Processing of metals by double pulses with short laser pulses

Experimental results related to the influence of time delayed pulses for ablation efficiency with short multi pulses (pulse duration of 5 ps) are reported. A significant improvement of the micro structuring quality at relatively high fluence regime in metals is obtained. Less removed or recast matter is observed and the processed surface appears to be smoother with better roughness. Ablation depths and burr heights are compared for single pulses and double pulses in steel, Al and Cu as a function of scans number. Best results are obtained for weak time delays, typically less than 1 ps. PACS 79.20.Ds; 42.62.Cf; 81.65.Cf     

Petawatt laser pulses

We have developed a hybrid Ti:sapphire-Nd:glass laser system that produces more than 1500 TW (1.5 PW) of peak power. The system produces 660 J of power in a compressed 440+/-20 fs pulse by use of 94-cm master diffraction gratings. Focusing to an irradiance of >7x10(20) W/cm (2) is achieved by use of a Cassegrainian focusing system employing a plasma mirror.     

Multiphoton pi pulses

Multiphoton excitation in a two-level system is exceedingly weak because of small multiphoton coupling strengths, large ac Stark shifts, and ionization. I will discuss a three-level system in which the ac Stark shift is greatly reduced and the multiphoton coupling strength is greatly enhanced over a two-level system, to such an extent that multiphoton pi pulses can be produced. I will also present two-electron calculations in a model potential, including ionization that shows a 12-photon pi pulse driven with 800-nm photons. This three-level configuration may provide the basis for an amplifying medium in the vacuum ultraviolet, as well as multiphoton adiabatic passage and innershell ionization.     

Superluminal terahertz pulses

In femtosecond terahertz-pulse (T-ray) imaging of metal structures with dimensions of the order of the wavelength, it is observed that the T rays propagate faster than the vacuum speed of light. In the case of apertures this can be understood as a waveguide effect in which superluminal velocities are expected close to the cutoff frequency. However, the effect is also observed close to knife edges and in propagation past thin metal wires.     

Ultrashort X-ray pulses

In this paper, we discuss recent advances in ultrashort-pulse X-ray technology. Femtosecond laser-plasma based X-ray sources can now generate sub-pico-second soft X-ray pulses, with photon energies from 10 eV to 10⁶ eV, and with a high conversion efficiency of incident laser light to broadband X-rays. Recent advances in high-speed X-ray detectors and soft X-ray optics make it practical to use such sources as experimental tools for time-resolved X-ray science. Other possible generation techniques, such as laser-electron-beam scattering, promise to further expand the experimental capabilities in this area.     

啁啾光脉冲的自相位调制效应对压缩光脉冲的影响

 在超强激光系统中，对比度和本底宽度是压缩光脉冲极为重要的指标。在啁啾脉冲放大系统的压缩阶段，在啁啾脉冲宽度为141ps，啁啾系数为1000，B积分值分别为0，1和2的情况下，模拟了自相位调制效应（SPM）对压缩脉冲的峰值光强、脉冲宽度和本底宽度的影响。结果表明：在B积分值为2的条件下，若不补偿非线性色散，压缩脉冲的峰值强度降为无自相位调制效应时的65%左右，脉冲宽度约为种子脉冲宽度的2倍，本底宽度则增加到原来的3倍左右；在B积分值大于0.5的情况下，本底宽度和B积分值近似成线性关系。     

Averaging of nonlinearity-managed pulses

We consider the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with the nonlinearity management which describes Bose-Einstein condensates under Feshbach resonance. By using an averaging theory, we derive the Hamiltonian averaged equation and compare it with other averaging methods developed for this problem. The averaged equation is used for analytical approximations of nonlinearity-managed solitons.     

Whispering-gallery mode terahertz pulses

We report what is to our knowledge the first observation of a subpicosecond terahertz (THz) pulse propagating as a superposition of the whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) of a dielectric cylinder. The WGM THz pulses are coupled into and out of a 5-mm-diameter silicon cylinder via a 100-mum -thick, single-mode silicon slab waveguide. We observed two round-trip cylindrical cavity pulses from this coupling structure, which cover a continuous frequency range from 0.4 to 1.8 THz. The coupled-mode equations are used to analyze this system and give reasonably good agreement with the experiment in both the frequency and the time domains.     

Ultralocalized superluminal light pulses

We consider a sophisticated localized light wave—the so-called focused X wave which possesses a strong exponential localization in its waist region and propagates faster than the speed of light in a vacuum or in a linear medium. We show how this wave—until now considered in the literature as a mathematical object only—could be generated in reality by making use of cylindrical diffraction gratings.     

Self-focusing of coherent pulses

Numerical integration of the coupled field-material system equations shows self-focusing when coherent pulses propagate through resonant absorbers. The effect appears to be distinct from self-focusing associated with adiabatic following.     

Ultrafast electron pulses from a tungsten tip triggered by low-power femtosecond laser pulses

We present an experimental and numerical study of electron emission from a sharp tungsten tip triggered by sub-8-fs low-power laser pulses. This process is nonlinear in the laser electric field, and the nonlinearity can be tuned via the dc voltage applied to the tip. Numerical simulations of this system show that electron emission takes place within less than one optical period of the exciting laser pulse, so that an 8 fs 800 nm laser pulse is capable of producing a single electron pulse of less than 1 fs duration. Furthermore, we find that the carrier-envelope phase dependence of the emission process is smaller than 0.1% for an 8 fs pulse but is steeply increasing with decreasing laser pulse duration.     

Efficient generation of narrow-bandwidth picosecond pulses by frequency doubling of femtosecond chirped pulses

We demonstrate efficient generation of picosecond narrow-bandwidth pulses by frequency mixing of broadband opposite chirped pulses in a type I doubling crystal. This procedure allows us to produce picosecond pulses that are perfectly synchronized with femtosecond pulses. The experiment shows a decrease of the initial bandwidth by a factor of more than 30, while a high conversion efficiency is maintained.     

Electrooptical sampling of ultra-short THz pulses by fs-laser pulses at 1060 nm

Electrooptical sampling of ultra-broadband terahertz (THz) radiation with the help of ultra-short 1060-nm pulses is reported for the first time. The THz pulses are generated by exciting a surface emitter (InAs) with a parabolic fiber laser amplifier delivering 100-fs pulses at a repetition rate of 75 MHz and an average power of 10 W. ZnTe and GaP crystals are used for detection and their velocity mismatch is compared at 800 nm and 1060 nm. PACS 42.55.Wd; 42.70.Nq; 42.72.Ai     

Single-shot measurement of THz pulses

Terahertz(THz) waves have shown a broad prospect in the analysis of some dielectric materials because of their special properties. For the ultrafast irreversible processes, the THz single-shot measurement is a good choice. In this paper,a single-shot system is investigated, where a pump beam is used to generate THz pulses with high electrical field by optical rectification in LiNbO_3, the probe beam with wavefront tilted by a blazed grating is used for single-shot measurement. The time window is up to 90 ps, the signal to noise ratio is 2000 : 1, the spectrum covers from 0.1 THz to about 2.0 THz, and the spectral resolution is 0.011 THz. The single-shot measurement result agrees well with that of a traditional electrical-optic sampling method.     

Diffraction of laser-plasma-generated electron pulses

We report the observation of the Debye–Scherrer diffraction using electron pulses emitted from a fs-laser plasma. Titanium sapphire laser pulses with 1.6 mJ/45 fs at 1 kHz are focused on a moving steel tape at close to normal incidence. The laser plasma generated ejects a large number of electrons in the direction of polarization, with a continuous energy spectrum extending up to 100 keV. Selecting an energy range of these electrons and scattering them on a thin aluminium sample generates a “streaked” diffraction pattern with unique features.     

On the propagation of pulses

The diffraction of a plane or cylindrical electromagnetic or acoustic pulse by a perfectly reflecting wedge is investigated. The method applied is based upon the representation of a function by aLaplace transform and upon the solution of the corresponding time harmonic problem. Other problems will be considered in a forthcoming paper.