CW diode pumping and FM mode locking of a Nd: KGW laser

We have demonstrated cw diode end pumping of Nd: KGW, a novel solid-state gain medium, with up to 30% conversion efficiency into near-TEM₀₀ (M² < 1.05) output at = 1.067 µm for a pump level of 2.7 W. The slope efficiency was limited by intracavity reflections to 36%; however, direct comparison to a similar Nd:YAG laser indicates the same intrinsic slope efficiency of 60%. FM mode locking of this laser at 200 MHz has produced 12 ps pulses (compared to 16 ps for Nd: YAG), although an intracavity etalon was required. Considerable reduction in pulse width is possible (the line width limit is 0.5 ps) but different techniques may be necessary. Spatial hole burning was evident in both the 120 GHz free-running spectrum and the etalon-limited mode-locked spectrum.     

Improved gain on the Cl2(D′3 П g −A′3 П u ) transition at 258 nm by halogen donor mixing

The temporal development of the small-signal gain on the Cl₂(D–A) transition at 258 nm has been investigated by means of an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) technique. For electron beam pumped He/Cl₂ mixtures, the gain appears only at the end of the pumping pulse, whereas for He/Cl₂/CCl₄ mixtures the temporal gain profile coincides with the fluorescence pulse, and the maximum gain coefficient increases by about a factor of two. The observed effects are due to the mixing of both halogen donors and can be explained by considering the quenching of theD-state by electrons.     

Ultrashort far-infrared superradiant emissions optically pumped by truncated hybrid 10 μm CO2 laster pulses

We investigate the generation of superradiant far-infrared 496 m CH₃F pulses and produce for the first time smooth and reproducible 373 m CH₃CN superradiant pulses by pumping with pulses from a hybrid 10 m CO₂ laser truncated within 10 ps by a plasma shutter of new design. Superradiance is confirmed by measurement of the pressure dependence of the intensity, the width and the delay versus the pump pulse. We observe pulse durations considerably under the limit of the inverse linewidth of the transition. Thus, we demonstrate for the first time that rapid truncation of the pump pulse is essential for reducing pulse duration of superradiant far-infrared emissions.     

Polarized fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy of 1,32-dihydroxy-dotriacontane-bis-rhodamine 101 ester. A new and lipid bilayer-spanning probe

We report on the properties of 1,32-dihydroxy-dotriacontane-bis-rhodamine 101 ester (Rh101C₃₂Rh101) in lipid bilayers of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and in liquid solvents. The results are compared with those of rhodamine 101 octadecanyl ester (Rh101C₁₈). Both molecules are solubilized in the lipid bilayer and the Rh101 moieties are anchored in the lipid-water interface, so that the electronic transition dipole moments (S ₀ S ₁) are oriented preferentially in the plane of the bilayer. At low concentrations of the dyes in lipid bilayers of DOPC, the fluorescence relaxation is single exponential with a lifetime of =4.9±0.2 ns. The relative fluorescence quantum yield of _C32/_C18 0.95 in DOPC vesicles. These results strongly suggest that only a small fraction of the Rh101C₃₂Rh101 molecules are quenched, by, for example, intra- or intermolecular dimers in the ground state at mole fractions of less than 0.1% in the lipid bilayers. For Rh101C₃₂Rh101 in lipid vesicles, the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropies are compatible with efficient intramolecular electronic energy transfer. It is concluded that nearly every Rh101C₃₂Rh101 molecule is spanning across the lipid bilayer of DOPC.     

Amplified spontaneous emission from internal energy transfer process in the copolymer BEHP-co-MEH-PPV

We have studied the Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) characteristics of the conjugated copolymer poly{[2-[2′,5′-bis(2″-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl]-1,4-phenylenevinylene]-co-[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene]} (BEHP-co-MEH-PPV) in a few organic solutions under optical pumping by the third harmonic of Nd:YAG (355 nm). The results show that in BEHP-co-MEH-PPV, the BEHP-PPV component is capable of forcing MEH-PPV to produce ASE at 560 nm, which appears to arise out of the non-excimeric state of MEH-PPV.The ASE of BEHP-co-MEH-PPV was also compared with the conventional laser dyes Rhodamine B (Rh B), Rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G), and also the new laser material MEH-PPV.     

Picosecond pulse shortening by travelling wave amplified spontaneous emission

A new scheme for travelling-wave excitation of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) employing transversal pumping is presented. ASE pulses emitted in the forward direction had a duration of 6 ps, corresponding to one half of the pump pulse duration. The spectrum was strongly structured, with individual components having a width of 0.1–1.0 Å. Essential characteristics of longitudinal and transversal excitation of travelling wave ASE are compared.     

The magnetic moment of103Ru

The nuclear magnetic moment of¹⁰³Ru has been determined using the technique of low-temperature nuclear orientation on¹⁰³Ru as a dilute impurity in Fe. The Fe lattice was cooled to 1.7 mK using a PrNi₅ enhanced nuclear demagnetisation stage precooled with a³He–⁴He dilution refrigerator. The¹⁰³RuFe system was observed to have a long nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time, but analysis of the relaxation indicates that the¹⁰³Ru nuclei are close to thermal equilibrium with the Fe lattice at times>200 min after demagnetising. From the near thermal equilibrium anisotropy of the 497 keV -ray in¹⁰³Rh we have deduced the nuclear magnetic moment as |(¹⁰³Ru)|=0.18(2)_N. This value is almost independent of the choice of spinI=3/2 or 5/2 for the nucleus, but is only consistent with systematics ifI(¹⁰³Ru)=3/2 and <0. UsingI=3/2 we obtain the E2/M1 mixing ratio of the 497 keV -ray as =–0.42(4). The sign of the anisotropy of the 610 keV -ray from the 650 keV level in¹⁰³Rh is only consistent with an allowed -decay to the state ifI(650 keV,¹⁰³Rh)=5/2. The E2/M1 mixing ratio of the 610 keV -ray is then =+0.15(3) or +60( _–40 ⁺ ), <–80. From the initial rise in -ray anisotropy following demagnetisation we determine the Korringa constant for¹⁰³RuFe to beC=5.7(5) K·s.     

A high-power subpicosecond distributed feedback dye laser system pumped by a mode-locked Nd: YAG laser

The design and operation characteristics of a distributed feedback dye laser (DFDL) system pumped by the second harmonic of a flashlamp pumped mode-locked Nd: YAG laser are described. The DFDL oscillator facilitates a large tuning range with nearly Fourier limited pulse durations of about 1.6 ps. The combined action of saturated absorption and amplification results in a pulse shortening to about 600 fs, with small fluctuations in the pulse duration. Output pulse energies of more than 400 J are achieved, corresponding to a peak power of more than 650 MW. Since the dye amplifiers are pumped by pulses of only 25 ps duration the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is very low, typically less than 10^–4.     

Highly efficient synchronous amplification of a picosecond dye laser at a kHz repetition rate

A short pulse, high energy, high repetition rate dye amplifier with superior conversion efficiency is reported. The dye amplifier is composed of three single-pass dye cells, longitudinally pumped by a frequency doubled 1 kHz Nd: YLF regenerative amplifier. The dye amplifier yields 3.5 ps, 150 J pulses at 595 nm, corresponding to a 12% conversion efficiency. The ASE is 1% or less, and the transverse mode quality is near-Gaussian.In absentia from the Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA     

Superconductivity and resistance behaviour of σ-phase alloys: Nb−Rh and Ta−Rh

Superconductivity, structure and electrical resistance behaviour of -phase alloys of Nb–Rh and Ta–Rh are investigated. The Ta–Rh alloys do not become superconducting above 1.2 K. The andH _c2 (0) values of a homogeneous alloy with the composition Nb_65.2Rh_34.8 are 2.95 K, 13.9 kG/K and 23 kG, respectively, whereas for an inhomogeneous alloy with the composition Nb_63.7Rh_36.3 these values are 4.24 K, 5.5 kG/K and 14 kG, respectively. Splat quenching results in a substantial increase in the andH _c2 (0) values of the Rh-rich sample. Annealing (900°C, 100 h) of the Rh-rich sample leads only to small changes in the superconducting properties but a small amount of Nb–Rh solid solution has been formed. The electrical resistance of Nb_65.2Rh_34.8 decreases with decreasing temperature and varies asT ^0.5 between 150 and 240 K and asT between 60 and 140 K. For Ta_70.0Rh_30.0 the temperature coefficient changes to negative values below 170K. values are calculated for Nb–Rh using McMillan's formula. An estimatedT _c value of Ta–Rh is 0.2 K. TheH _c2 (0) values of Nb–Rh are in good agreement with the theoreticalH _c ^2** (0) values.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. W. Buckel on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Influence of solvents on the amplified spontaneous emission characteristics of LD-423

Influence of the solvent environments, pumping pulse energies and concentrations on the spectral properties of 1,2,3,8-tetrahydro-1,2,3,3,5-pentamethyl-7H-pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinolin-7-one (LD-423) have been investigated. The photophysical characteristics such as absorption, fluorescence spectra, Stokes’ shift, fluorescence quantum yield, absorption, emission cross sections, extinction coefficient and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) were measured. Here, LD-423 showed two ASE in a certain organic solution under pulsed laser excitation (Nd: YAG λ_ex?=?355 nm). One of these peaks corresponds to the fluorescence, while the other peak is an anomalous peak which does not have a corresponding fluorescence peak. This abnormal ASE peak can be ascribed to the fact that the excited molecules are connected in the excited state and the solvent acts as a link between them.     

OPCPA pump laser based on a regenerative amplifier with volume Bragg grating spectral filtering

A novel Nd:YVO₄−based regenerative amplifier system operating in the picosecond regime featuring a volume Bragg grating (VBG) as an intracavity spectral narrowing element is described. This compact amplifier provides pulses with duration of ∼85 ps operating at repetition rates ranging from single shot to 10 kHz. The VBG is used to passively tailor the pulse duration and achieve transform-limited pulses with 50 pm FWHM of spectral linewidth. A Gaussian output beam profile is obtained from the amplifier at all repetition rates. The intracavity VBG also guarantees a high spectral purity by efficiently preventing the build-up of out-of-band ASE. The spectral, spatial and temporal properties of this amplifier make it highly suitable for OPCPA pumping applications.     

Detailed study of the effect of a short prepulse on soft X-ray spectra generated by a high-intensity KrF* laser pulse

The effect of a short prepulse (0.5 ps) on soft X-ray spectra from a plasma generated by a high intensity KrF* laser pulse (main pulse: 0.5 ps, intensity I _main=5.3×10¹⁵ W/cm²) on flat targets of Al and Cu has been studied in detail. The spectra have been measured as a function of the pulse separation t between the two pulses and the prepulse intensity I _pre. It was found that both the overall emission and the line emission increased with t (at constant I _pre) and with I _pre (at constant t). In particular, lines in the shorter wavelength region had higher intensity. The influence of the prepulse on the line emission of specific transitions in the Al spectra was investigated systematicly. An explanation for the observed effects is given.     

Ultrafast nonlinear optical response and high density excitation effects of the stacking fault exciton in BiI3

On the exciton states localized at a two-dimensional stacking fault interface in a layered crystal BiI₃, some nonlinear optical phenomena clearly appear reflecting large transition probability. The optical Stark shift and other high density exciton effect on the energy-shift and the spectral broadening are observed with clear separation under intense laser pumping by time-resolved measurements. The optical Stark shift is analyzed based on the dressed exciton model. The ultrafast optical response faster than 3 ps for the pump-laser field is confirmed on the Stark shift. Degenerate four-wave-mixing signals show fairly long dephasing time of 40 ps in this system. The dephasing probability depends linearly on the pump-laser intensity in the same manner as that of the spectral line-broadening reflecting the relaxation process. The dephasing mechanisms are understood by the exciton scattering at high density in parallel with the spectral changes. The blue-shift due to the high density excitons are discussed on the basis of exciton-exciton interaction in connection with a phase-space filling theory in two-dimensional systems.     

High-power source of coherent picosecond light pulses tunable from 0.41 to 12.9 μm

We report a high-power source of coherent picosecond light pulses based on optical parametric generation and amplification in LiB₃O₅ and AgGaS₂ crystals. The spectral range of this continuously tunable source covers the visible, near-infrared and medium-infrared spectrum from 0.41 to 12.9 m. An optical parametric generator and amplifier, consisting of two type-I phase-matched LiB₃O₅ crystals and a diffraction grating, is pumped by the third harmonic of a picosecond Nd:YAG laser and provides spectrally narrow, high-power pulses from 0.41 to 2.4 m. Energy conversion efficiencies up to 16 percent are achieved. The pulse duration is about 14 ps, the bandwidth between 10 and 30 cm^–1. The tuning range is extended to 12.9 m by mixing the infrared output between 1.16 and 2.13 m with the fundamental of the Nd:YAG laser in type-I-phase-matched AgGaS₂ crystals. Up to 25 percent of the pulse energy at 1.064 m is converted into parametric infrared pulses. Bandwidths between 3 and 8 cm^–1 and a pulse duration of approximately 19 ps are measured for these pulses. We also observe a retracing behaviour in the tuning curve of AgGaS₂ not reported before.     

High-energy handling capabilities of optical fibers: Application to pulse compression and direct generation of megawatt picosecond pulses

The compression of the output of a Q-switched, mode-locked Nd:YAG (130 ps, 1.06 m) is reported for a number of different core-size single mode, multimode and polarization preserving fibers at power levels near the damage threshold. In maximizing the energy throughput, the main limitations are dielectric breakdown and nonlinear induced birefringence. Compressed pulse stability is found to depend critically on core size at this power level. An optimized compressor has been obtained capable of compression factors up to 35 (3.7 ps) with peak power in excess of 2 MW. Second-harmonic generation has been observed in polarization preserving fibers.     

Investigation of the excitation of nitrogen molecules in the positive column of a discharge in a mixture of CO2 and N2

The absolute populations of the electron states of the nitrogen molecule C³_u and B³_g in the positive column of a discharge in a mixture of CO₂ and N₂ at an overall pressure of 2.5 mm Hg, a ratio of the components of 11, and a current of 60 mA, are determined. An estimate is made of the possibility of exciting the electron state C³_u by direct electron collision and by multistage excitation from the electron state B³_g. It is suggested that the most probable process by which the electron state C³_u is excited is multistage excitation from vibrational levels of the electron state B³_g.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 49–52, October, 1972.     

Vibrational relaxation of dye molecules investigated by ultrafast induced dichroism

Theoretical and experimental data are presented on the propagation of picosecond pulses in weakly excited dye solutions. It is shown that the so called coherence peak of the induced dichroism observed at short delay times depends on the vibronic relaxation and the excited state absorption of the dye molecules. Interpretation of the experimental results is considerably facilitated at low excitation level. The vibrational relaxation time in theS ₁ state of phenoxazone 9 was measured to be _v =0.8±0.3 ps, 0.7±0.2 ps and 0.7±0.2 ps, respectively, for the solvents dioxane, solid polystyrene and CCl₄. For rhodamine 6 G in ethanol we find _v =0.5±0.2 ps.     

Growth and vibrational properties of MnOx thin films on Rh(111)

The growth, structures, and vibrational properties of ultrathin manganese oxide films on Rh(111) had been investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), low energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEIS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). MnO_x grew in a layer-by-layer fashion on the Rh(111) surface. HREELS phonon features and XPS binding energies showed that an OMnO like tri-layer formed initially. Which was stable on the Rh(111) surface with MnO_x coverage less than one monolayer. At above one monolayer, Mn₃O₄ was preferred as indicated from a four-phonon feature peaked at 13.3, 39, 68 and 83 meV in HREELS. Higher temperature oxidation and annealing were found to improve the long-range order of the MnO_x films.     

74% Slope efficiency from a diode-pumped Yb3+:LiNbO3:MgO laser crystal

An optimization of the laser action performance from a diode-pumped Yb³⁺-doped LiNbO₃:MgO crystal has been carried out. In this sense, efficient laser action at 1.06 m when pumping with a fiber-coupled laser diode at 980 nm has been demonstrated, achieving laser slope efficiencies as high as 74%. The influence of output mirror transmittance on both pumping threshold and laser slope efficiency has been investigated, and the parameters of relevance in laser dynamics (emission cross section and optical losses) have been determined. Under the experimental conditions leading to maximum slope efficiency, the pump power at threshold was 300mW, and the pump-to-laser conversion efficiency was 40%. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.55.Rz; 42.60.Lh