Triggering of high voltage discharge by femtosecond laser filaments on different wavelengths

The triggering and guiding of high voltage discharge by plasma filaments generated by 400 nm and 800 nm femtosecond laser were studied experimentally. The detailed diagnostics for characteristics of filaments, such as amount of free electrons, diameter and electron density, were performed using sonographic method, fluorescence imaging and resistivity measurement. A significant reduction of the breakdown voltage threshold due to the pre-ionization of the air gap by laser pulse filaments was observed. It is shown that the 400 nm laser pulses demonstrated stronger triggering ability than 800 nm laser pulse under same pulse energy. This behavior of 400 nm femtosecond pulse is connected to the rich population of highly excited particles in filaments.     

飞秒激光引导闪电的模拟实验研究

采用能量40 mJ，脉冲宽度50 fs的超短脉激光脉冲形成的等离子体通道诱发和引导了3—23 cm长间隙的静态高压放电.实验观测显示，等离子体通道整体上能使空气间隙的击穿阈值降低到自然击穿阈值的40％.实验中通过对放电电弧发出的白光信号与激光信号的时间延迟进行分析得到激光引导下梯级先导的发展速度约为10⁷ cm/s. 关键词： 等离子体通道 高压放电     

Triggering and guiding megavolt discharges by use of laser-induced ionized filaments

We have demonstrated the ability to trigger and guide high-voltage discharges with ionized filaments generated by femtosecond terawatt laser pulses. The plasma filaments extended over the whole gap, providing a direct ohmic connection between the electrodes. Laser-guided straight discharges have been observed for gaps of as much as 3.8 m at a high voltage reduced to 68% of the natural breakdown voltage. The triggering efficiency was found to depend critically on the spatial connection of the laser filaments to the electrode as well as on the temporal coincidence of the laser with the peak of the high voltage.     

Influence of negative leader propagation on the triggering and guiding of high voltage discharges by laser filaments

The triggering and guiding of negative discharges using filaments induced by a femtosecond-terawatt laser pulse have been studied in sphere-plane gaps up to 4.5 meters. Fast-frame camera pictures allow the evaluation of the influence of the negative leader propagation on the triggering and guiding process. We show that the plasma channel can either trigger a space-leader discharge or act as a guiding path for the negative leader head. For the latter case the results suggest a linear dependence of the guided lengths up to 2.4 m, while the formation of a space-leader reduces this guided length by up to 50%. This effect is explained by the limited plasma lifetime of the filament that is measured to be about 1 μs.     

空气中激光等离子通道的演变和控制

为精确再现超强飞秒脉冲激光在大气中的传输特性,有效控制激光诱导等离子体通道的性能参数,基于扩展的非线性薛定谔方程,研究了空气中产生的等离子通道的演变过程。该模型在考虑衍射、色散和多光子效应的基础上,引入了拉曼散射、等离子体尾波场和相对论自聚焦等多种效应。讨论了电子密度和光强通量的空间分布特性,运用分步傅里叶法和有限差分法得到了电子密度和光强通量的分布,仿真结果显示,激光波长、单脉冲能量、脉宽和束腰半径等初始参数的变化将对等离子体通道的演变产生显著影响,为超短脉冲强激光在大气中成丝位置和形态控制提供了可能的途径。     

The influence of electron density on the formation of streamers inelectrical discharges triggered with ultrashort laser pulses

In an ongoing program using ultrashort laser pulses to provoke discharges in air over considerable distances at electric fields below breakdown threshold, we have studied the conditions for the onset of streamers in such laser-produced plasmas, both experimentally and through numerical simulations. The results demonstrate the importance of the electron density and of its gradient on the generation of streamers. Also, a significant reduction of the breakdown voltage for a 30 cm plane-plane gap in air was observed with a laser pulse energy of 15 mJ. Finally, a direct comparison of laser-induced breakdown in air and in nitrogen shows the influence of electron attachment to oxygen on the discharge process     

Micro-pinch formation and extreme ultraviolet emission of laser-induced discharge plasma

Extreme ultraviolet(EUV) source produced by laser-induced discharge plasma(LDP) is a potential technical means in inspection and metrology. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser is focused on a tin plate to produce an initial plasma thereby triggering a discharge between high-voltage electrodes in a vacuum system. The process of micro-pinch formation during the current rising is recorded by a time-resolved intensified charge couple device camera. The evolution of electron temperature and density of LDP are obtained by optical emission spectrometry. An extreme ultraviolet spectrometer is built up to investigate the EUV spectrum of Sn LDP at 13.5 nm. The laser and discharge parameters such as laser energy, voltage, gap distance,and anode shape can influence the EUV emission.     

微隙介质阻挡放电装置中的空气均匀放电光谱特性

大气压空气中介质阻挡均匀放电产生的等离子体在工业领域具有广阔的应用前景,为研究其产生条件及机理,利用微间隙介质阻挡放电装置,在大气压空气中实现了均匀放电。电学实验结果表明,低电压时电流波形在电压每半个周期存在若干个脉冲宽度很小的脉冲,肉眼观察到大量的微放电丝,随着外加电压增加,放电功率逐渐增加,放电空间内微放细丝增多。当电压增大到9.2 kV时,电流波形在电压每半个周期只存在一个宽度较大(约5.5 μs)强度较强的脉冲,观察不到微放电丝,微放电最终扩展叠加形成均匀放电。采集了光谱范围为330～420 nm的发射光谱,氮分子第二正带系337.1 nm的谱线强度明显比氮分子离子第一负带系391.4 nm的强。将337.1 nm谱线的强度归一,391.4 nm谱线的强度即反应了电子平均能量的大小,同时拟合计算了反映分子内部能量的氮分子振动温度。结果表明电子平均能量和分子内部能量都随外加电压的增加而降低。表明放电空间电场能量较低时不容易形成丝状放电,均匀放电模式中电子平均能量比微放电丝放电模式中的低。这些结果对于空气中介质阻挡均匀放电在工业应用方面具有一定的指导意义。     

Investigation of 1.06 μm laser induced plasma in air using optical interferometry

The laser produced plasma in air by Q-switch Nd:YAG pulses with 50 mJ and 7 ns was analyzed using Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The interferograms were taken at various delay times after single pulses induced gas breakdown. The 3D electron density distribution at early times of the plasma is investigated. To determine the 3D electron density distribution of the plasma, the FFT analysis is applied to extract the phase of the reconstructed interferograms and the numerical inverse Abel transformation is used to calculate the refractive index. The results provide an understanding of the electron density temporal and spatial evolution of laser induced plasma in air from 18 ns and up to 100 ns of plasma lifetime.     

Optimization of two parallel wires of laser plasma filaments for channeling electromagnetic energy

We theoretically investigated the electromagnetic wave (EMW) transmission along two parallel wires of laser plasma filaments produced by the filamentation of ultrafast laser pulses in air. Many factors, such as wire diameter and separation, electron density, and operating frequency are shown to influence the propagation loss. By taking into consideration the radiation and transmission effects of the wires, the calculations of the two parallel filament wires reasonably agrees with that of the standard commercial twin-lead wire. Specifically, the optimum separation of the two wires is determined for a given frequency and an effective electron density of the wires. When compared with free-space propagation, transmission enhancement of tens dB is obtained using optimized wire configurations. Thus, the two plasma wires may be a potential channel for point to point directed delivery of EM energy or communication of pulsed-modulated EM radiation.     

Monoenergetic electronic beam production using dual collinear laser pulses

The production of monoenergetic electron beams by two copropagating ultrashort laser pulses is investigated both by experiment and using particle-in-cell simulations. By proper timing between guiding and driver pulses, a high-amplitude plasma wave is generated and sustained for longer than is possible with either of the laser pulses individually, due to plasma waveguiding of the driver by the guiding pulse. The growth of the plasma wave is inferred by the measurement of monoenergetic electron beams with low divergence that are not measured by using either of the pulses individually. This scheme can be easily implemented and may allow more control of the interaction than is available to the single pulse scheme.     

Modeling the triggering of streamers in air by ultrashort laserpulses

The physical processes involved in the triggering of ionization waves (streamers) by ultrashort laser pulses, focused in air at 350 Torr and in a uniform electric field, are investigated by means of a one-dimensional (1-D) numerical model. The model describes the interaction of the laser pulse with air and takes into account many of the reactions in the laser-created plasma as well as the radial expansion of the plasma. Consequences of the model are that the threshold electric field for the appearance of streamers is an increasing function of the delay between the laser pulse and the electric field pulse and a decreasing function of the laser energy. Also, it appears that the electron temperature, the plasma density and radius, and the conduction of heat across the plasma boundaries play major roles in the capacity of the laser-created plasma to trigger streamers. The results of the model are compared with the available experimental data     

Light filaments in air for ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths

The propagation of femtosecond UV laser pulses in air is numerically shown to form intense light filaments over several tenths of Rayleigh lengths. We compare UV filamentation with IR filamentation and show that the balance of the physical processes supporting the filaments is identical in both cases. For IR and UV wavelengths, it is shown that the intensity in the filament and the density of the electron plasma created by ionization of air molecules reach similar values as high as 10(14) W/cm(2) and 10(17) cm(-3). Spectral data exhibit a large broadening in the IR filament and a limited one for UV, which justifies the white-light generation associated with IR filamentation only.     

大气压低温氦等离子体射流的诊断研究

为了加快低温氦气等离子体射流的工程化进程,通过自主设计的同轴式介质阻挡放电等离子体射流发生器,在放电频率10 kHz,一个大气压条件下产生了稳定的氦气等离子体射流。通过分析不同工况下的电压电流波形可以发现单纯增加氦气体积流量只能小幅的增加电流脉冲幅值,而对放电时间、电流脉冲数的影响不大。增加放电峰值电压时电流脉冲幅值会得到较大幅度增加。通过发射光谱法对大气压氦气等离子射流的活性粒子种类、电子激发温度、电子密度进行了诊断。结果表明,大气压氦气等离子体射流中的主要活性粒子为He Ⅰ原子、N₂第二正带系、N+₂的第一负带系、羟基（OH）,H原子的巴尔末线系（H_α和H_β）与O原子,这表明虽然该试验中使用的氦气纯度已达99.99%,但其中仍残留有少量的空气,同时放电时大气中的空气会被卷吸到放电空间发生电离。还可以发现,主要活性粒子的相对光谱强度随氦气体积流量的增加及放电峰值电压的增大均呈现上涨的趋势。选用He Ⅰ原子的四条谱线对不同试验工况下的电子激发温度进行了计算,得到大气压氦气等离子体射流的电子激发温度在3 500~6 300 K之间,电子激发温度随放电峰值电压与氦气体积流量的增大总体上呈现上升的趋势。但由于反向电场的存在,某些峰值电压可能会出现电子激发温度下降的情况;根据Stark展宽原理对大气压氦气等离子体射流的电子密度进行了计算,发现电子密度的数量级可达1015 cm-3,同时增大峰值电压与氦气体积流量均可有效的提高射流中的电子密度。这些参数的研究对氦气等离子体射流在工程实际中的应用具有重要意义。     

Characterization of the single nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier plasma actuator: Geometric and electric effects

The influence of the electrode length and the voltage pulses on the discharge characteristics of the surface dielectric barrier discharge actuators were investigated numerically by using the plasma kinetic model. The governing equations including the coupled continuity plasma discharge equation, drift-diffusion equation, electron energy equation, Poisson's equation, and Navier–Stokes equation were solved in quiescent air at atmospheric pressure. The results show that the shorter pulse rising time results in higher discharge characteristics, more intense discharge, and bigger discharge region. Differently, the compared discharge characteristics for the electrodes with different lengths prove that the length of the powered and ground electrodes has little effect on the surface dielectric barrier discharge driven by nanosecond pulsed voltage.     

Runaway Electron Beam Instability in Slide-Away Discharges in the HT-7 Tokamak

Slide-away discharges are achieved by decreasing the plasma density or ramping down the plasma current in runaway discharges in the HT-7 tokamak. In the case of plasma current ramp down, the ratio of the electron plasma frequency to the electron cyclotron frequency is higher than in the stationary pulses when the discharge goes into a slide-away regime. The instability regime is characterized by relaxations in the electron cyclotron emission due to relativistic anomalous Doppler effect which transfers energy from parallel to perpendicular motion. The triggering of relativistic anomalous Doppler effect at higher density by ramping down of plasma current may provide a alternative runaway energy control scenario.     

Direct measurement of the electron density of extended femtosecond laser pulse-induced filaments

We present direct time- and space-resolved measurements of the electron density of femtosecond laser pulse-induced plasma filaments. The dominant nonlinearity responsible for extended atmospheric filaments is shown to be field-induced rotation of air molecules.     

Generation of high-density electrons based on plasma grating induced Bragg diffraction in air

Efficient nonlinear Bragg diffraction was observed as an intense infrared femtosecond pulse was focused on a plasma grating induced by interference between two ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulses in air. The preformed electrons inside the plasma grating were accelerated by subsequent intense infrared laser pulses, inducing further collisional ionization and significantly enhancing the local electron density.     

Multiple filamentation of intense femtosecond laser pulses in air

The propagation of focused femtosecond laser pulses with supercritical peak powers in air has been investigated by the methods of optical visualization, profilometry, and calorimetry. Laser pulses with supercritical powers create a bundle of submillimeter filaments with a diameter of about 5 μm ahead of the lens focus; the maximum number of filaments in the beam cross section and their length increase linearly and sublinearly, respectively, with the radiation peak power. The optical visualization and calorimetry indicate that the plasma channels of filaments are optical contrast (a plasma density of 10¹⁸–10¹⁹ cm⁻³), ensuring the refraction of laser radiation incident on them.     

Plasma channel formed by ultraviolet laser pulses at 193 nm in air

The propagation of picosecond deep ultraviolet laser pulse at wavelength of 193 nm in air is numerically investigated. Long plasma channel can be formed due to the competition between Kerr self-focusing and ionization induced defocusing. The plasma channel with electron density of above 10^13/cm^3 can be formed over 70 m by 50-ps, 20-mJ laser pulses. The fluctuation of laser intensity and electron density inside ultraviolet （UV） plasma channel is significantly lower UV laser by air is considered in the simulation and it the limit of the length of plasma channel. than that of infrared pulse. The linear absorption of is shown that the linear absorption is important for the limit of the length of plasma channel.