Infrared radiation harmonic generation in degenerate semiconductors

The basic properties of infrared laser radiation odd harmonic generation due to electron-charged impurity collisions in degenerate semiconductors are investigated. It is found that in the case of relatively weak fields, the electron Fermi distribution is the cause of an anomalous suppression of harmonic radiation. In the case of strong fields, the effect of the selective suppression of single harmonics is established.Received: 22 May 2004, Published online: 26 November 2004PACS: 78.20.-e Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films     

Plasma-Resonance Effects in Nonlinear Reflection of an Electromagnetic Wave from a Semiconductor Superlattice

We show that dynamical localization of electrons in a thin semiconductor superlattice irradiated by a TM electromagnetic wave can lead to the formation of multistable states of the high-frequency field, which is accompanied by significant distortions of the reflection characteristics of superlattices. This effect is caused by the phenomenon of nonlinear plasma resonance and the related significant increase in the component of an alternating electric field, parallel to the superlattice axis, in the case where the real part of the corresponding component of the tensor of nonlinear dielectric permittivity becomes zero. It is found that the generation efficiency of odd harmonics of the radiation increases considerably under resonance conditions.     

Resonance processes during harmonic generation in plasmas using mid-infrared radiation

A few recently introduced approaches of the high-order harmonic generation in laser-produced plasmas are reviewed. We show how the tuning of odd and even high-order harmonics of ultrashort pulses along the strong resonance of laser-produced indium plasma using optical parametric amplifier of white-light continuum radiation (1250?1400 nm) allows observation of different harmonics enhanced in the vicinity of the transition of In II ions possessing high oscillator strength. We discuss various peculiarities and discuss the theoretical model of the phenomenon of tunable harmonics enhancement in the region of 62 nm using indium plasma. With the theoretical analysis, we present the approach allowing reproduce the experimental observations and characterize the dynamics of the resonant harmonic emissions. We also discuss the resonance enhancement of harmonics using mid-infrared radiation in the tin, chromium, and antimony plasmas and show the calculations of this process.     

Generation of harmonics during the interaction of ultrashort superstrong laser pulses with solid targets

Generation of even and odd harmonics in the skin layer formed during the interaction of a short relativistic laser pulse with solid targets is considered. The complex motion of free electrons in the skin layer along the electric field vector and along the direction of propagation of a laser wave is analyzed. The Fourier expansion of the trajectory of this motion is used to obtain the components of the conductivity tensor and of the amplitude of the transverse electromagnetic field of harmonics propagating along the electric field. Even harmonics appear due to relativistic effects. The efficiency of generation of even and odd harmonics at the leading front of a laser pulse is calculated.     

自生磁场对相对论谐波辐射的影响

分析了自生磁场对相对论谐波辐射的影响，得出结论，自生磁场对强激光在欠稠密等离子 产生的相对论相干波辐射有重要作用，自生磁场激发偶次谐波辐射，并对奇次谐波辐射产生影响，对二次，三次谐波作了详细分析，发现，自生磁场激发二次谐波辐射，而对三次谐波辐射有削弱作用，并且它还使谐波的失相时间延长。     

Generation of harmonics of intense laser radiation in a transparent collisionless plasma

The spectral composition of a relativistically strong uniform nonlinear electromagnetic wave in a transparent collisionless plasma is analyzed. The vortex and potential components of the wave field are shown to contain only odd and even harmonics, respectively; in a transparent plasma, the wave remains quasi-monochromatic, since the intensities of the harmonics decrease exponentially with increasing harmonic number. An equation that includes diffraction effects is derived to describe the propagation of wavepackets. The results obtained are compared with experimental data.     

Laser radiation frequency conversion in carbon- and cluster-containing plasma plumes under conditions of single and two-color pumping by pulses with a 10-Hz repetition rate

This work reviews a series of investigations of different plasma plumes using single- and two-color laser systems that emit femtosecond pulses with a 10-Hz repetition rate. Results of investigation of the resonant enhancement of harmonics in tin plasma with the use of two types of pumps are analyzed, and it is shown that the tuning of the wavelengths of harmonics to ion-resonance levels plays an important role in increasing the conversion efficiency to high-order harmonics of the radiation to be converted. Investigations of different carbon-containing plasma media (carbon nanotubes, graphite, carbon aerogel, etc.) exhibit attractive properties of the nonlinear medium of this type for efficient generation of high-order harmonics. The results of the first experiments on the use of nanoparticles produced directly in the course of laser ablation of metals for increasing the efficiency of harmonics generated in this cluster-containing medium are analyzed. It is shown that new approaches realized in these investigations give hope that the nonlinear optical response of plasma media in the far-ultraviolet range can be further increased.     

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.     

Enhanced harmonic generation in C60-containing plasma plumes

The results of enhanced harmonic generation in fullerene-containing plasma plumes using laser radiation of different wavelengths, pulse durations, and phase modulation are presented. Odd and even harmonics up to the 29^th order of 800 nm radiation have been extended in the case of two-color orthogonal polarization pump of C₆₀-containing plasma plumes. The conversion efficiency for the odd and even harmonics in the vicinity of SPR of the C₆₀-containing plasma (40–70 nm) was estimated to be in the range of 10⁻⁴.     

Even-order high-harmonic generation from solids in velocity gauge

We present a velocity-gauge model for the generation of even-order high harmonics, and reveal that the even-order harmonics originate from the multiple-step transitions among the energy bands in momentum space, while the odd-order harmonics are mainly from direct transitions. The lower valence band is found vital for the generation of even harmonics. Relative intensity of even-order harmonics versus the odd orders is calculated and shows a growing trend as the laser field amplitude increases.     

High-order harmonic generation in laser plasma: Recent achievements

Recent studies of high-order harmonic generation of laser radiation in laser-produced plasma show new attractive developments in this field. Those include generation of extended harmonics in plasma plumes, new approaches in application of two-color pump, generation of extremely broadened harmonics, further developments in harmonic generation in clusters (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, in-situ produced nanoparticles), destructive interference of harmonics from different emitters, resonance-induced enhancement of harmonics, applications of high pulse repetition rate lasers for the enhancement of average power of generating harmonics, observation of quantum path signatures, etc. We review some of these recent developments.     

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.     

Stochastic approach to laser plasma kinetics with Coulomb collisions

The Langevin approach to the kinetics of a collisional plasma is considered and a stochastic differential equation for the Lorentzian plasma particle motion is derived. The temperature dependence of the absorption coefficient is calculated. It is shown that a strong longitudinal electric field is generated at the plasma boundary. The generation of high-frequency radiation as well as heated electrons is observed and discussed.     

Plasma mechanisms of pulsed terahertz radiation generation

We present the results on generating terahertz radiation in the plasma of an optical discharge arising in the atmosphere during the focusing of femtosecond laser radiation. Different generation schemes related to focusing of the optical radiation by spherical and axicon lenses, with a constant electric field imposed on the laser spark region, as well as with the use of bichromatic laser radiation, are studied. Directivity patterns and polarization distributions of the terahertz radiation are analyzed in detail for different generation techniques. Comparison with the experimental results obtained by other research groups is given. Possible nonlinear mechanisms of the terahertz radiation generation are discussed.     

Generation of even harmonics in a relativistic laser plasma of atomic clusters

It is shown that the irradiation of atomic clusters by a superintense femtosecond laser pulse gives rise to various harmonics of the laser field. They arise as a result of elastic collisions of free electrons with atomic ions inside the clusters in the presence of the laser filed. The yield of even harmonics whose electromagnetic field is transverse is attributed to the relativism of the motion of electrons and the consideration of their drift velocity associated with the internal ionization of atoms and atomic ions of a cluster. These harmonics are emitted in the same direction as odd harmonics. The conductivities and electromagnetic fields of the harmonics are calculated. The generation efficiency of the harmonics slowly decreases as the harmonic number increases. The generation of even harmonics ceases when the drift velocity of electrons becomes equal to zero and only the oscillation velocity of electrons is nonzero. The results can also be applied to the irradiation of solid-state targets inside a skin layer.     

Generation of higher-order harmonics of chirped radiation from a titanium-sapphire laser in plasma generated by pulses of different durations

The frequency conversion of laser radiation in plasma created by pulses of different durations under conditions of the chirp variation of the radiation to be converted is investigated. It is shown that the chirp variation of the laser pulse during the generation of higher-order radiation harmonics of the femtosecond laser leads to a considerable change in the brightness, wavelength shift, and maximal order of generated harmonics. The long-and short-wavelength shifts of harmonics observed in these studies are attributed to the manifestation of a considerable concentration of free charge carriers in the plasma, as well as the self-modulation of the laser pulse. The generation of plasma by pulses whose durations vary from 160 fs to 20 ns is considered and it is shown that the generation efficiency of harmonics depends to a greater extent on the energy of the heating prepulse than on its intensity on the surface of a target to be ablated. The effect that the atomic number of the target has on the formation of optimal plasma at different delays between the heating prepulse and the femtosecond pulse to be converted is discussed.     

Theoretical study of the odd-even-order harmonic generation for asymmetric ions in non-Born-Oppenheimer approximation

We calculated the harmonic spectra generated from the asymmetric molecules of HD~+ and HeH~(2+). It is found that HD+produces only odd harmonics, while HeH~(2+)produces both odd and even harmonics. Further analysis reveals that for both HD~+ and HeH~(2+), the nuclear dipole acceleration can generate even harmonics, but it is three orders of magnitude lower than that of the electron. Hence, the electronic dipole acceleration dominates the harmonic generation. For HD~+,the electronic dipole acceleration only contributes to the generation of odd harmonics, but for HeH~(2+)it contributes to the generation of both odd and even harmonics. Besides, one concept of the broken degree of system-symmetry is proposed to explain the different odd-even property between the harmonic spectra of HD~+ and HeH~(2+).     

Nonlinear analysis of relativistic harmonic generation by intenselasers in plasmas

A linearly polarized, ultraintense laser field induces transverse plasma currents which are highly relativistic and nonlinear, resulting in the generation of coherent harmonic radiation in the forward direction (i.e., copropagating with the incident laser field). A nonlinear cold fluid model, valid for ultrahigh intensities, is formulated and used to analyze relativistic harmonic generation. The plasma density response is included self-consistently and is shown to significantly reduce the current driving the harmonic radiation. Phase detuning severely limits the growth of the harmonic radiation. The effects of diffraction are considered in the mildly relativistic limit. No third-harmonic signal emerges from a uniform plasma of near-infinite extent. A finite third-harmonic signal requires the use of a semi-infinite or finite slab plasma. For an initially uniform plasma, no second-harmonic radiation is generated. Generation of even harmonics requires transverse gradients in the initial plasma density profile     

Fine splits of photon emission spectrum of hydrogen atom caused by transitions between different dressed states in intense high frequency laser field

The photon emission spectrum of the hydrogen atoms in an intense high-frequency laser pulse is simulated by using one-dimensional soft Coulomb potential. Regular fine structures appear on the two sides of both the odd and even multiples of photon energy of the laser field besides the ordinary odd harmonic peaks. It is proved that the splits of the fine structures are responsible for hyper-Raman lines and the energy spacing between the odd harmonic lines is equal to the difference in energy between the eigenstates with the same parity of the time averaged Krameters Henneberger （KH） potential. By analysing the features of the fine structures, we also verify that the so-called even order harmonics under the stabilization condition are indeed hyper-Raman lines caused by the transitions between the dressed atomic states with different values of parity.     

Even-harmonic generation due to beyond-Born-Oppenheimer dynamics

We calculate the harmonic spectrum generated by a model HD molecule in a strong laser pulse. The unequal nuclear masses lead to the emission of even harmonics, i.e., photon frequencies which are even multiples of the laser frequency. The effect does not occur within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. In the high-frequency region, the even harmonics are almost of the same order of magnitude as the odd ones.