Lasing in the far IR spectral range under femtosecond optical excitation of the InAs semiconductor in a magnetic field

Generation of a coherent electromagnetic radiation in the far IR (THz) spectral range upon excitation of a semiconductor InAs crystal by 70-fs Ti: sapphire laser pulses is studied. The effect of a magnetic field of different orientation on generation in the submillimeter-wavelength range is analyzed. Placing the crystal into the magnetic field of an optimized permanent magnet with a strength of 5 kOe aligned along the surface of the semiconductor increased the power of generated radiation by a factor of six compared with that in the absence of the field. For the average pump-laser output power of 150 mW and repetition rate of 80 MHz, the average power of the THz radiation reached 100 nW. For detection of ultrashort pulses of the THz radiation, we used, for the first time, a highly sensitive uncooled optoacoustic detector, which detected signals with a power lower than 1 nW.     

激光等离子体效应对细胞烧蚀特性研究

研究对比了激光直接辐照、聚焦辐照以及激光等离子体辐照三种辐照方式下,洋葱表皮细胞的烧蚀特征,并基于激光辐照的热力学特性对细胞的温升以及相变过程进行分析。观察发现： 直接辐照对细胞的杀伤效果很不明显;聚焦辐照会引起焦点附近细胞的断裂以及脱水;激光等离子体辐照作用下,细胞会呈现大面积的去除,断裂边缘粗糙,且细胞层有叠加现象。理论分析发现,激光等离子体具有热效应、辐射电离及冲击波效应等,会增加激光脉冲能量到细胞的沉积、以及对细胞冲击剥离等,从而会大大增加细胞的杀伤范围和效率,可用于对细胞进行大面积杀伤。     

高重频CO_2激光损伤HgCdTe晶体的数值分析

针对CO2激光作用下HgCdTe晶体的损伤问题进行了数值分析。首先,建立了高重频CO2激光损伤Hg0.784Cd0.216Te晶体的三维热传导物理模型;然后,利用有限元方法计算了单脉冲和高重频CO2激光作用下,Hg0.784Cd0.216Te晶体的损伤阈值;最后,分析了激光重频以及辐照时间对晶体损伤阈值的影响。研究结果表明:单脉冲激光辐照下,晶体的损伤阈值为64.5 J/cm2;高重频(f>1 kHz)激光辐照下,激光重频的改变对晶体损伤阈值的影响较小,损伤阈值应由平均功率密度表征,且与辐照时间密切相关;辐照时间的增加,可以有效地减小晶体的损伤阈值,当激光辐照功率密度<1.95 kW/cm2时,不会发生晶体损伤。研究结果对高重频CO2激光在激光加工以及激光防护的应用方面具有指导意义。     

Estimation of mechanical properties of a viscoelastic medium using a laser-induced microbubble interrogated by an acoustic radiation force

An approach to assess the mechanical properties of a viscoelastic medium using laser-induced microbubbles is presented. To measure mechanical properties of the medium, dynamics of a laser-induced cavitation microbubble in viscoelastic medium under acoustic radiation force was investigated. An objective lens with a 1.13 numerical aperture and an 8.0 mm working distance was designed to focus a 532 nm wavelength nanosecond pulsed laser beam and to create a microbubble at the desired location. A 3.5 MHz ultrasound transducer was used to generate acoustic radiation force to excite a laser-induced microbubble. Motion of the microbubble was tracked using a 25 MHz imaging transducer. Agreement between a theoretical model of bubble motion in a viscoelastic medium and experimental measurements was demonstrated. Young's modulii reconstructed using the laser-induced microbubble approach were compared with those measured using a direct uniaxial method over the range from 0.8 to 13 kPa. The results indicate good agreement between methods. Thus, the proposed approach can be used to assess the mechanical properties of a viscoelastic medium.     

Reconstruction of Optical Energy Deposition for Backward Optoacoustic Imaging

Visualizing optical properties, such as the optical absorption coefficient, helps us to obtain structural information of biological tissues. In this paper, we present an efficient reconstruction algorithm for optical energy deposition in backward optoacoustic imaging. Note that econstruction of optical energy deposition is the first step to imaging the optical absorption coefficient distribution. This algorithm is derived from the optoacoustic wave equations with line focusing, in which the focusing techniques were utilized to reduce the reconstruction problem from three dimensions (3-D) to one dimension (1-D). Simulations and experiments were conducted to verify efficacy of this algorithm. In the simulations, optoacoustic signals were generated based on the solution of the optoacoustic wave equations. In the experiments, a 3-D backward mode optoacoustic imaging system was built. The system consisted of a Nd YAG laser for optical irradiation and an acoustic detection system with a broadband hydrophone. A phantom was used to illustrate validity of the proposed algorithm. The results show that optical energy deposition can be efficiently reconstructed in both simulations and experiments.     

Optoacoustic investigation of the mechanisms in the infrared optogalvanic effect

Simultaneous observations of the optogalvanic and optoacoustic effects were performed in CO₂, NH₃ and SF₆ discharges under irradiation by resonant infrared 10 μm laser radiation. The dependence of the galvanic and acoustic signals on the discharge current, and their time evolution following a switch of the laser radiation were investigated. The observations proved that the infrared optogalvanic effect occurs through two different mechanisms, a gas kinetic temperature dependence of the discharge parameters and a modification of the pion production through the vibrational molecular excitation.     

Fast crystallization of structural steel during laser processing of the surface

The size, shape, and structure of the molten zone appearing on the surface of Fe-C multicomponent alloy upon laser recrystallization are studied. The laser scan rate varies between 0.01 to 0.167 m/s. A set of equations for the temperature and concentration fields is derived within a model of locally nonequilibrium crystallization. The use of the hypothesis for marginal stability, as applied to crystal growth, makes it possible to find the characteristic size of the crystal structure. The mathematical simulation of recrystallization upon laser processing is in good agreement with experimental data. The results of the simulation can be used for predicting the mechanical properties in the molten zone as a function of the energy parameters of the radiation and thermophysical properties of the alloy.     

Laser initiation of PETN–iron nanoparticle composites

The dependences of the probability of explosion initiation in pentaerythritol tetranitrate samples with different contents of iron nanoparticles on the fluence of the first- (λ = 1064 nm) and second-harmonic (λ = 532 nm) pulses of a neodymium laser are measured. The laser initiation threshold for PETN–iron nanoparticle composites nonmonotonically depends on the mass fraction of nanoparticles. The optimal values of the mass fraction of iron nanoparticles at which the sensitivity to laser irradiation is maximal (0.4 wt % for the first harmonic and 0.15 wt % for the second) are determined. It is demonstrated that the amplitude of the optoacoustic signal under non-explosion conditions reaches its maximum for composites with the optimal values of the mass fraction of nanoparticles.     

Laser decoration of precious metals

A technique for the laser coloration of precious metals is described that is based on the oxidation of a titanium film deposited on the surface of a metal. When laser radiation acts on the film, it is heated and oxidizes. Depending on the radiation parameters, the resulting oxide films have different thicknesses and, due to light interference, they acquire different colors. The visible color of the surface depends on the angle of viewing after imaging. The aim of this work is to identify the color palette of a gold plate’s surface with a thin film of titanium deposited on it. The titanium film is oxidized via fiber laser irradiation with a wavelength of 1.064 μm. Samples of color palettes are examined spectrophotometrically, and the chemical and mechanical stability of the resulting oxide coatings are tested.     

Methods of optoacoustic diagnostics of biological tissues

Acoustical Physics - Laser optoacoustic diagnostics is based on thermoelastic excitation of ultrasonic signals in a medium due to absorption of pulsed laser radiation. The pressure profile of such...     

Mechanical mode dependence of bolometric backaction in an atomic force microscopy microlever

Two backaction (BA) processes generated by an optical cavity-based detection device can deeply transform the dynamical behavior of an atomic force microscopy microlever: the photothermal force or the radiation pressure. Whereas noise damping or amplifying depends on the optical cavity response for radiation pressure BA, we present experimental results carried out under vacuum and at room temperature on the photothermal BA process which appears to be more complex. We show for the first time that it can simultaneously act on two vibration modes in opposite directions: Noise on one mode is amplified, whereas it is damped on another mode. Basic modeling of photothermal BA shows that the dynamical effect on the mechanical mode is laser spot position-dependent with respect to mode shape. This analysis accounts for opposite behaviors of different modes as observed.     

Effect of XeCl laser irradiation on the defect structure of Nd:YAG crystals

This paper presents the effect of XeCl laser irradiation on Nd:YAG single crystal samples with various number of pulses at different repetition rates and laser fluences. Effects of the irradiation on the optical and structural properties of the crystal are analyzed by UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy. Annihilation of some point defects of the crystal structure is observed following laser irradiation at a fluence of 100 mJ cm⁻² with 100 and 500 pulses. Increasing the laser fluence and pulse numbers leads to saturation and new defects are found to be formed in the crystal. Additional absorption spectra of the irradiated samples show that oxygen vacancies in the Nd:YAG crystals are removed during the low-dose irradiation. The laser irradiation is compared to the thermal annealing process for Nd:YAG crystal modification. Additional absorption spectrum of an annealed sample reveals that induced negative absorption band at 236 nm is correlated with the annihilation of the oxygen vacancy center. Our results also demonstrate that XeCl laser treatment has several advantages upon annealing at high temperatures in the Nd:YAG crystal quality improvement. Thus, the present work can give a new approach to modify Nd:YAG crystals to be used in a wide variety of solid-state laser engineering.     

Kinetics of laser-induced surface melting and oxide removal in single-crystalline Ge

The process of oxide removal in crystalline Ge using a pulsed ultraviolet laser has been studied by means of real-time reflectivity measurements with nanosecond resolution. The interaction of laser radiation with a clean, oxide-free surface has been characterized and the inhomogeneous and homogeneous energy density melting thresholds of c-Ge for 193 nm radiation have been determined. The values are 180 and 370 mJ/cm², respectively. We have demonstrated that it is possible to remove an oxide overlayer by irradiation in vacuum and to produce a surface that shows the same response to laser radiation as a smooth, oxide-free, chemically cleaned surface. Under certain specific irradiation conditions it is even possible, after removing the oxide overlayer, to produce an enhanced crystalline quality in the near-surface region compared to that obtained upon chemical cleaning as evidenced by Rutherford backscattering/channeling measurements.     

Enhanced near field mediated nanohole fabrication on silicon substrate by femtosecond laser pulse

Investigation of the process of nanohole formation on silicon surface mediated with near electromagnetic field enhancement in vicinity of gold particles is described. Gold nanospheres with diameters of 40, 80 and 200 nm are used. Irradiation of the samples with laser pulse at fluences below the ablation threshold for native Si surface, results in a nanosized surface modification. The nanostructure formation is investigated for the fundamental (λ = 800 nm, 100 fs) and the second harmonic (λ = 400 nm, 250 fs) of the laser radiation generated by ultrashort Ti:sapphire laser system. The near electric field distribution is analyzed by an Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation code. The properties of the produced morphological changes on the Si surface are found to depend strongly on the polarization and the wavelength of the laser irradiation. When the laser pulse is linearly polarized the produced nanohole shape is elongated in the E-direction of the polarization. The shape of the hole becomes symmetrical when the laser radiation is circularly polarized. The size of the ablated holes depends on the size of the gold particles, as the smallest holes are produced with the smallest particles. The variation of the laser fluence and the particle size gives possibility of fabricating structures with lateral dimensions ranging from 200 nm to below 40 nm. Explanation of the obtained results is given on the basis simulations of the near field properties using FDTD model and Mie's theory.     

Nonlinear optoacoustic transformation in the system of dielectric substrate/submicron metal coating/liquid

The optoacoustic method has been shown to be an accurate technique for the measurement of the properties of submicron metal coatings deposited on a dielectric substrate, i.e., mirrors. The method has been previously theoretically described in terms of a linear model of optoacoustic transformation in a system substrate/coating/liquid. The goal of the present work was to determine the limits at which the linear model is still applicable. The modification of the laser induced acoustic signal profiles and transfer functions of optoacoustic transformation versus the laser fluence was studied for two liquids: ethanol and water.     

Shape Matters: A Gold Nanoparticle Enabled Shape Memory Polymer Triggered by Laser Irradiation

With incorporation of gold nanoparticles, i.e., nanorods (AuNR) and nanospheres (AuNS), into a polyurethane‐based shape‐memory polymer (SMP) EG‐72D matrix, SMP nanocomposite films capable of being remotely triggered by low‐power laser are fabricated and characterized using UV‐vis‐NIR spectroscopy, X‐ray scattering, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It is demonstrated that, with incorporation of very low concentration of gold nanorods (≈0.1 wt%), the mechanically programmed EG‐72D/AuNR nanocomposite presents rapid response to low power laser irradiation (785 nm, ≈10 mW). Comparative studies on the laser irradiation response of EG‐72D/AuNS and EG‐72D/AuNR nanocomposite films suggest that AuNRs have significantly higher photothermal conversion efficiency than AuNS and on‐resonance laser irradiation, matching the wavelength of the incident laser with the longitudinal plasmon resonance of AuNR, is necessary to induce the fast response of gold nanoparticle enabled SMP nanocomposites.     

Photothermal biological effects of monomeric erythrocyte using optical tweezers

The changes of mechanical properties and biological activities of monomeric erythrocytes are studied using optical tweezers micromanipulation technology. Firstly, the mechanical properties of irradiated erythrocyte membranes are obtained. Weaker power laser irradiation can delay the decay of the mechanical properties of erythrocytes and promote the biological activity of erythrocytes, while higher power laser irradiation damages erythrocytes. The stronger the laser irradiation is, the more obvious and rapid the damage will be. The temperature of the cell surface will be changed by regulating the laser power and irradiation time, so the biological functions of erythrocyte can be controlled. Secondly, the finite element simulation of the temperature change on the cell surface under the condition of laser irradiation is carried out using simulation software, and the precise temperature of the cell surface irradiated cumulatively by a laser with different powers is obtained. Finally, the processes of abscission, unfolding, and denaturation of hemoglobins in erythrocytes at different temperatures due to the photothermal effect are analyzed using the model. The mechanism of laser irradiation on the elasticity of erythrocyte membranes is also obtained.     

Indicatrices of the Radiation Intensity of Laser Plasma Formations in the Air

We have investigated the indicatrices of the visible and IR radiation of laser plasma formed under irradiation of cadmium, indium, and silicon in the air by radiation from a monopulsed neodymium laser with a power density at the irradiation spot of up to 12 GW/cm² on the first harmonic and up to 4 GW/cm² on the second harmonic. It is shown that the radiant intensity indicatrices have a prolate form depending on the target material, the spectral range of observation, and the power density of the acting laser radiation. The radiant intensity of laser plasma in the 0.3–4.2 m range is approximately proportional to the laser radiation power density and depends on the target material.     

Nonresonance mechanisms of biological effects of coherent and incoherent light

Two mechanisms of the nonresonance action of light on biological systems are considered. The first of them is caused by gradient effects arising upon interaction of a biological system with spatially inhomogeneous radiation. The second mechanism is determined by light-induced dipole-dipole interactions between biological particles. The first mechanism is characteristic of coherent radiation. A speckle structure arising upon interaction of coherent light with a biological system gives rise to gradient forces, which depend on the intensity of the incident light and the properties of an object. It is shown that the action of the gradient forces on microparticles causes a selective increase in the kinetic energy of the particles. Due to random pulsations of speckles in living tissue, this effect is equivalent to an increase in the “partial” temperature of the particles, which depends on their size and properties. The second mechanism manifests itself both upon coherent and upon incoherent irradiation of a biological object. This mechanism is determined by interactions between oscillating dipole moments of neighboring particles (cells, organelles, biomolecules) induced by incident radiation. The second mechanism is shown to be observed for linearly polarized radiation only. For each mechanism, the forces acting on biological particles are calculated.     

Coloration of a metal surface under pulsed laser irradiation

The regimes of irradiation using nanosecond laser pulses for creation of color images on stainless-steel and titanium surfaces upon laser engraving are studied. Parameters of radiation that correspond to the spectrum of resulting colors on the sample surface are experimentally determined. The spectral analysis of the irradiated area is performed and probe microscopy is used to study the surface relief. Complicated surface relief that results from irradiation indicates the contribution of several optical effects responsible for the surface color under laser engraving.