Ultrafast thermalization characteristics in Au film irradiated by temporally shaped femtosecond laser pulses

The ultrafast thermalization processes of Au film irradiated by multi-pulse sequences with variable temporal separation were investigated by numerical simulations. Two temporally sequential thermal relaxation mechanisms including the two temperature relaxation and the thermal diffusion relaxation were demonstrated. With inclusion of the electron ballistic effect, we obtained the full 2-D temperature fields evolution dominated by the two distinct relaxation mechanisms. It is proposed that the laser thermalization processes can be greatly promoted through choosing the optimized temporal separation of the pulse train. We also found that the two temperature relaxation period can be modulated by changing the pulse train parameters such as the temporal separation, the pulse durations and the pulse number in a train.     

Intense THz-radiation from semiconductors under magnetic field irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses

The THz-radiation power from InAs reaches sub-mW level in a 1.7-T magnetic field irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses of 1.5-W average power. The THz-radiation power is related almost quadratically both to the magnetic field and to the excitation laser power. Furthermore, the THz-radiation spectrum is found to be controlled by the excitation pulsewidth, chirp direction of the excitation pulse, and the magnetic field.     

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.     

Second-and third-harmonic generation by carbon nanotubes irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses

Femtosecond pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser are used to study second-and third-harmonic generation in a layer of single-wall carbon nanotubes produced by low-velocity spraying. The harmonic amplitude in our experiments scales as (I _p)ⁿ as a function of the pump intensity I _p, with n=2 and 3 for the second and third harmonics, respectively. This scaling law holds up to pump intensities on the order of 10¹²W/cm². The ratio of the maximum signal to the averaged background in the spectra of the second and third harmonics is estimated as 50 and 30, respectively. The second and third harmonics produced by a linearly polarized pump field are also linearly polarized, with their polarization vectors oriented along the polarization direction of the pump field. The capabilities of nonlinear-optical methods for structural and morphological analysis of carbon nanotubes are discussed, as well as ways to create solid-state carbon-nanotube generators of optical harmonic.     

Photoinduced transformations in C60 films irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

Photoinduced polymerization and photoinduced diffusion of molecular oxygen in thin C₆₀ films irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses are investigated. A comparison of the Raman scattering and absorbed energy spectra and the irradiation doses required to observe photopolymerization using continuous-wave radiation and femtosecond pulses shows that the efficiency of both photoinduced processes decreases considerably in the latter case. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 4, 320–325 (25 August 1998)     

Recombination processes in atomic clusters irradiated by superintense femtosecond laser pulses

Various mechanisms of recombination of electrons with multiply charged atomic ions in atomic clusters irradiated by superintense femtosecond laser pulses are discussed. All of the recombination mechanisms are shown to take a time considerably longer than the laser pulse duration and, hence, they can develop only in a homogeneous, fairly rarefied cluster plasma after pulse termination. All autoionization states of multiply charged ions in a dense cluster plasma have been found to be destroyed by the Holtsmark electric field.     

Morphology and composition on Al surface irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

We study the surface chemicals and structures of aluminum plates irradiated by scanning femtosecond laser pulses in air for a wide range of laser fluence from 0.38 to 33.6 J/cm². X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses indicate clearly that crystalline anorthic Al(OH)₃ is formed under femtosecond laser pulse irradiation. Besides aluminum hydroxide, crystalline Al₂O₃ is also found in the samples irradiated at high laser fluence. Field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrates that the surfaces of the samples irradiated with low laser fluence are colloidal-like and that nanoparticles with a few nanometers in size are embedded in glue-like substances. For high laser fluence irradiated samples, the surfaces are highly porous and covered by nanoparticles with uniform size of less than 20 nm.     

Structure formation on the surface of alloys irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

Laser-induced periodic surface structures with different spatial characteristics have been observed after multiple linearly polarized femtosecond laser pulse (120 fs, 800 nm, 1 Hz to 1 kHz pulse repetition frequency) irradiation on alloys. With the increasing number of pulses, nanoripples, classical ripples and modulation ripples with a period close to half of classical ripples have all been induced. The generation of second-harmonic has been supposed to be the main mechanism in the formation of modulation ripples.     

飞秒强激光场中的原子、分子——非微扰现象研究

文章简要回顾了飞秒强激光场中的原子、分子这一研究领域在近年来所取得的一系列里程碑式的重大发现,包括多光子电离、阈上电离、隧穿电离、越垒电离、非顺序双电离、电离稳定化、高次谐波发射等等非微扰现象.讨论了纯量子理论和纯经典方法在处理该类问题时经常遇到的困难.介绍了作者所在小组为此提出的半经典模型及其在解释强场物理现象时所取得的成果.最后对这一领域在未来几年内的可能发展方向作了简单的评述.     

分子的飞秒强光电离

文章以一个实验者的角度，介绍了分子的飞秒强光电离的研究现状。文章从对比飞秒激光电离质谱与纳秒激光电离质谱开始，接着介绍分子在激光场作用下的可能电离机理，着重描述了几个处理分子场致电离的理论模型和实验验证，最后对飞秒激光导致的分子在激光脉冲作用后取向研究进行了简单介绍。     

Storing energy in lithium fluoride crystals irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses

The release of energy in the form of the light sum of thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL), stored under conditions of self-focusing and the multiple filamentation of femtosecond laser radiation during the interaction between model wide-bandgap dielectric crystals of lithium fluoride is studied. It is shown that F₂ color centers are important centers of emission in the TSL process.     

Dynamics of the spallative ablation of a GaAs surface irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

The spallation of a nanometer-thick melt layer on a GaAs surface during its ablation by femtosecond laser pulses occurs with subnanosecond delays and lift-off velocities that depend on the laser fluence after its complete thermal (hydrodynamic) expansion/acoustic relaxation. The position of the spall interface in the melt is determined by the depth of the formation of a two-dimensional subsurface layer of nanobubbles (nanofoam), whereas the strongly heated surface layer of the melt above the nanofoam is partially removed in the form of a vapor-drop mixture. At the thermal expansion stage, acoustic reverberations are observed in the melt layer and characterize both the dynamics of an increase in its thickness and the shift of the cavitation region (nanofoam) inside the melt. Moreover, these reverberations can additionally stimulate spallation, promoting cavitation in the completely unloaded melt in the case of passage of a weak rarefaction wave.     

Spectral and temporal characteristics of metallic nanoparticles produced by femtosecond laser pulses

We study the time of flight optical emission from titanium and tungsten nanosized particles, generated through femtosecond laser-matter interaction in vacuum, in the wavelength spectral range from 300 to 900 nm. Typical spectra consist of broadband structureless signals similar to black body emission from a macroscopic object. Nanoparticles temperature, deduced from their emission spectra, decreases drastically as a function of their time of arrival at a given distance from the target. This behaviour is seen to be independent of individual particle velocities.     

Two-photon excited spectroscopies of ex vivo human skin endogenous species irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

Two-photon excited spectroscopies from ex vivo human skin are investigated by using a femtosecond laser and a confocal microscope (Zeiss LSM 510 META). In the dermis, collagen is responsible for second harmonic generation (SHG); elastin, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), melanin and porphyrin are the primary endogenous sources of two-photon excited autofluorescence. In the epidermis, keratin,NADH, melanin and porphyrins contribute to autofluorescence signals. The results also show that the SHG spectra have the ability to shift with the excitation wavelength and the autofluorescence spectra display a red shift of the spectral peaks when increasing the excitation wavelength. These results may have practical implications for diagnosis of skin diseases.     

Self-guided glass drilling by femtosecond laser pulses

Straight through-holes of high aspect ratio have been fabricated in glass by femtosecond laser pulses, utilizing unique characteristics of ultrafast lasers such as volumetric multi-photon absorption and nonlinear self-focusing. In this study, interestingly, the drilling process was initiated and progressed in a self-regulated manner, while the laser focus was fixed through the specimen at the neighborhood of the rear surface that was in contact with liquid during the entire drilling process. The deposition of laser energy along the nonlinearly extended focal range and the guided drilling along the pre-defined region are explained based on time-resolved optical transmission and emission measurements.     

Recrystallization of germanium surfaces by femtosecond laser pulses

The damage morphology of germanium surfaces using femtosecond laser pulses of various fluences and number of pulses is reported. The single pulse damage threshold in the present experiment was 9.7±4.0×10⁻¹³ W/cm². The experimental threshold value was compared with theory, considering the damage threshold as the melting threshold. The cooling rate calculated on the basis of present results is 2.4×10^15°C/s. Recrystallization was the common feature of the damage morphology. For fluences greater than the single pulse damage-threshold micropits and spherical grains of micron size were formed in the damaged surface. Ablation (surface removal) was also observed at higher fluences (at two or three times of damage threshold value). The damage morphology, induced by multiple pulses, was unaffected for linear and circular polarization.     

Deep drilling of metals by femtosecond laser pulses

Results of recent investigations on deep drilling of metals by femtosecond laser pulses are reported. At high laser fluences, well above the ablation threshold, femtosecond lasers can drill deep, high-quality holes in metals without any post-processing or special gas environment. It is shown that for high-quality drilling of metals, the following processes are important: (1) laser-induced optical breakdown of air containing metal vapor and small metal particles (debris) generated by multi-pulse femtosecond laser ablation, (2) transformation of laser pulses into light filaments, and (3) low-fluence finishing. Received: 15 November 2002 / Accepted: 20 January 2003 / Published online: 28 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-511/2788-100, E-mail: ch@lzh.de