Electron dynamics triggered by double attosecond pulses: Simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory

In order to observe the high-field effect, the external laser field must reach its peak intensity before the electron ionization. To this end, it is important to reduce pulse duration to typical attosecond timescale. In this paper, the interaction electron dynamics between attosecond pulses and dielectric is investigated within the time-dependent density functional theory. Taking the CaF₂ crystal as an example, we give a comparison of electron dynamics response between single and double pulses. Moreover, the nonlinear energy absorption and electron excitation processes are simulated by adjusting the polarization direction of the sub-pulse. Present results demonstrate that the double pulses show lower electron excitation and energy absorption than the single pulse, which is in accordance with experimental higher ablation threshold and smaller heat-affected zones of the double pulses. In addition, the curves of final excited electron number and energy absorption exhibit the quasi-symmetry about the axis of 180°, which has not been reported yet.     

飞秒激光在透明介质中诱导光学微腔的实验研究

鉴于飞秒激光脉冲持续时间极短且峰值功率极高，将其紧聚焦到透明介质体内部时，易引发双光子效应、碰撞电离、雪崩击穿等一系列非线性过程，在焦点处产生微爆，从而形成微腔结构。提出采用25fs的激光脉冲在透明介质内部诱导形成微腔结构。分析了微腔的能量阈值。结合三维精密位移台，制备了三维微腔点阵。探讨了超短激光脉冲在透明介质内部形成微腔结构的方法与基本实验参数。试验发现：采用更短脉宽的飞秒脉冲时可以降低微腔形成的能量阈值；通过调整飞秒激光功率、脉冲作用次数和光束聚焦情况等因素，可以有效改变微腔的纵深比；在数值孔径较低时因无法实现紧聚焦，故不能形成微腔。     

原子激发态在高频强激光作用下的光电离研究

本文通过数值求解动量空间的三维含时薛定谔方程, 研究了原子高激发态在高频激光脉冲作用下, 在电离阈值附近的光电子能谱和两维动量角分布. 研究结果表明: 在该能量范围内, 单光子电离过程的贡献是最主要的. 体系初态的主量子数可以由光电子能谱峰值的位置来确定; 体系初态的角量子数可以通过光电子的两维动量角度分布确定. 在比较宽泛的参数范围内, 这一规律不随入射激光的强度和脉冲时间宽度的改变而改变, 因此原则上可以利用它对原子的初态进行识别. 此外, 还研究了体系的初态为相干叠加态, 光电子动量谱随着叠加态相对相位的变化规律. 关键词： 阈上电离 激发态 高频激光脉冲 两维动量角度分布     

飞秒激光激发空气电离的阈值研究

报道在脉宽50fs—22ps,波长800nm脉冲激光作用下的空气电离阈值的研究结果.利用探测等离子体发光信号的方法,实验测量了激发空气电离所需的阈值激光强度.结果表明,当激光脉冲宽度从50fs增加到22ps时,阈值光强I_th从8.7×10¹⁴W/cm²下降到2.7×10¹³W/cm²;I_th经历了由迅速降低逐渐发展为缓慢降低的过程.在50fs—1p 关键词： 飞秒激光 阈值 多光子电离 碰撞电离     

飞秒激光激发空气电离的阈值研究

报道在脉宽50fs—22ps，波长800nm脉冲激光作用下的空气电离阈值的研究结果.利用探测等离子体发光信号的方法，实验测量了激发空气电离所需的阈值激光强度.结果表明，当激光脉冲宽度从50fs增加到22ps时，阈值光强I_th从8.7×10¹⁴W/cm²下降到2.7×10¹³W/cm²；I_th经历了由迅速降低逐渐发展为缓慢降低的过程.在50fs—1p     

Recording and reading of three-dimensional optical memory in glasses

We report on three-dimensional (3D) optical memory recording and reading in glass by femtosecond pulses. Optically induced dielectric breakdown of glass is a mechanism of recording. The formulae of dielectric breakdown presented are applicable, in principle, for any crystalline or amorphous dielectric material. Scaling dependences of the probabilities of multi-photon and impact ionization are given. The measured threshold of an in-bulk dielectric breakdown of silica was reproduced numerically by implementing the ionization potential of Si (8.15 eV) for calculations. Exact measures of focal spot size and pulse duration at the focus allowed us to evaluate the intensity of a pulse during recording of 3D optical memory bits with high accuracy. The readout of the 3D optical memory was carried out by the white-light continuum generated from the previously damaged sites (recorded memory bits). The mechanism of the readout was a four-photon parametric interaction. PACS 42.65.Jx; 42.65.Ky; 42.70.Ce; 42.79.Vb     

On the Theory of Hydrogen Atom Ionization by Ultra‐Short Electromagnetic Pulses

An investigation of the probability of hydrogen atom ionization by ultra‐short electromagnetic pulses is carried out in the frame of perturbation theory We consider the case when the electric field strength amplitude E₀ in a pulse by two orders lower than characteristic atomic field strength E_a (E_a ? 5.1 · 10⁹ V/cm). A detailed investigation of the dependence of the probabilities on the pulse duration was performed for Gaussian pulse shapes. In the case where the carrier frequency of the Gaussian pulse is larger than the atomic ionization potential, the probability goes to the standard limit of perturbation per unit time. At the same pulse durations, the probabilities for carrier frequencies less than the ionization potential go to zero. The frequency dependence of the ionization probability becomes equal to the standard threshold dependence with increasing pulse duration time. A comparison between the ionization effects caused by wavelet pulses without carrier frequency and Gaussian pulses with carrier frequency shows that the same ionization probability values are achieved when the pulse carrier frequency is detuned by about 20% from the ionization threshold. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

飞秒激光微加工Au膜

飞秒激光微加工薄膜对于MEMS设备的制造是一个急需的技术。文章使用波长为775 nm的Ti: sapphire飞秒激光器(脉宽约为130 fs, 频率为1 000 Hz)研究厚度为4 μm的Au薄膜,在不同加工参数下的结构特性,发现单脉冲消融时消融直径随着脉冲能量的增大而增大。当单脉冲能量一定时,消融直径随着脉冲的个数变化不大。计算得到Au膜的单脉冲消融阈值为F_th＝0.7 J·cm-2,使用脉冲能量略大于阈值时,在薄膜上所划出的线为凸起状;当超过阈值时所得直线为凹起状。同时发现在脉冲能量一定时所得线宽随着加工速度的增加而减小;当加工速度一定时线宽随着能量的增加而增大。     

Optical and ultrasonic monitoring of femtosecond laser filamentation in fused silica

Millimeter-long filaments and accompanying luminous plasma and defect channels created in fused silica (FS) by single focused femtosecond laser pulses with supercritical powers were probed in situ using optical imaging and contact ultrasonic techniques. Above the threshold pulse energy E_opt = 5 μJ corresponding to a few megawatt power levels pulses collapse due to self-focusing, producing channels filled by electron-hole plasma and luminescent defects, and exhibits predominantly compressive pressure transients. Analysis of the optical and ultrasonic response versus the laser pulse energy suggests that filamentary pulse propagation in the channels occurs with considerable dissipation of about ∼10 cm⁻¹. The predominant ionization mechanism is most likely associated with avalanche ionization, while the main mechanism of optical absorption is free-carrier absorption via inverse Bremsstrahlung interaction with the polar lattice.     

Electron energy spectrum in the field-ionized plasma

In this article, the effect of ionization on the energy spectrum of electrons within the interaction of a laser pulse with hydrogen atoms is investigated using particle-in-cell simulation codes. The results show that the behaviour of electrons' energy distribution function in the field-ionized plasma, which occurred due to the field ionization, compared with that in the pre-plasma strongly depends on the pulse shape. For short rise-time pulses (here 30 fs), due to the rapid enhancement of laser electric field, ionization occurs quickly, and as a result, there is not much difference in the electron energy in both the media. However, for pulses with rise time of 40 fs, in the pre-plasma state, the electron population reaches higher energies compared with the field-ionized plasma state. The main reason for this difference is the nonlinear wave breaking that happens earlier due to density inhomogeneity in the field-ionized plasma. On the other hand, at longer rise-time pulses (here 60 and 70 fs), electrons achieve higher energies in the field-ionized plasma than those in the case of pre-plasma. In this case, because of density fluctuations in the field-ionized plasma, the Raman backscattered radiations are seeded by a strong initial noise at the earlier times and the Mendonca condition for chaos threshold is met sooner. Therefore, the electrons gain more energy through the stochastic mechanism that is in agreement with chaotic nature of the motion.     

Collective stopping and ion heating in relativistic-electron-beam transport for fast ignition

The photoelectron spectra of C60 ionized using a 790 nm laser with pulse durations varying from 25 fs to 5 ps have been determined. For 25 fs pulses, in the absence of fragmentation, the ionization mechanism is direct multiphoton ionization with clear observation of above threshold ionization. As the pulse duration is increased, this becomes dominated by a statistical ionization due to equilibration among the electronic degrees of freedom. For pulse durations on the order of a ps coupling to the vibrational degrees of freedom occurs and the well-known phenomenon of delayed (&mgr;s) ionization is observed.     

Optimization of the ionization time of an atom with tailored laser pulses: a theoretical study

How fast can a laser pulse ionize an atom? We address this question by considering pulses that carry a fixed time-integrated energy per-area, and finding those that achieve the double requirement of maximizing the ionization that they induce, while having the shortest duration. We formulate this double-objective quantum optimal control problem by making use of the Pareto approach to multi-objective optimization, and the differential evolution genetic algorithm. The goal is to find out how a precise time-profiling of ultra-fast, large-bandwidth pulses may speed up the ionization process. We work on a simple one-dimensional model of hydrogen-like atoms (the Pöschl-Teller potential) that allows to tune the number of bound states that play a role in the ionization dynamics. We show how the detailed shape of the pulse accelerates the ionization, and how the presence or absence of bound states influences the velocity of the process.     

Theoretical analysis on the forced ignition of a quiescent mixture by repetitive heating pulse

Recently, forced ignition by nanosecond-repetitive-pulsed-discharge (NRPD) has received great attention since it can greatly promote ignition. However, there is no theoretical analysis on ignition induced by multiple heating pulses such as NRPD. Therefore, this work attempts to provide a theoretical interpretation on the ignition of a quiescent, flammable mixture by multiple discharges and to assess the effects of repetitive pulse on ignition characteristics. Based on fully transient formulation, analytical expressions describing ignition kernel propagation induced by multiple pulses are derived. The key parameters of multiple pulse heating, such as energy distribution among individual pulse, intermittent duration between neighboring pulse and total pulse numbers are appropriately incorporated, and their effects on ignition characteristics are assessed. It is found that because of memory effect, the flame kernel continues to propagate after switching off the external heating source. Sequentially introducing identical heating pulses at appropriate intermittent duration repetitively exploits the memory effect during ignition kernel development and thus extends propagating distance of the flame front. The repetitive pulse heating can promote ignition capability due to the flame revitalization effect, i.e., ignition reinforcement to the flame front thanks to additional thermal energy supplied by subsequent pulse. This is consistent with the synergistic effect of NRPD observed in previous experimental studies. In particular, as the pulse number increases, the minimum ignition energy decreases and approaches to an asymptotic value. In the limit of large pulse number, it is found that the integration of the implicit expressions describing the ignition kernel evolution does not depend on the pulse number explicitly. This substantiates the invariance of minimum ignition energy with heating pulse number. The present theory explains the effects of multiple discharges on ignition and provides insights on ignition enhancement.     

Generation of XUV attosecond pulses in the process of atomic ionization by few-cycle laser radiation

Ionization of a model two-electron atom in the presence of a strong field of ultrashort laser pulses is investigated using the numerical integration of the nonstationary Schrödinger equation, which describes the dynamics of a quantum system in the presence of an electromagnetic wave. The features of two-electron ionization in the presence of one-and two-cycle pulses are analyzed. The suppression of double ionization in the presence of ultrashort laser pulses related to a finite-time interelectron energy exchange upon the laser action is demonstrated. The features of the generation of high-order harmonics and single XUV attosecond pulses are studied for the atomic ionization by few-cycle laser pulses. The parameters of the laser pulse are optimized for the effective generation of a single XUV attosecond pulse.     

Formation of subwavelength periodic structures on tungsten induced by ultrashort laser pulses

The evolution of surface morphology of tungsten irradiated by single-beam femtosecond laser pulses is investigated. Ripplelike periodic structures have been observed. The period of these ripples does not show a simple relation to the wavelength and angle of incidence. The orientation of ripples is aligned perpendicularly to the direction of polarization for linearly polarized light. Surprisingly, we find that the alignment of the ripple structure turned left or right by 45 degrees with respect to the incident plane when using right and left circularly polarized light, respectively. The period of the ripple can be controlled by the pulse energy, the number of pulses, and the incident angle. We find a clear threshold for the formation as a function of pulse energy and number of pulses. The mechanism for the ripple formation is discussed, as well as potential applications in large-area structuring of metals.     

Generation of hard x rays by femtosecond laser pulse interaction with solid targets in atmosphere

X ray radiation as high as 50 keV, including K(α) of Ba and Mo, have been observed from a solid target during the interaction of low energy ~0.65 mJ, 1 kHz 40 femtosecond laser pulses focused in air at atmospheric pressure. Energetic electrons generating such x rays are possibly produced when the field strength in laser pulse wake exceeds the runaway threshold in air. Two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations that include optical field ionization of air and elastic collisions support this mechanism.     

高温合金不同脉宽超快激光作用下多脉冲去除阈值

实验研究了激光脉冲宽度和脉冲个数对镍基高温合金材料去除阈值的影响,分别在290 fs,1 ps和7 ps脉宽的激光下,使用1,10,50,100,300,500和1000个不同能量的激光脉冲辐照高温合金样品表面。实验结果表明,烧蚀坑尺寸会随脉冲数的增加而增加,而脉冲宽度的增加会加大脉冲个数对烧蚀坑直径的影响。通过烧蚀坑直径的平方值与激光脉冲能量之间存在的对数关系,得到了不同脉冲宽度下镍基高温合金的多脉冲材料阈值。3种不同脉宽下的高温合金多脉冲去除阈值都存在显著的累积效应。根据去除阈值计算得到290 fs,1 ps和7 ps脉宽下的累积效应系数分别为0.88,0.86和0.78。     

高频激光脉宽对原子光电子发射谱的影响

采用广义含时伪谱方法数值求解原子在激光脉冲作用下的动量空间含时薛定谔方程,研究了高频激光脉宽对原子光电子发射谱的影响.数值模拟表明,随着激光脉冲宽度的增加,光电子谱干涉结构的振荡幅值逐渐减小,其最大峰值的强度和位置取决于产生有效电离的最大即时强度.通过分析光电子谱的变化规律能进一步加深对高频强场电离产生的动力学干涉效应的理解.     

飞秒激光的波长对SiC材料烧蚀的影响

利用10倍的显微物镜将近红外飞秒激光脉冲汇聚到宽带隙半导体材料6H SiC的前表面,研究样品的烧蚀及诱导微细结构。用扫描电镜(Scanning electron microscope,SEM)及光学显微镜测量烧蚀斑。利用烧蚀面积与激光脉冲能量的关系确定SiC的烧蚀阈值。给出了SiC样品的烧蚀阈值与飞秒激光波长的依赖关系。实验结果表明,可见光区随波长增加,烧蚀阈值从0.29J/cm2增加到0.67J/cm2;而在近红外区,SiC的烧蚀阈值为0.70J/cm2左右,基本上不随激光波长变化而改变。结合计算结果,可以认为在飞秒激光烧蚀SiC的过程中,在近红外区,光致电离和碰撞电离均起到了重要的作用;而在可见光区,光致电离的作用相对大一些。     

Peculiarities of the ionization of many-electron systems and generation of attosecond pulses in ultrashort laser fields

The ionization of a model two-electron atom in the field of a strong ultrashort laser pulse is studied by numerical integration of the nonstationary Schrödinger equation describing the dynamics of a quantum system in the field of an electromagnetic wave. Pecularities of the two-electron ionization are analyzed for pulses whose duration amounts to one to two periods of oscillation of the electric field of the wave at different frequencies of the incident radiation. For extremely short pulses, the double ionization is found to be suppressed. This effect is caused by the finiteness of the interelectron energy exchange time during the laser action. Peculiarities of the generation of high-order harmonics and single XUV attosecond pulses upon ionization of atoms by laser pulses, whose duration is within one to two optical cycles, are investigated.