Diffractive lenses for high-power terahertz radiation beams

Techniques for manufacturing silicon binary (two-level) diffractive lenses and polypropylene kinoform diffractive lenses for the terahertz spectrum range are described. The elements are 1 and 0.8 mm thick, respectively. The silicon lens is manufactured in two versions: with no coating and with a parylene C (polyparaxylylene) antireflection coating. Characteristics of the diffractive optical elements are studied in the beam of a pulse-periodic free electron laser at a radiation wavelength of 141 μm and a repetition rate of 5.6MHz. The radiation resistance of the parylene coating, tested on the Novosibirsk free electron laser, was not impaired when the coating was exposed to an average power density of 4 kW cm^?2, the peak power in a 100-picosecond pulse being almost 8 MW cm^?2.     

Dynamics of high-temperature plasma formation during laser irradiation of three-dimensionally structured,low-density matter

Results are presented from an experimental investigation of the properties of the plasma produced by the action of a radiation pulse at the second harmonic of a Nd laser, with average intensity ~5·10¹⁴ W/cm² in the focal spot, on flat targets consisting of porous polypropylene (CH)_x with an average density of 0.02 g/cm³ (close to the critical plasma density) and with ~50 μm pores. The properties of the laser plasma obtained with porous and continuous targets are substantially different. The main differences are volume absorption of the laser radiation in the porous material and much larger spatial scales of energy transfer. The experimentally measured longitudinal ablation velocity in the porous material was equal to (1.5–3)·10⁷ cm/s, which corresponds to a mass velocity of (3–6)·10⁵ g/cm²· s, and the transverse (with respect to the direction of the laser beam) propagation velocity of the thermal wave was equal to ~(1–2) ·10⁷ cm/s. The spatial dimensions of the plasma plume were ~20–30μm. The plasma was localized in a 200–400μm region inside the target. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 7, 462–467 (10 October 1996)     

Spatio-temporal evolution scenarios of femtosecond laser pulse filamentation in fused silica

We investigated the evolution of femtosecond laser pulses at different wavelengths corresponding to normal, zero, and anomalous regimes of group velocity dispersion (GVD) in fused silica. The laser pulse filamentation in different GVD regimes under the same similarity parameters was first considered. It was established numerically that the scenario of the pulse filamentation depends both on temporal factors, which are determined by pulse GVD and self-phase modulation, and spatial factors associated with Kerr self-focusing and plasma defocusing. In presence of strong normal GVD the dispersive stretching causes, a pulse power decrease followed by lowering of the intensity in filament, electron density reduction in plasma channel, and suppressing of the refocusing. For zero GVD the multipeak regime of radiation propagation is realized in the filament as a result of recurring self-focusings of powerful pulse tail, which was defocused in laser plasma. When GVD is anomalous a sequence of ??light bullets?? with duration about 10 fs forms in the filament. And the peak intensity in ??light bullet?? stays the same ?? 5 × 10¹³ W/cm². In the regime of anomalous GVD power is transferred from the pulse edges to its center, where the repeated self-focusings occur and form a ??light bullet?? sequence.     

Impurity induced far infrared absorption in doped NaCl and KCl

Far infrared absorption measurements with NaCl single crystals doped with AgCl and CuCl respectively show resonant band mode lines at 4.2 ?K at 52.5 cm^?1 and 23.6 cm^?1 respectively. Their measured halfwidths are 10 cm^?1 and 0.7 cm^?1 respectively. The halfwidth of the NaCl: Cu⁺ line increases strongly with increasing temperature. In NaCl:Mg⁺⁺, NaCl:Ca⁺⁺ and NaCl:Ag⁺ a temperature independent broad absorption is observed above 50 cm^?1, which behaves roughly as the density of phonon states in the unperturbed crystal. In KCl: Cu⁺ and KCl: Br^? a temperature independent absorption with a maximum at 108 cm^?1 is obtained corresponding to an expected region of high density.     

Study of boron and molybdenum plasmas on multipulse interaction of femtosecond radiation with a target

Laser plasmas generated by femtosecond radiation on the surface of boron and molybdenum targets are investigated by the shadowgraph method. The modes of single-pulse and multipulse interaction of laser radiation with a target are compared. The occurrence of plasma bullets is discussed, which were observed on both single-pulse and multipulse interaction with the same area of a target. The wavefront velocities of expanding boron and molybdenum plasmas were measured to be 5 × 10⁴ and 6 × 10³ m s^?1, respectively. The electron density measured by interferometry using a time delay of 800 ps in a boron plasma excited by 795-nm radiation with an intensity of 10¹⁶ W cm^?2 amounted to 8 × 10¹⁹ cm^?3. The correlation between some specific features of the plasma and the generation of the 3/2 harmonic, observed on multipulse interaction of femtosecond radiation with a boron target, is discussed.     

Small-angle neutron scattering studies on the structure of radiation defects in neutron-irradiated synthetic quartz

The supra-atomic structure of single crystals of synthetic quartz with a dislocation density of 54 cm^?2 in their initial state and after irradiation in a VVR-M reactor by fast neutrons with the energy, E _n > 0.1 MeV, at fluences of 2.3 × 10¹⁹ and 4.5 × 10¹⁹ N/cm², has been studied by the method of small-angle thermal neutron scattering. It has been established that fast neutrons create point, linear, and bulk defects throughout the entire material. It has been shown that extended defects have a significant integral length per volume unit equal to ??3 × 10¹¹ cm/cm³, and can form a consolidated network in the sample with a cell size of ??30 nm, through the channels of which the migration of impurity atoms and molecules is possible.     

Hydrodynamics of a dense plasma created during laser annealing pulses

We show that an electron-hole plasma with density well above the droplet one (≈ 10¹⁸ cm^?3 in Si) expands very fast. Adding Auger recombination and phonon collisions, the maximum density for typical laser annealing pulses is found to be at most a few times 10²⁰ cm^?3. As a plasma density of a few times 10²¹ cm^?3 is necessary to modify the stability of the solid, we conclude that the laser pulse has essentially a thermal effect.     

Improvement of laser keyhole formation with the assistance of arc plasma in the hybrid welding process of magnesium alloy

In the previous work, low-power laser/arc hybrid welding technique is used to weld magnesium alloy and high-quality weld joints are obtained. In order to make clear the interactions between low-power laser pulse and arc plasma, the effect of arc plasma on laser pulse is studied in this article. The result shows that the penetration of low-power laser welding with the assistance of TIG arc is more than two times deeper than that of laser welding alone and laser welding transforms from thermal-conduction mode to keyhole mode. The plasma behaviors and spectra during the welding process are studied, and the transition mechanism of laser-welding mode is analyzed in detail. It is also found that with the assistance of arc plasma, the threshold value of average power density to form keyhole welding for YAG laser is only 3.3×10⁴ W/cm², and the average peak power density is 2.6×10⁵ W/cm² in the present experiment. Moreover, the distribution of energy density during laser pulse is modulated to improve the formation and stability of laser keyholes.     

Magnetoresistivity in a tilted magnetic field in p-Si/SiGe/Si heterostructures with an anisotropic g-factor. Part II

The magnetoresistance components ??xx and ??xy are measured in two p-Si/SiGe/Si quantum wells that have an anisotropic g-factor in a tilted magnetic field as a function of the temperature, field, and tilt angle. Activation energy measurements demonstrate the existence of a ferromagnetic-paramagnetic (F-P) transition for the sample with the hole density p = 2 × 10¹¹ cm^?2. This transition is due to the crossing of the 0?? and 1?? Landau levels. However, in another sample with p = 7.2 × 10¹⁰ cm^?2, the 0?? and 1?? Landau levels coincide for angles ?? = 0?C70°. Only for ?? > 70° do the levels start to diverge which, in turn, results in the energy gap opening.     

Decay and recondensation of electron-hole liquid in germanium under CO2 laser pulse irradiation: Investigation by microwave conductivity measurements

In microwave conductivity investigations of photoexcited germanium at low temperatures under CO₂ laser pulse irradiation the evaporation of EHL and e-h plasma formation have been observed. This plasma irreversibly vanishes at high CO₂ laser intensities I_CO2 >4 × 10⁵ W cm^?2 but recondenses at low intensities. It was found that complete and irreversible disappearance of EHL is due to the e-h plasma throw out to the crystal boundaries by phonon wind, generated in 10.6 μm radiation absorption whereas at I_CO2 > 10⁶ W cm^?2 it is connected with the crystal lattice heating over the condensation critical temperature. A theoretical analysis of the CO₂ laser produced phonon wind interaction with e-h plasma is briefly presented. By comparing with experimental data on recondensation process the phonon wind efficiency is estimated.     

Interband phototransitions involving free electrons: Part II. Crystals with an indirect band gap

Nonlinear absorption of laser radiation with a photon energy lower than the indirect band gap of crystal has been considered. It is shown that, as in the case of direct-gap materials, single-photon resonance at the transitions between two conduction bands even at radiation intensities j ?? 10⁵?C10⁶ W/cm² yields a range of j values where optical absorption and concentration of nonequilibrium electron-hole pairs increase very sharply with an increase in j.     

The synthesis of organic molecules in a laser plasma similar to the plasma that emerges in hypervelocity collisions of matter at the early evolutionary stage of the Earth and in interstellar clouds

Ions of organic molecules and polymers as well as multiply ionized hydrocarbons were synthesized and detected with a time-of-flight mass analyzer in laboratory experiments simulating with a laser the plasma processes that accompany a hypervelocity micrometeorite impact on the target surface. A hypervelocity impact of micrometeorites moving at velocities of 80 km s^?1 on a inorganic target was simulated with a Q-switched laser. The laser provided a power density of 10⁹?10¹¹ W cm^?2 in a spot with an impact diameter of 30–150 μm for a pulse duration of 7–10 ns and a laser plasma electron density of 10⁵?10⁶ K. The ions of organic compounds are shown to be synthesized mostly during the free expansion of a hot laser plasma at the stage of its cooling and recombination if, initially, the plasma was completely atomized and ionized. Molecular ions have high yields only for a carbon target. The results obtained indicate that organic or other polyatomic compounds can be abiogenically synthesized in intense hypervelocity meteorite impacts on the Earth’s surface at the early stage of its formation during meteorite showers and in hypervelocity collisions of dust particles in interstellar molecular clouds.     

Dependence of the threshold voltage in indium-phosphide pore formation on the electrolyte composition

Results of the experimental determination of the threshold voltage of pore formation for n-InP (100) crystals with a charge-carrier density of 2.3 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3 are presented. The threshold voltage of pore formation is shown to be a function of the electrolyte composition, in particular, of the acid concentration in the electrolyte solution. A 5% solution of hydrochloric acid is the most suitable etchant for obtaining high-quality porous indium phosphide films. It is possible to obtain a nanoporous layer that consists of pores 40 nm in diameter spaced by 5–10 nm. The porosity in this case is 45%.     

Raman scattering from optically pumped electron-hole plasma in insulating GaAs

We measured the single particle Raman Scattering from an optically pumped electron-hole plasma in bulk insulating GaAs, using IR radiation of 1.06 μm to both excite and probe the plasma. The relevant theory is derived in terms of a Landau generalized quasi-particle picture and we show how many-body effects are discernible in the spectrum. The results of the experiment lend independent support to the model of two-photon absorption in GaAs and allowed us to place a lower bound of 1 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 for the threshold of saturation effects in the density of photo-generated electron-hole pairs in bulk GaAs.     

Spectroscopic diagnostics of carbon and aluminum laser-produced plasmas

VUV emission spectra of plasmas produced by focusing laser radiation with intensity of 10¹⁰–10¹¹ W/cm² on carbon and aluminum targets were studied. Using the partial local thermodynamic equilibrium model for an electron density exceeding 10¹⁷ cm^?3, the spectroscopic diagnostics and the analysis of ion composition of plasmas were carried out. The electron temperatures determined for carbon and aluminum plasmas from the ratio of intensities of ionic lines were found to be 8±3 eV and 11±4 eV, respectively. Stark broadening of aluminum lines was measured and parameters of electron broadening were determined. Using the spatially resolved measurement of Stark line broadening, the spatial density distribution and the law of electron gas expansion were found. The electron gas in the hot region of size 5 mm with an average density of (5±2) 10₁₇cm ^?3 experienced one-dimensional expansion according to the law 1/z ^1.1 with increasing distance z from the target.     

Line intensities of methane in the 2700–2862-cm−1 region

Individual strengths and wavenumbers of 2080 methane absorption lines have been measured between 2700 and 2862 cm^?1 at an average resolution of 0.023 cm^?1 using a grating spectrometer. The results include all lines with strengths greater than 3 × 10^?5 cm^?2 atm^?1 observable at 296 K with a maximum path of 32 m and a pressure of 4 Torr.     

Changes in K-208 glass transmittance spectra under ionizing radiation and molecular fluxes

The effect of 40-keV electron and proton radiation with a flux density of 5 × 10 cm^?2 s^?1 on the deposition of products of thermostimulated gas release from a polymer composite on a substrate made from protective K-208 glass used for the protection of spacecraft solar panels is experimentally investigated. Analysis of the obtained results shows that, unlike proton radiation, electron radiation results in an increase in the optical density of the glass and stimulates the deposition of gas-release products. It is established that the majority of effects generated as a result of exposure of the substrate to electron radiation are neutralized by protons upon combined irradiation with electrons and protons.     

Cooperative emission of dye molecules at high dephasing rates

The dependence of the emission of a concentrated (～10¹⁹ cm^?3 solution of Rhodamine C on the power density Φ of exciting laser radiation was studied. The emission intensity for the power density of exciting radiation above ～10²⁵ cm^?2 s^?1 was found to have a nearly quadratic dependence on the power density Φ, and this emission was interpreted as the cooperative spontaneous emission of a Dicke type. For Φ?10²⁵ cm^?2 s^?1, the emission intensity increased with increasing Φ according to the exponential law. This emission was interpreted as the amplified spontaneous emission. The spectra of cooperative emission depended on the pump radiation power only weakly. The absence of lasing in dye solutions at high concentrations, which is a well-known phenomenon, was shown to be caused by the development of the cooperative spontaneous emission and not by the concentration quenching, and the former process is more rapid than the latter.