Transition to the relativistic regime in high order harmonic generation

Experiments and computer simulations on the generation of high order harmonics from steep plasma gradients using intense femtosecond laser pulses are presented. Qualitative changes in the harmonic emission take place when the intensities are increased above 10(19) W/cm2 and/or the plasma scale length is varied. Good agreement between experimental and calculated spectra makes it possible to clearly distinguish between nonrelativistic and relativistic mechanisms of harmonic generation.     

Coherent and incoherent XUV emission in helium and neon,laser-driven plasmas

The authors present results of measurements of high-order harmonic generation and XUV spontaneous emission in helium and neon plasmas excited by a short pulse laser at intensities between 10¹⁴ and 5×10¹⁷ W/cm². They compare the observed behavior of the harmonics with recent single atom calculations in helium. A wavelength dependence to the efficiency of harmonic generation that has not been previously reported is observed. Line emission from excited state transitions in Ne⁷⁺ in a short pulse laser-driven plasma is also observed. In particular, strong emission and a rapid recombination rate for the 9.8-nm (3d-2p) transition that is a possible candidate for a recombination-pumped X-ray laser is shown     

Tunable resonant third harmonic generation of picosecond pulses in sodium vapour

High efficient (η 8%) phase-matched third harmonic generation of 12 ps pulses in sodium vapour has experimentally been investigated. The characteristics of the ultraviolet signal at 200 nm depending on tuning near two-photon resonance and the incident laser power were measured. A saturation effect of the picosecond pump at substantially higher intensity (10² GW/cm²) in comparison with the corresponding intensity of nanosecond pulses was observed. A theoretical treatment of these results is presented.     

Coherent control of high-order harmonics generated with intense femtosecond laser pulses

Experimental results and theoretical analysis on the coherent control of high-order harmonics with chirped femtosecond laser pulses are presented. The coherent control of high-order harmonic generation resulted in sharp harmonic spectra by compensating for induced harmonic chirp with the control of applied laser chirp and it was found to be crucial also in producing sharp and bright harmonics.Received: 18 November 2002, Published online: 8 July 2003PACS: 42.65.Ky Frequency conversion; harmonic generation, including higher-order harmonic generation - 32.80.-t Photon interactions with atoms - 42.65.Re Ultrafast processes; optical pulse generation and pulse compression     

High-order optical harmonic generation from solid surfaces

During the interaction of an intense ultrashort laser pulse with solid targets, a thin layer of surface plasma is generated in which the density drops to the vacuum level in a distance much shorter than the wavelength. This sharp plasma-vacuum boundary performs an oscillatory motion in response to the electromagnetic forces of the intense laser light. It is shown that the generation of reflected harmonics can be interpreted as a phase modulation experienced by the light upon reflection from the oscillating boundary. The modulation side-bands of the reflected frequency spectrum correspond to odd and even harmonics of the laser frequency. Retardation effects lead to a strong anharmonicity for high velocities of the plasma-vacuum boundary. As a result, harmonic generation is strongly enhanced in the relativistic regime of laser intensities.Prof. F. P. Schäfer on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

超相对论强度激光与薄膜靶作用中0.4 nm以下X射线阿秒脉冲的产生

用一维粒子模拟程序对功率密度在10²² W/cm²以上的超强激光驱动薄膜靶产生的相对论电子层及其经过汤姆孙散射产生的阿秒X射线进行了研究. 结果表明, 在超相对论强度范围下增大驱动激光强度, 相应减小等离子体密度及厚度可使电子层获得更高纵向动量, 使汤姆孙散射光明显向更短波长移动. 优化相关参数得到了波长为 1.168 nm的阿秒脉冲. 经过对倍频探测光方案与驱动光以及薄膜靶参数进行综合考虑和优化, 得到的X射线相干辐射波长有效减小到0.4 nm以下, 产生的光子能量达到2 keV以上. 关键词： 超相对论强度激光 阿秒X射线 相对论电子层 汤姆孙后向散射     

Effects of electron relaxation on multiple harmonic generation from metal surfaces with femtosecond laser pulses

Calculations are presented for the first four (odd and even) harmonics of an 800 nm laser from a gold surface, with pulse widths ranging from 100 down to 14 fs. For peak laser intensities above 1 GW/cm² the harmonics are enhanced because of a partial depletion of the initial electron states. At 10¹¹ W/cm² of peak laser intensity the calculated conversion efficiency for 2nd-harmonic generation is 3 × 10⁻⁹, while for the 5th-harmonic it is 10⁻¹⁰. The generated harmonic pulses are broadened and delayed relative to the laser pulse because of the finite relaxation times of the excited electronic states. The finite electron relaxation times cause also the broadening of the autocorrelations of the laser pulses obtained from surface harmonic generation by two time-delayed identical pulses. Comparison with recent experimental results shows that the response time of an autocorrelator using nonlinear optical processes in a gold surface is shorter than the electron relaxation times. This seems to indicate that for laser pulses shorter than ∼30 fs, the fast nonresonant channel for multiphoton excitation via continuum-continuum transitions in metals becomes important as the resonant channel becomes slow (relative to the laser pulse) and less efficient.     

基于半解析自洽理论研究相对论激光脉冲驱动下阿秒X射线源的产生

发展了一种描述相对论激光脉冲与稠密等离子体相互作用产生阿秒X射线源的半解析自洽理论.该理论模型不仅可以获得等离子体界面的振荡轨迹、振荡面电场和磁场等物理参数,而且能够精确计算出激光脉冲驱动下阿秒X射线源的频谱,结果与粒子模拟程序一致.理论计算结果表明阿秒X射线源的辐射特性与等离子体界面随时演化过程相关,在周期量级激光场驱动下等离子体界面振荡振幅呈现中心不对称,通过改变激光场的载波包络相位实现对等离子体界面振荡的控制,获得准单阿秒X射线源.     

不同激光等离子体条件下的阿秒光脉冲产生

通过一维粒子模拟研究了利用相对论少周期强激光与固体密度等离子体表面相互作用实现单个孤立阿秒光脉冲产生的参数条件。主要研究描述相互作用的多维参数,如激光强度、入射角和等离子体标尺长度等,对相对论高次谐波能量转换效率和孤立阿秒光脉冲分离度的影响。研究发现,虽然激光等离子体参数对阿秒光脉冲产生的影响是复杂的,但是存在着能够实现大能量孤立阿秒光脉冲的最佳等离子体标尺长度和最佳入射角。当其他相互作用条件确定时,使用中等强度的相对论强激光可以在较宽的参数范围内实现孤立的阿秒光脉冲。大角度入射时,孤立阿秒光脉冲的分离度较高,能够实现孤立阿秒光脉冲的相互作用参数范围也较宽。     

Laser coupling to nuclei via collective electronic oscillations—a simple heuristic model study

The induction field coupling of laser-driven collective electronic oscillations has been proposed as an interlevel transfer mechanism for a gamma-ray laser. Using a heuristic classical model for the electron oscillations, we verify in the model six general features which we conjecture are valid for laser-induced collective oscillations: (1) enhancement of the electric field seen by the nucleus, (2) harmonic generation, (3) generation of higher multipoles, (4) odd (even) order multipoles couple to odd (even) harmonics, (5) there exists an optimum laser intensity for each multipole order and harmonic, and (6) for a given multipole order, the optimum intensity increases with harmonic number. We briefly discuss the relevance of these results to a proposed interlevel transfer experiment in ²³⁵U.     

TEA-CO2 laser generation of ultrasound in non-metals

An industrial TEA-CO₂ laser, operating at a wavelength of 10.6 μm, has been used to produced broadband ultrasonic pulses in polymers. The generation mechanism falls into three categories. At low power densities ≤ 10⁷ W cm⁻² a thermoelastic regime predominates. As the power density is increased in the range (1–5) × 10⁷ W cm⁻² ablation of the material surface plays an increasingly important role in the acoustic generation. Thirdly, at greater power densities, plasma breakdown just above the material surface serves as the means of generation. This paper describes the acoustic sources for these types of generation mechanism and presents theoretically calculated acoustic waveforms to match those recorded experimentally.     

Experimental studies of long-lifetime cold cathodes for high-powermicrowave oscillators

Operation of explosive-emission cold cathodes made from various materials was studied at a large number of pulses at current densities of ~1.0⁴ A/cm². The cathode voltage and the beam current were ~500 kV and 5 kA, respectively, with a pulsewidth of ~20 ns. At a small number of pulses (⩽10³), cathodes of like geometry (even made from different materials) demonstrated similar emission properties. For most of the materials tested, with a large number of pulses (⩾10³), the current risetime increased to the fullwidth of the voltage pulse and the maximum current of the vacuum diode decreased. When using a graphite cathode, the maximum current remained invariant until 10⁸ pulses. Mass losses were measured for a series of cathode materials. The results obtained offered the possibility to realize long-lived operation of an X-band relativistic backward-wave oscillator with an almost invariant output power of 350-400 MW during 10⁸ pulses at a pulse repetition rate of 100-150 p.p.s     

Dense pair plasma generation by two laser pulses colliding in a cylinder channel

An all-optical scheme for high-density pair plasmas generation is proposed by two laser pulses colliding in a cylinder channel. Two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that, when the first laser pulse propagates in the cylinder,electrons are extracted out of the cylinder inner wall and accelerated to high energies. These energetic electrons later run into the second counter-propagating laser pulse, radiating a large amount of high-energy gamma photons via the Compton back-scattering process. The emitted gamma photons then collide with the second laser pulse to initiate the Breit–Wheeler process for pairs production. Due to the strong self-generated fields in the cylinder, positrons are confined in the channel to form dense pair plasmas. Totally, the maximum density of pair plasmas can be 4.60 × 10~(27)m~(-3), for lasers with an intensity of 4×10~(22)W·cm~(-2). Both the positron yield and density are tunable by changing the cylinder radius and the laser parameters. The generated dense pair plasmas can further facilitate investigations related to astrophysics and particle physics.     

Extending plasma accelerators: guiding with capillary tubes

In order to extend plasma accelerators, the laser beam has to be guided inside gas or plasma over a distance of the order of the dephasing length, which is typically much larger than the diffraction length z_R of the laser. A capillary tube can be used as a waveguide for high-intensity laser pulses over distances well in excess of z_R. Experimental demonstration of monomode guiding over 100 z_R of 10¹⁶ W/cm² pulses has been obtained in evacuated capillary tubes (45-70-μm inner diameter). A drop of transmission has been observed when the intensity of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is high enough to ionize the capillary tube entrance. Propagation in helium gas-filled (10-40 mbar) capillary tubes has been studied at intensities up to 10¹⁶ W/cm²; a plasma column with on-axis density of the order of 10¹⁷ cm^-3 has been created on a length of the order of 4 cm. The use of a capillary tube for an extended accelerator is discussed for the ease of linear, resonant excitation of plasma waves by laser wakefield     

相对论圆偏振激光与固体靶作用产生高次谐波

超短超强激光与固体靶表面等离子体相互作用可以通过高次谐波的方式产生从极紫外到软X射线波段的相干辐射,获得飞秒甚至阿秒量级的超短脉冲,可用于观测原子或分子中的电子运动等超快动力学过程.本文实验研究了相对论圆偏振飞秒激光与固体靶相互作用的高次谐波产生过程,实验结果表明,在较大入射角下,圆偏振激光也可以有效地产生高次谐波辐射.通过预脉冲控制靶表面的预等离子体密度标长,发现高次谐波的产生效率随密度标长的增加而单调下降.进一步通过二维粒子模拟程序,分析了激光的偏振以及预等离子体密度标长对高次谐波产生的影响,很好地解释了实验观测结果.     

Relativistic Nonlinear Optical Phenomena in the Field of Subterawatt Laser Pulses

Experiments on the generation of high optical harmonics demonstrating that relativistic regimes of interaction of radiation with matter can be implemented in the field of mid-infrared laser pulses with a peak power of 0.3 TW have been reported. The observation of relativistic phenomena at such extraordinary low peak powers of the laser field becomes possible because of the formation of a high-quality space-time mode of the laser field with an exactly specified polarization state. Such a field structure ensures a high intensity of radiation in the focus of the beam and the effective acceleration of electrons by a low-frequency electromagnetic field of a high-contrast laser pulse with an exactly specified polarization at the extremely sharp vacuum-solid interface.

     

正交偏振双色激光场作用下高次谐波的椭偏特性研究

通过数值求解二维含时薛定谔方程,理论研究了正交偏振双色激光场作用下H2+分子高次谐波发射和孤立阿秒脉冲的产生. 数值结果显示,改变激光场的强度比,可以调控高次谐波强度以及谐波椭偏率. 结果表明随着场强比的增加,y方向的谐波强度不断提高. 当场强比为1:2.5时,x方向和y方向分别仅有奇次谐波和偶次谐波产生,并且偶次谐波的强度比奇次谐波强度高2-3个数量级. 此时,奇次谐波的椭偏率最大可以达到0.3,偶次谐波的椭偏率接近于0. 此外,通过改变分子的准直角可以控制谐波的椭偏率,基于这一现象,利用椭圆偏振高次谐波的平台区合成了椭偏率为0.05的椭圆偏振阿秒脉冲链.     

Harmonic generation during ultrashort-pulse ultraintense p-polarized laser interaction with solid target

In this Letter, we developed the “relativistic surface currents” model to investigate the harmonic generation under the conditions of p-polarized obliquely incident ultrashort-pulse ultraintense laser. As a result of this Letter, up to 70 harmonics are generated with conversion efficiencies exceeding 10⁻⁶, which is very close to the result from Norreys' experiment and Gibbon's PIC simulations. For highly relativistic regime and nonrelativistic regime of laser power, the harmonic conversion efficiencies as a function of laser strength parameter q are discussed.     

High order harmonic generation from solid targets: Towards intense attosecond pulses

Experiments and computer simulations on high order harmonic generation (HOHG) from steep plasma gradients using intense femtosecond laser pulses are presented. The importance of the plasma scale length for the efficiency of HOHG is demonstrated. By changing the pump intensity and the target parameters the regime of HOHG can be switched from non-relativistic to relativistic. Simulations show that attosecond pulses should already be present in our experiments in both interaction regimes. Two-color driven harmonic generation is shown to provide a highly efficient way of attosecond pulse production.     

相对传播的双脉冲激光与薄膜靶作用产生的强单色谐波

研究了相对传播的双脉冲激光与薄膜靶的作用,观察到很强的谐波产生.其物理图像是:圆偏振高对比度强激光脉冲作用于薄膜靶,由光压推动产生的高密度等离子体靶向前运动,同时由于电荷分离场的作用,使得离子束和电子束在纵向上都有好的聚束,从而产生以相对论速度向前运动的等离子体镜;反向入射一个探测光到已被加速的等离子体镜上,由多普勒频移产生强的单色N次谐波,探测光脉冲被"压缩"至原来的1/N.还讨论了激光和等离子体参数对等离子体镜的运动和谐波级次的影响,以及相对论运动等离子体镜的稳定性对谐波的影响.