Spatially,temporally, and spectrally resolved measurement of laser-induced plasma in air

Images and emission spectra of sparks produced by laser-induced breakdown in air were investigated with a high degree of spatial and temporal resolution. The laser-induced breakdown was generated by focusing a 532-nm nanosecond pulse from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The data were collected using a framing intensified charged coupled device (CCD) camera and a multi-fiber Cassegrain optics system coupled to an intensified CCD spectrometer. The results provided information about the different stages of laser-induced breakdown. The plasma shape and emission spectrum were very reproducible. Different ionization levels in the plasma kernels, which were observed using the high spatial resolution of the multi-fiber Cassegrain optics system, occurred during the plasma formation and cooling and at different locations within the plasma. This was due mainly to the thickness of the plasma relative to the laser wavelength, which created different ionization levels and energy absorption rates throughout. These observations were correlated with the plasma visualizations obtained with the framing ICCD camera. The plasma emission analysis permitted us to study the temperature evolution along the plasma during the laser-induced breakdown process. The analysis demonstrated the validity of a laser-supported wave model during the first stages of laser-induced breakdown and illustrated the weak dependence of the plasma temperature on the input energy. PACS 52.50.Jm; 52.70.-m; 51.50.+v     

荧光法研究空气等离子体膨胀动力学过程

基于等离子体荧光法研究了Nd∶YAG纳秒1 064 nm激光脉冲诱导击穿空气等离子体的膨胀动力学过程,用ICCD相机捕获了不同激光脉冲能量诱导的空气等离子体随时间演化图像,给出激光能量100,150,200,300 mJ时击穿空气产生的空气等离子体波阵面前沿的膨胀距离,推演出空气等离子体的扩展速度。实验结果表明等离子体发光区域主要分布在等离子体膨胀区域,等离子体荧光强度随时间增加变强然后渐渐变弱,膨胀区域逐渐增大,在300 mJ,22 ns膨胀距离最大达到3.76 mm,等离子体扩展速度在膨胀初期达到105 m·s-1量级,在膨胀16 ns内迅速衰减,随后趋于平缓。激光脉冲能量越大,引起空气击穿的时刻靠近高斯激光脉冲上升阶段。     

液相射流中中Al元素单双脉冲LIBS研究

为了综合比较单双脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱技术(LIBS)在液体中重金属元素的检测效果,利用自建的液相射流单-双脉冲LIBS技术装置,对AlCl₃水溶液中的Al元素LIBS特性进行测量和分析。实验中使用两台532 nm Nd∶YAG激光器作为激发光源,等离子体辐射信号通过光谱仪和ICCD进行采集。实验研究了单脉冲下Al(396.15 nm)发射谱线的谱线强度随激光能量、ICCD门延时、门宽之间的变化关系,获得了最优化实验参数激光能量为50 mJ,ICCD门延迟为1 200 ns,门宽为150 ns。在相同的实验条件下,实验考察了Al(369.15 nm)发射谱线的谱线强度随双脉冲之间的延时,激光总能量,ICCD门延时的变化关系,获得了最优化实验参数为两双脉冲之间的延时为1 000 ns,激光总能量为50 mJ,ICCD门延时为1 100 ns。单脉冲和双脉冲条件下获得重金属Al的LIBS检测限分别为26.79和10.80 ppm,双脉冲LIBS技术使元素检测限下降2倍多。实验结果表明双脉冲可以提升LIBS技术的探测灵敏度,为LIBS技术应用于水体中重金属快速检测提供了依据。     

一种激光损伤阈值测试新方法

随着激光器朝向大功率、高能量的方向发展,激光损伤阈值成为了衡量光学元件抗激光损伤能力的重要参数之一,因此,能否准确地测量出光学元件的激光损伤阈值成为研究的重点。而光学元件激光损伤阈值测试的关键是能否准确地判别光学元件是否发生激光损伤。为解决目前常见的损伤判别方法存在的精度低、识别时间长、适用材料范围窄、操作复杂等不足,提出了一种新的激光损伤的判别方法,即等离子体诊断法。以K9玻璃为例,搭建激光损伤阈值的测试平台,利用光纤光谱仪采集强激光辐照K9玻璃时所产生的激光等离子体闪光光谱,并对该光谱进行诊断分析,将该光谱中是否含有待测试光学元件材料中特征元素的光谱峰作为其是否收到激光损伤的标准。同时,对K9玻璃进行了激光损伤阈值的测试,并将测试结果与等离子体闪光法和显微镜法所测的激光损伤阈值进行了对比分析。实验表明,提出的等离子体诊断方法的判别精度高、速度快、测试装置结构简单,易实现在线测量,可以大大地提高光学元件激光损伤阈值测试工作的效率。     

Competition between ultraviolet and infrared nanosecond laser pulses during the optical breakdown of KH2PO4 crystals

This study addresses the initiation of laser-induced breakdown of dielectric materials in the nanosecond regime under multi-wavelength conditions. In particular, the competition between multi-photon absorption and electronic avalanche as ionization mechanisms in KDP crystal is studied. Since they are both dependent on the laser frequency and intensity of incident radiations, we carried out two experiments: in mono-wavelength configuration at 1,064?nm and in multi-wavelengths configuration applying the simultaneous mixing of 1,064 and 355?nm radiations with various fluence ratios. To interpret experimental data, a model based on heat transfer and which includes ionization processes has been developed for both configurations. The comparison between experiments and modeling results first indicates that avalanche can be responsible for optical breakdown at 1,064?nm. Then, the study underlines the existence of a coupling effect in the multi-wavelength configuration where multi-photon absorption and electronic avalanche both contribute to the breakdown. From a general point of view, the model accounts for the experimental trends and particularly reveals that the electronic recombination timescale may have an important role in the scenario of nanosecond laser-induced breakdown.     

Spatio-temporal dynamics of electron density in femtosecond laser microplasma of gases

The formation and evolution of femtosecond laser plasma produced in microvolumes of gases at different pressures upon their multiply ionization by high intensity pulses of fundamental and second harmonics of a Ti:sapphire laser is studied. The interferometric technique for precise ultrafast optical diagnostics of such plasma was applied. The numerical technique of interferogram processing and reconstruction of instant spatial distribution of refractive index and free electron density in laser-induced plasma applied for this proposes is described. The spatiotemporal distribution of the refractive index and free electron density were studied with a spatial resolution of ～1 μ m and a temporal resolution of ～70 fs.     

激光诱导击穿空气等离子体时间分辨特性的光谱研究

空气等离子体的时间行为对空气环境下激光诱导等离子体形成过程的研究有重要意义.本文将纳秒Nd:YAG脉冲激光(1064 nm)聚焦于一个大气压的空气中,诱导其产生等离子体.利用具有纳秒时间分辨功能的PI-MAX-II型ICCD,采用时间分辨光谱方法,研究了大气环境下激光诱导等离子体的时间行为.大气环境下的激光诱导等离子体光谱广泛分布于300—900 nm范围内,并且是由带状光谱和线状光谱叠加而成的.根据美国国家标准与技术研究院原子发射谱线数据库,对等离子体光谱中的氧、氮、氢等元素的特征谱线进行了识别和归属.给出了激光诱导击穿大气等离子体光谱随时间演化的直观图像,根据空气等离子体发射谱线计算了等离子体电子温度和等离子体电子密度.这些结果对于提高在大气环境下进行的在线测量结果的准确性和精确性具有重要的科学意义.     

空气中激光支持爆轰波实验及理论分析

为了研究激光击穿空气产生的等离子体爆轰波形成机制和传播规律,利用高能量CO2激光器产生强激光,进行了空气中产生激光支持等离子体爆轰波实验。实验中:设置了诱导靶板,用于诱发和定位空气中的激光支持爆轰波;以激光器升压过程球隙放电产生的光信号作为触发源,触发高时间分辨率(纳秒级)的高速相机,记录了激光支持爆轰波的成长和传播全过程。分析了激光支持爆轰波的形成机理和传播规律。采用C-J爆轰理论,计算了激光支持爆轰波的压力和温度。研究结果表明:激光支持等离子体爆轰波形成初期,等离子体爆轰波发光体为球形;随着时间增加,等离子体爆轰波发光体的形状类似流星,且头部为等离子体前沿吸收层,亮度较高,而尾部等离子体温度较低,亮度较弱。等离子体爆轰波高速向激光源的方向移动,爆轰波速度高达18 km/s,温度约为107K。随着激光强度的减弱,爆轰波速度迅速按指数规律衰减,当爆轰波吸收的激光能量不能有效支持爆轰波传播时,爆轰波转变为冲击波。     

激光等离子体温度时间演化特性

 用脉冲CO₂激光的10.6 μm光束击穿空气产生等离子体,使用光谱仪和ICCD采集等离子体辐射光谱,在局部热力学平衡近似下,利用相对谱线强度法对激光等离子体温度进行了计算。当激光器单脉冲能量为35 J时,选择NⅡ399.5 nm和NⅡ500.5 nm两条线状谱的相对谱线强度计算了不同延迟时间下等离子体温度。实验结果表明:在等离子体的不同位置,等离子体温度均随时间经历了明显的上升到饱和再到下降的过程,等离子体前沿的温度最先达到饱和,距离靶面最近的位置温度达到饱和所需时间最长。     

A new method of flame temperature measurement utilizing the acoustic emissions from laser-induced plasmas

The optical emissions from laser-induced plasmas have been successfully exploited for elemental composition measurements in flames; however, the information from the accompanying plasma-generated acoustic emissions has not been well utilized. In this study, we investigated the influence of flame temperature and composition on the acoustic emissions from laser-induced plasmas in an ethylene-air premixed flame. The acoustic emissions are sensitive to temperature, and a negative correlation can be established. The effect of composition on acoustic emissions was found to be second order compared to that of temperature. Based on these findings, we introduce acoustic-based laser-induced breakdown thermometry (LIBT). A statistical analysis was performed to mitigate the bias introduced by anomalous extreme values. The spatial and temporal resolution of LIBT were also analyzed to demonstrate its potential to perform simultaneous composition and temperature measurements when used along with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Finally, the temperature distribution in an ethylene-air counter-flow diffusion flame was measured; and the results compared favorably with numerical results.     

等离子体光学的研究现状与发展前景

等离子体介质由于具有极高的储能密度、无光致损伤阈值和丰富的光学特性，利用它改善光束输出性能是发展高功率激光技术的一条重要技术路线。系统介绍了近年来等离子体光学的研究现状，并论述了今后等离子体光学的发展趋势。     

土壤中铜元素的激光诱导击穿光谱测量分析

本文采用波长为532 nm的Nd:YAG单脉冲纳秒激光器诱导激发土壤(样品土壤来自蚌埠学院校园),并分析测量了土壤中铜元素的激光诱导击穿光谱特性.以铜元素的特征谱线Cu(393.3 nm)作为分析线,优化了实验参数增强型光电耦合器件(ICCD)门宽,ICCD门延迟对等离子体信号的影响,并在优化后的实验条件下测量分析了土壤中的金属元素种类.实验结果表明优化后的实验参数:ICCD门宽500ns,ICCD门延迟500 ns;在该优化条件下检测到样品土壤中含有金属元素:Fe, Cr, Ca, Mg, Cu, Al, Mn.     

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of an Excimer Laser-Induced Lead Plasma Emission

A laser-induced plasma was generated from a lead target using an ArF excimer laser (λ = 193 nm) and characterized by time-resolved and time-integrated spatially resolved spectrometry. The ambient atmosphere (gas composition and pressure) influenced the emission intensity for both atomic and ionic lines. The emission of laser-induced lead plasma varied with time as well as the location in the plasma. Lead ion emission decayed more rapidly than lead atomic line emission. High excitation temperatures and nonlinear optical phenomena were observed in the laser-induced lead plasma. Gas breakdown and the subsequent shielding effect of the incident laser beam in different ambient gas compositions and pressures were discussed to explain the different efficiency of metal ion for matioa in the plasma. The experimental results show that spatial discrimination of the laser-induced plasma emission is desirable for direct spectrochemical analysis.     

Pulse width effect in ultrafast laser ionization imaging

The effects of different laser pulse widths on laser-induced ionization imaging of microstructures embedded in transparent materials are investigated. It is shown that a femtosecond laser-induced ionization probe can detect the variation of elemental composition of the sample materials with a higher contrast ratio, whereas the ionization probe generated by picosecond laser pulses is more sensitive to the structural change inside optical materials, which can be well explained by the different roles of multiphoton ionization and avalanche ionization involved in material breakdown. These results also suggest that an optimum diagnosis could be obtained if well-selected laser parameters are employed in ultrafast laser ionization imaging.     

用大芯径石英玻璃光纤传输兆瓦级高能激光脉冲及其在双波长LA-LIBS技术中的应用

为了解决单脉冲激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)技术在元素分析时空间分辨本领与分析灵敏度之间的矛盾,本文利用一台双波长输出的Nd∶YAG激光器开展了双波长激光剥离-激光诱导击穿光谱(LA-LIBS)技术的研究。其中532 nm的二倍频激光用于剥离样品;1 064 nm的基频激光通过大芯径石英玻璃光纤传输并实现一定的延时后用于击穿被剥离的样品。两束激光采用正交几何配置以实现高空间分辨高灵敏的元素分析。实验研究了1 064 nm激光到光纤的耦合、光纤输出后的准直以及再聚焦时的一些关键技术问题。研究并得出了四种不同光纤对激光能量的传输能力。选择利用芯径为800 μm,数值孔径为0.39、长50 m的石英玻璃光纤成功传输了15 mJ的调Q激光脉冲并实现了250 ns的延时。并在此基础上开展了铜合金样品的双波长LA-LIBS分析,实验验证了基于一台Nd∶YAG激光器开展双波长LA-LIBS研究的可行性。该技术只需要一台激光器就可以完成相应的光谱分析,具有系统结构简单,便于小型化等优点,适合对不同样品开展原位的高空间分辨高灵敏的元素显微分析。     

Preionization and discharge stability study of long optical pulse duration UV-preionized XeCl lasers

This paper presents a complete study of the temporal and spatial characteristics of the preionization of a XeCl rare-gas halide laser. The detailed study was made possible using the technique of laser-induced preionization which utilizes the uv radiation from a KrF laser to preionize a second rare-gas halide laser. In addition to the preionization study, high spatial and temporal resolution framing camera photographs have been used to investigate the growth of discharge instabilities which can lead to the premature termination of the XeCl optical pulse. The roles played by HCl, Xe, the buffer gas as well as the discharge energy loading in the development of discharge instabilities have been determined experimentally.     

Nanosecond resolution photography system for laser-induced cavitation based on PIV dual-head laser and industrial camera

The detailed study of the initial and collapse processes of the laser-induced cavitation requires nanosecond resolution (both nanoseconds exposure and nanoseconds interframe time) of the photography measurement system. The high-speed video cameras are difficult to achieve nanoseconds interval time. The framing and streak cameras are able to reach the nanosecond resolution, but their complex technology and expensive prices make them far from being commercially available. The present study builds a nanosecond resolution photography system based on PIV dual-head laser and conventional industrial camera. The exposure time of the photography system is controlled by the laser pulse width, which is 5 ns. The two heads of the PIV laser are operated independently thus the smallest time interval between two laser pulses can be set to less than 10 ns. A double-pulse per-exposure imaging technique is used to record the information from two laser pulses on single frame on a low-speed industrial camera. The nanosecond resolution photography system was applied to the laser-induced cavitation experiments to verify the reliability of the measurement results. The measurement of the shock wave velocity demonstrates the ability of the system to capture ultrafast phenomena, which reduces from 3611 m/s to approximately 1483 m/s within 400 ns. The experimental results also reveal the asymmetric evolution of laser-induced cavitation bubbles. The major axis of the ellipsoidal bubble has twice reversals along the laser propagation and perpendicular direction from the laser-induced breakdown to the first collapse.     

Spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas: Setting up of high-performance laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system

It is a well-known fact that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as one of the best analytical techniques for multi-elemental compositional analysis of samples. We report assembling and optimization of LIBS set up using high resolution and broad-range echelle spectrograph coupled to an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) to detect and quantify trace elements in environmental and clinical samples. Effects of variations of experimental parameters on spectroscopy signals of copper and brass are reported. Preliminary results of some plasma diagnostic calculations using recorded time-resolved optical emission signals are also reported for brass samples.     

Measurement of bimodal size distribution of nanoparticles by using the spatial distribution of laser-induced plasma

Laser-induced breakdown detection was performed to monitor the nanoparticles in an aqueous solution by means of a two-dimensional optical imaging method. To verify the relationship between the particle size and the optical image of a laser-induced plasma, we investigated the characteristics of its spatial distribution corresponding to the number of breakdown events plotted on the laser beam propagating axis. It was found that, for particles smaller than 50 nm in diameter, the spatial distribution follows a single Gaussian curve. For particles in the diameter range from 100 to 1000 nm, however, the spatial distribution follows a sum of the multiple Gaussian curves with different peak positions and peak heights. We demonstrated that particles smaller than 20 nm in trace concentrations, which are mixed with larger particles in the diameter range of a few hundred nm, can be measured by a peak deconvolution of the spatial distribution of a laser-induced plasma. PACS 42.62.Eh; 52.25.Rv; 52.70.Nc     

Laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma and its EUV spectra

Laser-induced discharge plasmas(LDPs) have the potential to be inspection and metrology sources in extreme ultraviolet(EUV) lithography. An LDP EUV source was developed to avoid tin electrode erosion in which a tin pool was used as a cathode. A CO_2 pulse laser was focused on the liquid tin target surface, and then a breakdown occurred in a very short time. The voltage-current characteristics of the discharge oscillated, lasting for several microseconds, and an RLC fitting model was used to obtain the inductance and resistance. An intensified chargecoupled device(ICCD) camera was used to investigate the dynamics of LDP, which can explain the formation of a discharge channel. The EUV spectra of laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma were detected by a grazing incident ultraviolet spectrometer, compared with a laser-produced tin droplet plasma EUV spectrum. To explain the EUV spectrum difference of laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma and laser-produced tin droplet plasma,the collision radiation(CR) model combined with COWAN code was used to fit the experimental EUV spectrum, which can estimate the electron temperature and density of the plasma.