非线性介质中会聚高功率激光的焦点位置控制

为了控制激光束的传输,使激光光束能根据实际情况在特定的位置聚焦,并且保证在传输过程中光束质量不退化,根据透镜聚焦和非线性介质的自聚焦理论,研究了高功率会聚激光光束在两者共同作用下焦点位置的变化.分析了各种因素对高功率激光光束的焦点位置的影响,并通过数值求解光束在非线性Kerr介质中所遵循的非线性薛定谔方程,得到焦点的位置变化和光束初始束宽,输入功率以及透镜焦距的关系,从而找到了控制焦点位置的方法.基于非线性薛定谔方程,对理论分析进行了相应的模拟验证,结果相互吻合.     

Induced focusing and conversion of a Gaussian beam into an elliptic Gaussian beam

We have presented an investigation of the induced focusing in Kerr media of two laser beams, the pump beam and the probe beam, which could be either Gaussian or elliptic Gaussian or a combination of the two. We have used variational formalism to derive relevant beam-width equations. Among several important findings, the finding that a very week probe beam can be guided and focused when power of both beams are well below their individual threshold for self-focusing, is a noteworthy one. It has been found that induced focusing is not possible for laser beams of any wavelength and beam radius. In case both beams are elliptic Gaussian, we have shown that when power of both beams is above a certain threshold value then the effective radius of both beams collapses and collapse distance depends on power. Moreover, it has been found that induced focusing can be employed to convert a circular Gaussian beam into an elliptic Gaussian beam.     

Interference of transverse rings in multifilamentation of powerful femtosecond laser pulses in air

We observe multiple filaments and interference of their ring structures in the propagation of 14 mJ, 45 fs infrared laser pulse in air. We suggest a simple physical model describing the formation and the interference of rings as the result of superposition of the background field of the whole beam and the fields that diverge from the filaments due to the defocusing in the laser-produced plasma. The size and the number of maxima in the interference pattern depend on the position of the filament formation along the direction of propagation. The simulated picture of the ring structure interference is in qualitative agreement with the one obtained from the experiment.     

Coupled tapering/uptapering of soliton pairs in nonlinear media

Phenomenon of coupled tapering/uptapring of two mutually incoherent beams coaxially co-propagating in a nonlinear medium with small gain or loss has been investigated in this paper using standard parabolic equation approach (PEA) and the results are compared with the results obtained by Beam Propagation Method (BPM), i.e., by direct simulations of the underlying Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation (NLSE). The PEA results are shown to be in excellent agreement with the BPM results. It is seen that both beams of the pair induce uptapering in each other in presence of losses and tapering in presence of gain. When the medium offers gain to the first beam and losses to the other, both beams taper. When the medium offers gain/absorption to only one of the two beams, the beam undergoes self-tapering/self-uptapering and induces a taperd/uptaperd waveguide. The other beam (for which the medium is lossless) uptapers/tapers due to the taperd/uptaperd waveguide created by the first beam.     

Complex geometrical optics of Kerr type nonlinear media

The paper generalizes paraxial complex geometrical optics (PCGO) for Gaussian beam (GB) propagation in nonlinear media of Kerr type. Ordinary differential equations for the beam amplitude and for complex curvature of the wave front are derived, which describe the evolution of axially symmetric GB in a Kerr type nonlinear medium. It is shown that PCGO readily provides the solutions of NLS equation obtained earlier from diffraction theory on the basis of the aberration-free approach. Besides reproducing classical results of self-focusing PCGO readily describes an influence of the initial curvature of the wave front on the beam evolution in a medium of Kerr type including a nonlinear graded-index fiber. The range of applicability of the PCGO theory is discussed as well which is helpful for avoiding nonphysical solutions.     

双环斑激光束在克尔介质中的自聚焦和光斑分裂效应

实验上发现了双环斑激光束在克尔介质中的光斑分裂效应。理论上,通过数值求解非线性薛定谔方程,发现当输入光斑功率超过100 kW/cm2时,产生光斑分裂和自聚焦效应,该阈值明显小于单环斑激光的自聚焦和光斑分裂阈值。我们认为是双环之间的耦合效应导致了这种结果,并给出了具体分析。     

Steady-state self-focusing of Gaussian electromagnetic beams in an inhomogeneous nonlinear medium: Effect of absorption and initial curvature of the beam

The authors have investigated the effect of linear absorption and initial curvature of an electromagnetic Gaussian beam on focusing/defocusing in an inhomogeneous nonlinear medium. Numerical computations have been made for linear inhomogeneity and saturating nonlinearity, characteristic of dielectrics and collisional plasmas. The maximum and minimum of the beam width keep decreasing with increase in distance of propagation (or absorption), till the beam becomes very weak and diverges steeply; penetration in an overdense medium also decreases with increasing absorption. Converging beams initially converge and then go in: (i) the oscillatory divergence (ii) self-focusing or (iii) steady divergence mode, depending upon the initial values of beam width and axial irradiance. The maximum penetration in an overdense medium has the highest values for −0.7<(df/dξ)_ξ=0<0.4 and falls sharply, outside these limits.     

熔石英介质中强紫外激光自聚焦效应研究

 针对脉冲宽度约1 ns、波长为351 nm的三倍频紫外激光，定量分析了熔石英介质中的自聚焦长度、峰值光强与强紫外激光光束质量及环境条件等因素的关系，研究了产生紫外光非线性自聚焦效应的阈值条件。研究结果表明：在强紫外激光光束质量一定的前提下，可将B积分值定义为自聚焦的阈值条件;入射强紫外激光光束质量越差，在熔石英介质中产生自聚焦的阈值条件越低;即使对于空间分布均匀的理想光束，当空气中存在灰尘时，经过一段距离的传输后，在熔石英介质中将导致强紫外激光自聚焦效应的产生，且灰尘尺寸较大时的自聚焦效应较明显,自聚焦的阈值条件也相对较低。     

Effect of rippled laser beam on excitation of ion acoustic wave

Growth of a radially symmetrical ripple, superimposed on a Gaussian laser beam in collisional unmagnetised plasma is investigated. From numerical computation, it is observed that self-focusing of main beam as well as ripple determine the growth dynamics of ripple with the distance of propagation. The effect of growing ripple on excitation of ion acoustic wave (IAW) has also been studied.     

Lie-optic matrix algorithm for computer simulation of paraxial self-focusing in a plasma

Propagation algorithm for computer simulation of stationary paraxial self-focusing laser beam in a medium with saturating nonlinearity is given in Lie-optic form. Accordingly, a very natural piece-wise continuous Lie transformation that reduces to a restricted Lorentz group of the beam results. It gives rise to a matrix method for self-focusing beam propagation that is constructed and implemented. Although the results use plasma nonlinearities of saturable type, and a gaussian initial beam, these results are applicable for other media like linear optical fibers and to more general situations.