Ionisation of Rydberg hydrogen atom near a metal surface by short pulse laser

In the ionisation of Rydberg hydrogen atoms near a metal surface,the electron will escape from the nucleus and arrive at the detector in a time sequence.This probability flux train relies on the initial electron wave packet irradiated by the laser pulse.For simplicity,the laser pulse is usually simplified to a delta function in energy domain,resulting in a sharp initial arrival time with an exponentially decaying tail at the detector.Actually and semiclassically,the initial outgoing wave should be modeled as an ensemble of trajectories propagating away from the atomic core in all directions with a range of launch times and a range of energies.In this case,each pulse in the pulse train is averaged out rather than a sharp profile.We examine how energy and time averaging of the electron wave packet affects the resolution of escaping electron pulses and study the energy dependence of the arrival time for each pulse in the ionisation train.An optimization condition for the laser pulse shape to generate narrow ionisation electron pulse in the train is obtained.The ionisation rates with various excitation energy are calculated also,which show the excitation to higher N Rydberg states will narrow the electron pulse as well.     

Transient localized electron dynamics simulation during femtosecond laser tunnel ionization of diamond

A real-time and real-space time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) is applied to simulate the nonlinear electron–photon interactions during femtosecond laser processing of diamond when tunnel ionization dominates. The transient localized electron dynamics including the electron excitation, energy absorption and electron density evolution are described in this Letter. In addition, the relationships among average absorbed energy, Keldysh parameter and laser intensity are revealed when the laser frequency is fixed.     

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.     

Ultra-short pulse laser interaction with transparent dielectrics

The interaction of intense, ultra-short laser pulses (USLP) with a surface of transparent dielectrics is considered. The combination of multi-photon absorption and impact ionization generates a plasma layer at the dielectric boundary. Interaction with the plasma self-consistently determines the amount of reflected, transmitted and absorbed light, and the spatial distribution of electron density. In the present paper, we model the interaction of USLP with transparent dielectrics. We calculate the evolution of electron density profiles and the variation of reflection, transmission and absorption of laser radiation during the pulse. We show that the laser-created surface plasma acts as a filter transmitting only the leading edge of the laser pulse. The transmitted energy is approximately fixed, nearly independent of input pulse energy. The transmitted energy increases with pulse duration. This increased energy is manifested in the formation of cylindrical shock waves directly applicable to recent experiments investigating absorption and shock generation in water. PACS 79.20.Ds; 81.15.Fg; 05.45.Pg     

脉冲CO2激光烧蚀锡靶等离子体的数值研究

使用一维辐射流体力学程序MULTI模拟了脉冲CO2激光烧蚀平面锡靶的过程,研究了脉冲宽度、峰值功率密度、靶材初始密度对锡等离子体电子密度、电子温度的时空分布的影响,并结合统计分析得到最有利于产生13.5 nm 极紫外光的激光脉冲宽度。模拟结果表明,脉冲宽度为100~200 ns的长脉冲激光产生的等离子体有利于实现极紫外输出的最佳条件,通过分析等离子体的电子密度、电子温度的分布对这一结论进行了解释。临界电子密度区域有效吸收了脉冲能量,而低密度的羽辉对激光与极紫外辐射的吸收很少。采用长脉冲激光,使得辐射极紫外等离子体持续时间更长,是提高极紫外辐射效率的有效手段。同时模拟还发现,靶材初始密度对等离子体参数的影响不大。     

Femtosecond laser-induced heating of electron gas in aluminium

The distribution function of free electrons in metal is calculated for irradiation of aluminium with an ultrashort laser pulse of moderate intensity. We consider inverse Bremsstrahlung absorption, electron-electron and electron-phonon interaction. Our theoretical model is based on Boltzmann equations and describes each considered process by a corresponding collision integral. The results show the excitation and relaxation of the free electron gas. Energy transfer to the phonon gas is calculated. Our model predicts linear absorption for intensities up to damage threshold. The calculated absorbed energy compares very well with known absorption characteristics.     

High-throughput rear-surface drilling of microchannels in glass based on electron dynamics control using femtosecond pulse trains

This study proposes a rear-surface ablation enhancement approach to fabricate high-aspect-ratio microchannels by temporally shaping femtosecond laser pulse trains. In the case study of K9 glass, enhancements of up to a 56 times higher material removal rate and a three times greater maximum drilling depth are obtained by the proposed method, as compared with conventional femtosecond laser drilling at the same processing parameters. The improvements are due to the changes of photon-electron interactions by shaping femtosecond pulse train, which can effectively adjust the photon absorption and localized transient material properties by changing electron dynamics such as free electron densities.     

纳秒激光脉冲在空气中聚焦的临界自由电子密度问题

实验研究了高功率纳秒量级激光脉冲在空气中聚焦时的能量透过率随输入激光脉冲能量变化的规律,发现在纳秒激光脉冲聚焦半径相同的情况下,激光脉冲的能量透过率随入射激光脉冲能量的变化可分为三种情况：当入射激光脉冲能量较低时,激光脉冲能量全部通过;当入射激光脉冲能量增大后,激光脉冲的能量透过率由近100%迅速减小;当入射激光脉冲的能量进一步增加时,激光脉冲的能量透过率继续缓慢变小.用临界自由电子密度以及所对应的临界时间点对上述实验现象进行了理论分析得到了如下结论：当自由电子密度未达到临界自由电子密度时,多光子电离过程起主要作用,而当自由电子密度超过临界自由电子密度后,逆韧致吸收过程起主要作用,临界时间点是入射激光脉冲与空气作用过程中自由电子密度达到临界自由电子密度的时刻.入射激光脉冲能量决定了临界时间点在脉冲作用时间上的位置,临界时间点的位置决定了激光脉冲的能量透过率.可以通过测量激光脉冲的能量透过率来计算出临界自由电子密度,从而确定出激光脉冲在空气中聚焦时的能量透过特性. 关键词： 临界自由电子密度 临界时间点 多光子电离 逆韧致吸收     

Investigation of the effect of plasma waves excitation on target normal sheath ion acceleration using fs laser‐irradiating hydrogenated structures

Measurements of ion acceleration in polymethylmethacrylate foils covered by a thin copper film irradiated by fs laser in target normal sheath acceleration regime are presented. The ion acceleration depends on the laser parameters, such as the pulse energy; depends on the irradiation conditions, such as the focal point position of the laser with respect to the target surface; and depends on the target properties, such as the metallic film thickness. The proton acceleration increases in the presence of the metallic film enhancing the plasma electron density, reaching about 1.6 MeV energy for a focal position on the target surface. The plasma diagnostics uses SiC detectors, absorber foils, Faraday cups, and gafchromic films. Employing p‐polarized laser light and a suitable oblique incidence, it is possible to increase the proton acceleration up to about 2.0 MeV thanks to the effects of laser absorption resonance due to plasma waves excitation.     

超短脉冲激光与微小水滴相互作用中电子密度和光场的时空分布

为了研究超短激光脉冲和液滴相互作用过程中电子密度和光场的变化,基于非线性麦克斯韦方程组和电离速率方程,构建了激光等离子体非线性瞬态时域耦合模型,对飞秒激光脉冲击穿微米量级水滴时的电子密度和光场的时空分布进行了计算.结果显示水滴的击穿阈值最小可达2 TW/cm~2,为同等条件下无边界水介质击穿阈值的1/4.随着脉冲能量增强,水滴内自由电子密度峰值区域逆着激光入射方向移动,且入射光越强,水滴对光传播的屏蔽越明显.光束在水滴出射端外部汇聚,汇聚点的光功率密度可达入射光的5倍,且时域波形出现压缩和变形.另外,水滴对激光能量的吸收系数随光强增大而增大,并最终趋于饱和.     

Picosecond two-dimensional “halo” superradiance and laser in rhodamin 6G

Two-dimensional “halo” superradiance and laser operation has been induced in Rhodamin 6G dye by picosecond pulse excitation. At single pulse excitation under special pumping conditions a 30 ps merging superradiation propagating simultaneously in every direction of the plane was observed. In the case of pulse train excitation, contrary to the general observations made on conventional “one-dimensional” lasers, the duration of the thus obtained laser radiation was found to be longer by two orders of magnitude than of the excitation and to increase from pulse to pulse in the train.     

Prospects for Further Development of Self-Heated Lasers on the Self-Contained Transitions of a Copper Atom

An analysis of the causes restricting the frequency–energy characteristics of a copper vapor laser is carried out. The principal cause of the restriction is shown to be the high deexcitation rate of the higher laser levels into the ionized state. This involves a strong increase in the expenditures of energy for the population inversion with a rise in the electron density before the pulse and a high $Q$ factor of the discharge circuit at the end of the exciting pulse. The high Q factor of the discharge circuit is responsible for the oscillatory process of energy dissipation within the time spacing between pulses. This energy is stored in the reactive component of impedance of the discharge tube during the excitation pulse. The oscillatory dissipation defines a slow relaxation of the lower laser levels within the time spacing between the pulses. Analysis of the conditions of population inversion formation in a copper vapor laser shows that the active medium should be pumped in a two-pulse excitation mode to realize the energy potential of the laser of 1–2 kW/liter. The advantages of such an excitation mode over the traditional single-pulse excitation are confirmed.     

High-energy planar self-guiding dye laser

A new, planar dye laser with flashlamp excitation is presented. The laser takes advantage of the non-uniform distribution of the refractive index set up by the pumping pulse in the active medium, and allows a full utilization of the highest gain region of the dye solution. The dye cell is rectangular and pumped by two arrays of linear flashtubes. The thickness of the cell can be optimized for high-efficiency operation and turns out to be only a few absorption lengths of the active dye at optimum concentration. Output energies as large as 14 J in about 100 μs have been obtained from a not fully optimized laser, with an overall efficiency of 0.7% and an energy density of about 7 J/cm³.     

Bleaching in the region of exciton resonance of layered GaSe crystals

Light absorption in the region of exciton resonance of GaSe crystal is studied experimentally at high levels of optical excitation. A picosecond YAG:Nd³⁺ laser emitting 30-ps light pulses and a dye laser with a pulse width of ～3 ns tunable within the range 594–643 nm were used as light sources. It was found that, at high levels of optical excitation, the exciton absorption line of the GaSe crystal disappeared, which was attributed to increasing exciton density with arising mechanisms of their decay: exciton-exciton interactions and screening of excitons by the free charge-carrier plasma. It is shown that these mechanisms are also responsible for the arising new emission band in the long-wavelength region of the photoluminescence spectrum.     

Electron detachment from negative hydrogen and lithium ions by an ultrashort laser pulse

A model of electron detachment from negative ions is based on the approximation of instantaneous perturbation. A simple analytical representation for the ground state of the weakly bound electron is chosen to reproduce the radial distribution of electron density at any distance from the center of the ion. The probabilities of electron detachment from negative hydrogen and lithium ions are derived as functions of the transferred momentum of the laser field. The contribution of the inner shells of ions to the electron detachment is estimated. The momentum distribution of electrons in the final state is obtained. The effect of a pulse train on the total probability of detachment is considered for different pulse polarities. The conditions for the partial electron return to the initial state are revealed.     

超强飞秒激光与固体靶产生的超热电子加热机制

 在SILEX-1激光器上测量了超强飞秒激光与Ta靶相互作用产生的出射超热电子能谱及角分布,研究了出射超热电子加热机制。激光脉宽为 30 fs,激光功率密度为8.5×10¹⁸ W/cm²。靶前法线方向超热电子温度为550 keV。从实验结果可知：共振吸收是靶前法线方向超热电子主要加热机制,这与靶前存在大密度标长预等离子体的实验条件吻合。靶厚为6～50 μm时,靶后超热电子沿法线方向出射;靶厚为2 mm时,该发射峰消失。     

Multiphoton absorption and luminescence of osmium tetroxide

Both the multiphoton absorption and the luminescence brightness of osmium tetroxide induced by absorption of temporally smooth CO₂ 10P(20) laser pulses of 10 and 40 ns FWHM have been measured for pressures in the range 6.7 to 200 Pa. A dependence of these phenomena on laser pulse length is observed. Comparison of the luminescence brightness to the average excitation shows that the distribution of the multiphoton excitation depends on the laser pulse intensity for the two pulse lengths studied.Issued as AECL Contribution No. 8806     

Surface scattering resonance absorption of free electron in nano structured materials

A physical model has been established for calculating the electronic transportation in nano structured material when it is irradiated by a laser pulse with a power density in a magnitude of GW/cm². The Monte Carlo technique has been selected to deal with the electron scattering process. In the process of electrons absorbing laser energy, a surface scattering resonance absorption mechanism and a small-size effect can be found. The regularities of electron energy changes with laser wavelength, structure dimension, and orientation of nano-line have been analyzed.     

Time–space transformation of femtosecond free‐electron laser pulses by periodical multilayers

A scattering scheme to probe the time evolution of femtosecond pulses of a soft X‐ray free‐electron laser (FEL) in a multilayer structure is presented. The response of periodic multilayers (MLs) with low and high absorption and various numbers of bi‐layers to a pulse train of Gaussian‐shaped sub‐pulses is calculated. During the passage of the incident pulse the interaction length increases and the scattering profile changes as a function of the spatial position of the pulse within the sample. Owing to stretching of the reflected pulse compared with the incident pulse, the time‐dependent scattering evolution in the ML can be visualized along a spatial coordinate of a position‐sensitive detector. Using a scattering geometry where the mean energy of the incident pulse train is slightly detuned from the energy of maximum reflectivity at the first‐order peak, the response of the ML shows an oscillator behaviour along this spatial coordinate at the detector. For a FEL wavelength of 6.4 nm this effect is promising for MLs with low absorption, such as La/C for example. On the other hand, the oscillations will not be present for MLs with high absorption. Therefore a low‐absorbing ML is a sensitive tool for studying the possible change of sample absorption caused by femtosecond‐pulse interaction with matter.