on the measurement of the surface hardness of calcified tissues. The technique mainly depends on a previously demonstrated correlation between the intensity ratio of ionic to atomic spectral lines and the hardness of the target material. Three types of calcified tissues have been examined, namely enamel of human teeth, shells, and eggshells. Laser-induced breakdown spectra were obtained under two different experimental conditions. In the first nano and picoseconds, laser pulses were used in a single-pulse arrangement, while in the second, single- and double-pulse regimes with nanosecond laser excitation were utilized. The results show that the ionic to atomic spectral line intensity ratios are higher in the case of picosecond laser pulse for both Ca and Mg spectral lines. This effect has been justified in view of the repulsive force of the laser-induced shock waves which depends clearly on the target surface hardness and on the laser irradiance. The electron densities ratio (pico/nano) is shown to be strongly depending on the laser irradiance too. In the case of calcium, single-pulse ratios are higher than the double-pulse ratios, while there is no appreciable difference between both in the case of magnesium. The results obtained herein suggest that double-pulse nanosecond arrangement and the choice of a minor element such as Mg furnishes the best experimental conditions for estimating the surface hardness via LIBS spectra. To validate this method, it has been applied on two previously measured groups of teeth enamel, the first is of ancient Egyptians, and the second from Nubians and Ugandans. The results support the usefulness of this method for similar real-life applications.     

双飞秒激光脉冲诱导击穿光谱增强特性研究

在大气环境中,以钴为样品,通过单脉冲飞秒激光诱导击穿光谱及共轴双飞秒脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱的对比实验,研究了双脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱的谱线增强机制,测量了双脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱随脉冲时间间隔的变化趋势。结果表明,在最优化的脉冲时间间隔条件下,双脉冲激光诱导等离子体光谱获得明显增强。进一步,通过线性Boltzmann法得出了电子温度随脉冲时间间隔的演化,发现了谱线增强因子和电子温度随脉冲时间间隔呈现出相同的演化趋势,并经历两个明显的变化过程,得出了谱线信号强度的增强依赖于电子温度升高的结论。     

Coherent control of photodetachment of H− in an electric field near a metal surface

We show that the photodetachment of H^? in an electric field near a metal surface can be controlled by using a single or double laser pulse. The method of theoretical analysis used is semi-classical closed orbit theory. The results show that if the period of a certain closed orbit is longer than the pulse width of the single-pulse laser, the contribution of that closed orbit to the photodetachment cross-section will be greatly reduced. As for the double-pulse laser, the pulse width, phase difference and the time delay between the two pulses all play an important role in the photodetachment cross-section. With the decrease of the time delay, the oscillating amplitude of the cross-section increases while the oscillating frequency decreases. Therefore, laser pulses can be used to control the photodetachment process of negative ions or atoms in an external field near metal surfaces.     

LaMgAl11O19:Co2+被动调Q铒玻璃激光器研究

综述了被动调Q铒玻璃激光器的发展概况,推导了被动调Q铒玻璃激光器输出脉冲能量、脉宽的解析表达式,数值模拟了腔内损耗与输出脉冲能量、脉宽及峰值功率的关系以及输出脉冲能量与输入抽运能量的关系.设计了一台LaMgAl11O19:Co2 被动调Q铒玻璃激光器,实验验证了数值模拟分析结果.结果表明,腔内损耗增加将导致输出脉冲能量下降,脉宽变大,从而峰值功率降低.输入能量低于12 J时,输出只有单脉冲,当输入能量大于12 J时,输出会出现双脉冲.在8 J的电输入下,获得了峰值功率50 kW,2.7 mJ的1.535 tm激光输出.最后讨论了提高单脉冲能量的方法.     

大功率TEA CO2激光器非稳腔的设计与实验

相比于传统稳腔高功率TEA CO2激光器,如何在不降低功率的基础上,改善其光束质量一直研究者关心的问题。本文在原有稳腔激光器的基础上,设计了三组望远镜虚共焦腔镜,给出了完整的设计过程并进行了理论分析。同时对不同组的非稳腔激光器进行了对比实验研究,结果表明非稳腔能够在保证高单脉冲能量的基础上极大地改善激光远场发散角,其中最佳腔镜组合能够达到单脉冲能量13.7J,其发散角为1mrad（稳腔为2.4mrad）,激光脉宽50ns（稳腔为98ns）。这就为此种类型激光器应用于激光制造领域奠定了基础。     

LD-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser at 1342 nm with high initial transmission V:YAG saturable absorber

We have realized, for the first time to our knowledge, the passive Q-switching operation of an LD-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser at 1342 nm with V:YAG saturable absorber of initial transmission as high as 96%. This laser is investigated under different transmissions of the output coupler. The dependences of average output power, pulse width, pulse repetition rate, single-pulse energy and peak power on incident pump power are also measured. The shortest pulse width of 80 ns, the maximum single-pulse energy of 19.5 μJ and the highest peak power of 244 W are obtained with the output coupler of T = 15% and the pump power of 7.93 W. We find a special experimental phenomenon that the pulse repetition rate begins to drop after reaching the peak with the increase of the pump power. This phenomenon is analyzed and the theoretical calculations are consistent with the experimental results.     

A novel high-peak power double AO Q-switches pulse Nd:YAG laser for drilling

This paper reports on the characterization and analysis of a novel high power with double acousto-optical (AO) Q-switch pulse laser. It is shown that two AO Q-switches, in which acousto-fields are perpendicular to each other, switch-loss is nearly three times larger than one AO Q-switch, one time larger than the two AO Q-switches in which acousto-field are parallel. The laser pulse bursts, with 5–50 kHz repetition rate of the burst, typically 200 ns duration, 400 kW the peak power, 5 mm mrad beam parameter product, are obtained. Using the laser for drilling, the perfect drilling results are given to a thinner recast layer.     

Laser drilling in thin materials with bursts of ns-pulses generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS)

A passively Q-switched laser with a nonlinear mirror on the basis of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), generates bursts of pulses with a few 10 ns pulse duration and a separation between 20–90 μs. Percussion drilling and trepanning are performed in different materials with 1 mm thickness. The optimum parameter set of these pulse trains with regard to the burr height and ablation rate is investigated. Differences in the processing results between single pulse and multi pulse structures are discussed. In addition the laser allowed for transiently mode locked operation. Results for mode locked and merely Q-switched operation were compared. PACS 79.20.Ds; 42.62.Cf; 42.60.By     

6.1 MW, 10 kHz Side-Pumped Burst-Mode Nd:YAG Laser

We present a compact high-peak-power, high-repetition-rate burst-mode laser from a master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) at 1064 nm for laser-based measurement applications. The oscillator is an 808 nm pulsed laser diode side-pumped acousto-optical (A-O) Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at repetition rates ranging from 10–100 kHz, producing a pulse train with a pulse number of 2–25. The maximum output energy of the oscillator is 15.6 mJ at 10 kHz, whereas it is 1.7 mJ at 100 kHz. After twostage amplifiers, a single-pulse energy of 85.2 mJ with a pulse-width of 14.5 ns is achieved at 10 kHz, which produces a peak power of 6.1 MW. At 100 kHz, the total burst energy reaches 220 mJ with a single-pulse energy of 8.8 mJ in the pulse burst laser system.     

Co:LaMgAl11O19 saturable absorber Q-switch for a 1.319 μm Nd:YAG laser

Passively Q-switched output of a flashlamp-pumped 1.319 μm Nd:YAG laser is realized by using Co²⁺:LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉ (Co:LMA) as saturable absorber. When initial transmission of the saturable absorber T₀ is 78%, a Q-switched output pulse with pulse width (FWHM) 44.8 ns and pulse energy 17.4 mJ is obtained, corresponding to 19.3% of the free-running energy under the equal pumping energy of 45.4 J. The experimental results show that the higher T₀ will result in a lower pumping threshold of the laser, but lower T₀ can make the laser generate pulses with higher single-pulse energy, narrower pulse width, and accordingly higher peak power.     

激光离子源双脉冲打靶方案的实现（英文）

设计并实现了近代物理研究所激光离子源双脉冲打靶方案以产生高电荷态离子束。从Nd:YAG激光器输出的激光束经过一对分光棱镜的分束-合束,通过改变两束光的光程差,得到有一定时间延迟的双激光脉冲。利用四分之一玻片,双脉冲的能量比值可以在3:8～8:3之间连续调节。为了验证该方案的可行性,对C靶进行了初步实验。实验结果发现,与以往单脉冲打靶方案对比,双脉冲方案在离子束的脉冲时间结构和电荷态分布有所不同。但是,导致这些差异的机理和实验的优化还尚需要进一步研究。     

双脉冲电子直线感应加速器实验研究

 Mini-LIA为MHz重复频率双脉冲电子直线感应加速器,由双脉冲功率系统、热阴极电子枪注入器及金属玻璃磁芯感应加速腔等组成。在此平台的实验获得了数百ns间隔（即MHz重复频率）的双脉冲高压,每个脉冲幅值达到80 kV,脉冲半高全宽为80 ns;在感应腔加速间隙处测得双脉冲加速电场;在加速器出口处测量得到流强约1.1 A的双脉冲电子束流。实验结果表明：利用硅堆隔离汇流装置可实现MHz重复频率的双脉冲高压,金属玻璃磁芯感应加速腔和六硼化镧热阴极电子枪均适合MHz重复频率双脉冲工作方式。     

Graphene-based passively Q-switched diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG solid laser

In this paper, a desirably simple, convenient and inexpensive saturable absorber mirror has been fabricated based on graphene, which has no wavelength selectivity. Moreover, there are no changes in the structure and characteristics of graphene. By inserting the graphene-PMMA SA mirror to the Nd: YAG laser, the shortest pulse width of 260 ns can be obtained with the single-pulse energy of about 8.32 μJ. The experimental results prove that our graphene-PMMA SA mirror is feasible and suitable for Q-switched lasers.     

Drilling enhancement by nanosecond-nanosecond collinear dual-pulse laser ablation of titanium in vacuum

Laser ablation of titanium in vacuum was performed using single- and dual-pulse regime in order to study crater formation. Crater profiles were analyzed by optical microscopy. It was found that the repetition-rate plays an important role in a process of laser ablation. The drilling is most effective for the highest repetition-rate. For the same total number of laser pulses clear drilling enhancement was achieved by dual-pulse regime of ablation in comparison to single-pulse regime. The strongest ablation rate in dual-pulse regime was achieved for the delay time between the pulses τ = 370 ns. Results are discussed in terms of decreased ablation threshold due to continuous heating of the target during the experiment.