Effect of phonon spectrum heating on the formation of laser-induced electron plasma in wide-gap insulators

The effect of lattice heating by laser pulses on the dynamics of electron plasma generation in transparent solids has been theoretically studied. Several ways of taking into account the contribution of the phonon spectrum heating to the electron avalanche dynamics, depending on the type of the effective (with respect to the field energy transfer to electrons) phonons and laser pulse duration, have been proposed. A comparative analysis of the results of Monte Carlo computation of electron gas heating in the laser pulse field, which were obtained for cold and heated lattices, has been performed. It is shown that the consideration of the effect of lattice heating on the probabilities of electron-phonon and electron-phonon-photon scattering leads to an increase in the avalanche rate, which is more pronounced at longer wavelengths of the incident radiation and under longer laser pulses. Some qualitative features of the redistribution of the energy, absorbed during a pulse, between the electron plasma and lattice are revealed, which suggest initiation of irreversible microscopic changes in the insulator. In particular, the ratio R of the energy accumulated in the electron subsystem to the excess (with respect to the initial equilibrium state) energy in the phonon subsystem has been calculated for different initial lattice temperatures. It is shown that this ratio increases with a decrease in the laser wavelength in the computation scheme with lattice heating disregarded and decreases at all pulse durations when the lattice heating is taken into account.     

Effect of heat transfer on the penetration of an electromagnetic pulse into a plasma layer and the inverse skin effect

Penetration of a heating pulse into a plasma layer was studied using the system of coupled nonlinear equations for electric field, electron, and ion temperatures. Numerical calculations of field structure and temperature evolution are performed both in the absence and in the presence of heat transfer. It is established that heat transfer leads to a more rapid penetration of the field near the illuminated surface of the layer and impairs penetration in regions of the layer far from this surface. We found that heat transfer promotes the creation of more favourable conditions for manifestation of the inverse skin effect.     

Measurements of electron transport in foils irradiated with a picosecond time scale laser pulse

The heating of solid foils by a picosecond time scale laser pulse has been studied by using x-ray emission spectroscopy. The target material was plastic foil with a buried layer of a spectroscopic tracer material. The laser pulse length was either 0.5 or 2 ps, which resulted in a laser irradiance that varied over the range 10(16)-10(19) W/cm(2). Time-resolved measurements of the buried layer emission spectra using an ultrafast x-ray streak camera were used to infer the density and temperature conditions as a function of laser parameters and depth of the buried layer. Comparison of the data to different models of electron transport showed that they are consistent with a model of electron transport that predicts the bulk of the target heating is due to return currents.     

物理参数变化对短脉冲激光激励温度场的影响

 为研究多物理参数（耦合系数、电子热导率、电子热容、晶格热容）同时随温度变化对短脉冲激光辐照金属材料产生温度场分布的影响,基于双温耦合理论,建立了短脉冲激光辐照金属材料金的加热过程的有限元求解模型。在同时考虑脉冲激光的空间、时间分布和多参数同时随温度变化的情况下,得到短脉冲激光辐照金属材料金激励产生的温度场二维瞬态分布,并进一步比较了多物理参数同时随温度变化和采用室温物理参数两种情况下温度场分布的区别。数值结果表明：多物理参数同时随温度变化使电子温度和晶格温度的上升变快,最大值变大,而且使得材料中激光穿透直接辐照到的区域温度变高。     

Plasma-field structures during relativistic laser interaction with overdense plasmas at finite electron temperatures

A simple model taking into account the effect of electron temperature is derived to define the plasma-field structures which may arise during relativistically intense laser interaction with overdense plasmas. We show that there exist multilayer solutions with electron cavitation, allowing for both relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities. The influence of finite electron temperature on such structures is studied. Examples of these plasma-field structures for the cases of an infinite plasma and a plasma layer are presented.     

Nonlinear interaction of a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave with a dense laser plasma

The interaction of an intense circularly polarized laser pulse with a layer of plasma of supercritical density is studied. The nonlinear skin effect for the electromagnetic field and the coefficient of collisionless absorption of the laser pulse were calculated analytically. It is shown that, in the process of interaction with the plasma, the laser pulse generates solitons propagating through the plasma layer and transferring the radiation through the opaque medium. The coefficient of transparency of the plasma layer for the soliton-like penetration of the laser radiation was calculated. The plasma parameters at which the collisionless absorption is small as compared to the transformation of the laser energy into solitons were found.     

Anomalies in the Absorption and Reflection of a High-Power Ultrashort Laser Pulse by a Plasma with a Solid-State Density

The patterns of absorption and reflection of an ultrashort laser pulse by a plasma with a solid-state density, which are realized in the mode of the normal skin effect, are studied. It is shown that a decrease in low-power pulse duration shorter than the period corresponding to the fundamental frequency of radiation leads to an increase in the absorption coefficient. If the pulse power is so high as to provide electron heating during a time shorter than the reciprocal fundamental frequency, nonlinear suppression of absorption takes place and the spectrum of the reflected radiation contains odd harmonics of the fundamental frequency.     

Neutron yield upon the irradiation of thin TiD<Subscript>2</Subscript> foils with a superintense laser pulse

The yield of neutrons from the thermonuclear-fusion reaction D(d, n)³He induced in a thin skin layer by the interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse of picosecond duration with thin TiD₂ foils is calculated. A multiple ionization of titanium atoms at the leading edge of the laser pulse is considered. The heating of free electrons proceeds via induced inverse bremsstrahlung in elastic electron scattering on multiply charged titanium ions. The electron temperature is calculated. It proves to be about 10 keV at the laser-pulse intensity of 5×10¹⁸ W/cm² at the peak. The neutron yield is estimated at 10⁴ per laser pulse. These results are in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

激光与近相对论临界密度薄层相互作用产生大电量高能电子束

研究了激光与近相对论临界密度等离子体薄层相互作用时所产生的高能电子束的主要特征,包括平均有效温度以及截止能量等.实验结果表明,电子束的电量超过nC量级,平均有效温度可达8 MeV以上.PIC数值模拟证明,近相对论临界密度等离子体内,相对论自透明效应和激光钻孔效应共同形成一条磁化等离子体通道,电子与激光将在角向磁场的协助下发生Betatron共振.激光可将电子直接加速到很高能量,因此电子束平均有效温度("斜坡温度")远远超过Wilks定标率预计的平均温度.该研究为产生高亮度X射线源提供了一种新的可能途径.     

Modeling of the processes of laser-nanoparticle interaction taking into account temperature dependences of parameters

Absorption, electron-phonon coupling and heating of nanoparticles (NPs) under action of short laser pulses on NPs and their cooling after the end of laser action usually has nonlinear character. Nonlinear electron-phonon coupling under action of pico- and femtosecond pulses on metal NPs depends on electron and lattice parameters. Optical (absorption, scattering, extinction) and thermo-physical (coefficient of thermal conductivity, heat capacity, etc.) parameters of different materials of NPs (metals, oxides, semiconductors, etc.) and environments (water, liquids, dielectrics, etc.) depend on temperature and determine nonlinear dynamics of NPs heating and cooling. It is very important to take into account the temperature dependence of optical and thermophysical parameters of NPs and surrounding media under investigation of absorption of laser radiation, electron-phonon coupling, nanoparticle (NP) heating, heat transfer and its cooling after the end of laser pulse action. Theoretical modeling of the processes of laser-NP interaction taking into account temperature dependences of parameters of NPs and environments was carried out. Influence of temperature dependences of these parameters on values and dynamics of the processes is determined.     

Electron heating in the measurement of electron temperature by Thomson scattering: are thermal plasmas thermal?

Thomson scattering measurements have yielded electron temperatures T(e) up to 7000 K greater than the ion temperature in 1 bar thermal plasmas. To account for laser heating of electrons, T(e) was measured as a function of laser pulse energy, and an unperturbed T(e) obtained by linear extrapolation to zero pulse energy. It is shown that the absorption of laser energy by the electrons, and the cooling of the electrons by collisions and radiative emission, depend strongly on T(e). Considering all these processes gives T(e) values that are in much closer agreement with the ion temperature.     

Modeling the triggering of streamers in air by ultrashort laserpulses

The physical processes involved in the triggering of ionization waves (streamers) by ultrashort laser pulses, focused in air at 350 Torr and in a uniform electric field, are investigated by means of a one-dimensional (1-D) numerical model. The model describes the interaction of the laser pulse with air and takes into account many of the reactions in the laser-created plasma as well as the radial expansion of the plasma. Consequences of the model are that the threshold electric field for the appearance of streamers is an increasing function of the delay between the laser pulse and the electric field pulse and a decreasing function of the laser energy. Also, it appears that the electron temperature, the plasma density and radius, and the conduction of heat across the plasma boundaries play major roles in the capacity of the laser-created plasma to trigger streamers. The results of the model are compared with the available experimental data     

Laser melting of carbide tool surface: Model and experimental studies

Laser controlled melting is one of the methods to achieve structural integrity in the surface region of the carbide tools. In the present study, laser heating of carbide cutting tool and temperature distribution in the irradiated region are examined. The phase change process during the heating is modeled using the enthalpy–porosity method. The influence of laser pulse intensity distribution across the irradiated surface (β) on temperature distribution and melt formation is investigated. An experiment is carried out and the microstructural changes due to laser consecutive pulse heating is examined using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is found that melt depth predicted agrees with the experimental results. The maximum depth of the melt layer moves away from the symmetry axis with increasing β.     

脉冲光纤激光修锐青铜金刚石砂轮等离子体特性研究

采用光栅光谱仪 对脉冲光纤激光修锐青铜金刚石砂轮过程中产生的等离子体空间分辨发射光谱进行了测量. 研究了500–600 nm波段范围内的等离子体空间发射光谱强度随激光平均功率和脉冲重复频率的变化情况. 结果表明: 等离子体辐射光谱强度在其径向膨胀方向上距离砂轮表面约2.4 mm处达到最大值. 在局部热力学平衡假设条件下, 根据等离子体中六条铜原子谱线的相对强度, 利用Boltzmann 图法, 计算得到在不同激光功率和重复频 率条件下的等离子体电子温度沿砂轮径向方向的分布规律. 实验结果表明: 在激光修锐青铜金刚石砂轮过程中, 距离砂轮表面约3 mm处等离子体电子温度出现峰值, 其温度最高可达4380 K, 且等离子体电子温度随着激光参数和 空间位置的改变呈现出不同的演变规律. 关键词： 脉冲光纤激光 等离子体发射光谱 激光修锐 电子温度     

Effects of the evolution of two cross‐focused Gaussian laser beams on the terahertz generation in thermal collisional plasma

Generation of the terahertz (THz) radiation based on the beating of two cross‐focused high intensity Gaussian laser beams in a warm rippled density plasma is numerically investigated, taking into account the ponderomotive force, Ohmic heating, and collisional nonlinearities. The beat ponderomotive force as a result of cross‐focusing of beams induces a vertical velocity component that by coupling with the rippled density gives rise to a nonlinear current deriving THz radiation. The effect of laser beams spot size evolution and plasma parameters on the THz generation is studied. It was found that there exist special electron temperature and laser intensity ranges with “turning points” where the generation of THz radiation reaches its maximum value and outside of these ranges, it disappears. The results also indicated that increasing the background electron density as well as taking into account the collision frequency help THz generation. Moreover, the maximum yield of THz radiation occurs when the beat wave frequency approaches the plasma frequency.     

飞秒超短脉冲激光加热金属平面靶

从能流分析出发,对飞秒超短脉冲激光与金属平面靶相互作用的机制进行了理论研究,对其中主要物理过程的能流损耗作了详尽的分析,并根据一维,双温热扩散模型推导了自由电子温度随时间变化的函数关系.并从理论上推导了超短脉冲近似假设成立的脉宽范围和在此条件下自由电子所能达到的最高温度表达式.     

Comparative Study of Two Methods of Orthogonal Double-Pulse Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Aluminum

Double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (DP-LIBS) of aluminum sample is studied experimentally in orthogonal configuration in air. In this configuration, two schemes of reheating and pre-ablation are examined and the results are compared with single pulse one. The effect of delay time between two laser pulses on emission line intensities of plasma is investigated. Some of the parameters that have been involved in different mechanism of signal enhancement such as plasma temperature, sample heating effects, atmospheric effects, and modification of the ablation dynamics are more discussed. Investigation of the effect of laser pulse energy on emission line intensities in single pulse LIBS experiment demonstrate that because of saturation effects the intensities will not increase necessarily by increasing the laser pulse energy. Moreover, the results show that the electron temperature and rate of mass removal in orthogonal configuration of DP-LIBS is higher than that of single pulse with the same total energy. It is suggested that for correct comparison between single and double pulse results, the optimum pulse energy in single pulse should be considered. Overall, our results demonstrate that under optimized conditions the signal enhancement is much more in pre-ablation configuration than re-heating configuration.     

激光等离子体相互作用的数值模拟

 基于激光等离子体相互作用的复杂物理过程的数学模型，采用PIC方法分别研究了P极化和S极化非均匀短脉冲强激光入射均匀分布的稠密等离子体时引起的空泡、成丝等物理现象。模拟了激光脉冲在真空中的3维传播形貌。由3维密度分布图发现：激光产生的巨大的有质动力向两侧推动粒子，形成等离子体密度通道；当激光脉冲入射等离子体区域后，纵向加速的电子速度峰值出现在电流峰值处。     

Vacuum heating of solid target irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

The interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with solid targets was studied through experiments and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. It is proved that the vacuum heating and the inverse bremsstralung process are the main mechanisms of the laser pulse absorption under such conditions. The distribution of hot electrons and that of X-ray are found to have double-temperature structure, which is confirmed by PIC simulations. While the lower temperature is attributed to the resonant absorption, the higher one, however, is caused by the laser-induced electric field in the target normal direction. The time-integrated spectra ofthe reflected laser pulse shows that the mechanism of electron acceleration is determined by the plasma density profile.