Spectral distributions of harmonic generation from electron oscillation driven by intense femtosecond laser pulses

The characteristics of harmonic radiation due to electron oscillation driven by an intense femtosecond laser pulse are analyzed considering a single electron model. An interesting modulated structure of the spectrum is observed and analyzed for different polarization. Higher order harmonic radiations are possible for a sufficiently intense driving laser pulse. We have shown that for a realistic pulsed photon beam, the spectrum of the radiation is red shifted as well as broadened because of changes in the longitudinal velocity of the electrons during the laser pulse. These effects are more pronounced at higher laser intensities giving rise to higher order harmonics that eventually leads to a continuous spectrum. Numerical simulations have further shown that by increasing the laser pulse width broadening of the high harmonic radiations can be limited.     

基于旋转相干光谱的整形飞秒激光转动动力学调控

我们实验上发展了基于飞秒激光旋转相干光谱的整形飞秒激光转动动力学调控方法,通过脉冲整形技术调控激发脉冲的光谱相位,从而实现对飞秒激光作用下转动态相干激发过程中复原信号及转动布居数的调控. 研究了飞秒激光旋转相干光谱对激光频谱相位的响应机制,突出了飞秒激光频谱相位在气相分子转动态相干激发中的重要作用. 为飞秒激光作用下生物大分子和团簇鉴别及结构探测研究提供了新的参考.     

Effects of transient local heating of spatially and spectrally heterogeneous biotissue by short laser pulses

Summary A new laser method for the spectroscopy of locally absorbing microvolumes much smaller than the radiation wavelength in size is discussed. Such an absorption is characteristic of biotissues and other biological media. The method allows data to be obtained on the size of local microvolumes absorbing at the radiation wavelength. It is based on the possibility of transient overheating of the microvolumes by means of an ultrashort pulse with a duration much shorter than the time it takes to heat to diffuse from the microvolumes. The pulse-heated microvolumes must have an altered refractive index leading to an additional scatter of another probe laser pulse, that is made to irradiate the medium under study after some delay. Besides, the locally heated microvolumes will have temperature-altered fluorescence induced either by the heating laser pulse or by an additional probe pulse at another wavelength more suitable for fluorescence excitation. Due to the relevance of its scientific content, this paper has been given priority by the Journal Direction.     

Formation of conical emission of supercontinuum during filamentation of femtosecond laser radiation in fused silica

The formation of conical emission of supercontinuum during filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses with central wavelengths in a wide range is studied experimentally, numerically, and analytically. The frequency-angular intensity distribution of the spectral components of conical emission is determined by the interference of supercontinuum emission in a filament of a femtosecond laser pulse. The interference of supercontinuum emission has a general character, exists at different regimes of group velocity dispersion, gives rise to the fine spectral structure after the pulse splitting into subpulses and the formation of a distributed supercontinuum source in an extended filament, and causes the decomposition of the continuous spectrum of conical emission into many high-contrast maxima after pulse refocusing in the filament. In spectroscopic studies with a tunable femtosecond radiation source based on a TOPAS parametric amplifier, we used an original scheme with a wedge fused silica sample. Numerical simulations have been performed using a system of equations of nonlinear-optical interaction of laser radiation under conditions of diffraction, wave nonstationarity, and material dispersion in fused silica. The analytic study is based on the interference model of formation of conical emission by supercontinuum sources moving in a filament.     

Strong enhancement of terahertz radiation from laser filaments in air by a static electric field

We observe a 3 order of magnitude enhancement of the terahertz energy radiated by a femtosecond pulse undergoing filamentation in air in the presence of a static electric field. Measurements of terahertz pulse duration, spectrum, polarization, and radiation pattern elucidate the physical processes responsible for this radiation. A theoretical model explains the results and predicts another 3 orders of magnitude enhancement with a terawatt laser pulse.     

飞秒超强激光驱动太赫兹辐射特性的实验研究

强太赫兹源是太赫兹科学技术发展的关键,其中大能量强场太赫兹脉冲源在超快物态调控、新型电子加速器等领域具有重要的应用前景.超快超强激光与等离子体相互作用是近年来发展起来的一种新型的强场太赫兹辐射产生途径.本文报道了利用超强飞秒激光脉冲与金属薄膜靶作用产生太赫兹辐射的实验结果,研究了激光能量和离焦量对靶后太赫兹辐射能量的影响,并通过监测激光背向散射光谱,定性揭示了其变化规律与不同光强下的电子加热机制的相关性.实验表征了太赫兹辐射的频谱、偏振及聚焦光斑情况.测量结果表明,实验产生了脉冲能量达458μJ、聚焦场强高达GV/m量级的超宽带太赫兹辐射,为开展极端太赫兹脉冲与物质相互作用研究提供了一种新的强场太赫兹光源.     

Processes underlying the laser photochromic effect in colloidal plasmonic nanoparticle aggregates

We have studied the dynamic and static processes occurring in disordered multiparticle colloidal Ag aggregates with natural structure and affecting their plasmonic absorption spectra under pico-and nanosecond pulsed laser radiations, as well as the physical origin responsible for these processes. We have shown that depending on the duration of the laser pulse,the mechanisms of laser modification of such aggregates can be associated both with changes in the resonant properties of the particles due to their heating and melting(picosecond irradiation mode) and with the particle shifts in the resonant domains of the aggregates(nanosecond pulses) which depend on the wavelength, intensity, and polarization of the radiation.These mechanisms result in formation of a narrow dip in the plasmonic absorption spectrum of the aggregates near the laser radiation wavelength and affect the shape and position of the dip. The effect of polydispersity of nanoparticle aggregates on laser photochromic reaction has been studied.     

Femtosecond oscillator on Yb:KYW crystal pumped by laser diode with fiber output

A femtosecond laser based on an Yb:KYW crystal with direct longitudinal pumping by a high-power semiconductor injection laser with a fiber output is described. Femtosecond pulses were generated in the self-longitudinal-mode-locking operating condition due to the use of a semiconductor saturable absorber. The average power of the oscillator was as high as 3.5 W at a central wavelength of 1035 nm, the pulse length and pulse repetition rate being 200 fs and 85.5 MHz, respectively. The product of the pulse length and the radiation spectrum width was 1.3 times higher than the theoretical limit for the pulse shape described by the function sech². The designed master oscillator can be also used as a stand-alone source of femtosecond radiation pulses for material microprocessing and primary source for femtosecond laser amplification systems.     

Nuclear Excitation by X-Ray Emission of Femtosecond Laser Plasma

The proposed model of laser plasma emission spectrum formation enables us to determine the absolute value of the laser pulse to plasma emitted radiation conversion factor, profile of the emission spectrum, and frequency distribution of the intensity and energy in the emitted spectra. This is of interest for laser plasma diagnostics and provides a means for direct calculation of the number of excited nuclei in dependent on the parameters of laser pulse. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Role of pulse shaping in control of focus and intensity of terahertz radiation

In this work, we uncover the role of lasers pulse shaping for controlling the terahertz peaks with their separation in addition to their intensities. We have developed a mathematical model for obtaining the amplitude, frequency, and power of the emitted Terahertz radiation for the lasers whose shape is tailored based on the index and skew parameter. Then the results are compared with the case of Gaussian laser pulse in collisional plasma. We optimize the process by applying magnetic field and by varying the index of the lasers for compensating the negative influence of collisions on the THz emission. Specifically the effect of laser beam width, magnetic field and collision frequency is investigated on the electric field of the terahertz radiation and the efficiency of the mechanism.     

激光同步辐射作为阿秒X射线辐射源的特性研究

 研究了逆流相对论电子与激光脉冲相互作用获得激光同步辐射的频率上移、微分散射截面等特性。发现逆流相对论电子与短脉冲激光相互作用，可以获得阿秒X射线辐射脉冲。短脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移与长脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移是完全一致的，同时发现随着入射电子初始能量的增加，散射光的准直性越来越好，后向散射光脉冲的脉宽越来越短。     

Impact of spectral filtering on a weak breathing laser based on AS-Yb-PBGF with large net normal dispersion cavity

We have investigated numerically the effects of the spectral filtering on the temporal and spectral properties of the pulse with large net normal cavity dispersion in a weak breathing passively mode-locked ring laser based on all-solid Yb-doped photonic bandgap fiber (AS-Yb-PBGF), which gives the laser gain and anomalous dispersion simultaneously. The specific range of spectral filter bandwidth is indispensable for obtaining high-peak-power pulse in a given highly chirped pulse laser system under a fixed pump level. The shortening of the pulse durations and the shaving of the sharp peaks at the steep edges of the spectrum by the spectral filter are demonstrated. Moreover, the advantage of the weak breathing fiber laser by introducing the AS-Yb-PBGF for scaling up the peak power and shortening the pulse width is investigated, and the effect of third-order dispersion induced by AS-Yb-PBGF on the pulse shape is also discussed.     

分布反馈激光特性的实验研究

研究了以脉冲YAG倍频激光泵浦Rh6G染料,产生分布反馈激光振荡的辐射光谱、转换效率、时间过程以及可调谐特性;发现在大于泵浦阈值下的分布反馈激光输出的多谱线结构与双脉冲辐射现象,以及分布反馈激光脉冲变窄的自开关效应.作为详细的实验观察和分析.     

拍瓦激光与铜靶作用产生光核中子的数值模拟研究

激光驱动中子源由于中子通量高、短脉冲等特点受到广泛关注。通过辐射流体动力学、粒子动力学和蒙特卡罗三种数值模拟程序的组合使用,对超短强激光与铜靶作用产生光核中子进行了全物理过程模拟。首先使用辐射流体动力学程序获得激光预脉冲产生的预等离子体密度分布,然后将预等离子体输入粒子动力学程序获得超短强激光主脉冲产生的超热电子信息,最后将超热电子输入蒙特卡罗程序得到光核中子。模拟获得了光核中子的产额、能谱和角分布信息,发现采用强度1022 W/cm2激光、直径和厚度均为4 cm的Cu圆柱靶,可以获得产额为1.2108/J的光核中子。     

Generation of lower and higher harmonics in different plasma media with small <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>

The generation of lower (third) and higher harmonics of femtosecond laser radiation in plasmas produced by laser ablation of different targets with a small atomic number Z (B, Be, Li) has been investigated. The high (10⁻³) efficiency of third-harmonic generation was observed in plasma produced on the boron surface. Efficient third-harmonic generation was also observed in beryllium plasma using femtosecond pulses of Ti:sapphire laser radiation (λ = 790 nm) and its second harmonic (395 nm). We could tune the higher harmonics generation spectrum by tuning the crystal converter when using 395-nm radiation to be converted. It is shown that, in plasmas formed on targets with small Z, the conversion efficiency and limiting generated harmonic order depend on the delay between the ablation pulse and the pulse to be converted.     

Ionization dynamics of dense matter generated by intense ultrashort X‐ray pulses

We investigate a pump‐probe X‐ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) experiment that might be carried out at a free electron laser facility to study warm‐to‐hot states of dense matter. Ultrashort and intense X‐ray pulses with different energies (1,560–1,830 eV) heat a 1 µm thick Al target isochorically and create homogeneous and uncompressed warm‐to‐hot states of dense matter. A second pulse with variable delay probes this heated state via XRTS. The X‐ray laser–target interaction is modelled within radiation‐hydrodynamic simulations applying the HELIOS‐CR code. The HELIOS‐CR results qualitatively agree with Monte‐Carlo simulations, where the laser pulse absorption is simulated based on a uniform random sequence of events. The electron feature in the simultaneously observed X‐ray scattering spectrum is a function of the degree of ionization and the target temperature. Therefore, the temporal evolution of the plasmon peak measures the ionization dynamics on ultra‐short time scales. The XRTS spectrum is calculated based on the Chihara formula utilizing the Born‐Mermin approximation for the free electron dynamic structure factor. The proposed experiment will reveal important details of the ionization dynamics on ultra‐short time scales as well as of the relaxation on ps time scales.     

Effect of the spectral distribution of a chirped pulse on the interaction of the high-power laser radiation with matter

The interaction of high-power picosecond laser radiation with solid targets is experimentally studied for the first time at various spectral distributions of a chirped laser pulse. The interaction of the high-power laser radiation with the target is studied at four regimes of the experimental setup: (i) at a relatively high contrast (10³) in the picosecond (Δt ～ 25 ps) range, (ii) at a relatively low contrast (3 × 10¹) in the picosecond (Δt ～ 25 ps) range, (iii) with spectral distortions of the chirped pulse, and (iv) with a strongly modulated spectrum of the chirped pulse. The results obtained reveal a strong dependence of the atomic and nuclear processes in the laser picosecond plasma on the spectral distribution of the chirped laser pulse. The prospects for the application of the spectral interferometry of chirped pulses for the online control of the parameters of the high-power laser radiation are demonstrated.     

Intense Cherenkov-type terahertz electromagnetic radiation from ultrafast laser-plasma interaction

A Cherenkov-type terahertz electromagnetic radiation is revealed, which results efficiently from the collective effects in the time-domain of ultrafast pulsed electron current produced by ultrafast intense laser--plasma interaction. The emitted pulse waveform and spectrum, and the dependence of laser pulse parameters on the structure of the radiation field are investigated numerically. The condition of THz radiation generation in this regime and Cherenkov geometry of the radiation field are studied analytically.     

Optical properties of sapphire in its opacity range

We have studied the reflection spectrum of leucosapphire in the range of 2.5–25.0 μm. Based on the analysis of the known frequency and temperature dependences of the absorption coefficient in the range of 2.5–7.0 μm, its extrapolation to the range of 10.6 μm has been performed. We have shown that the absorption coefficient in the range of 10.6 μm and in the temperature interval 300–2300 K can be evaluated as β = (2–3) × 10⁴ cm^–1. It has also been shown that the value of this characteristic correlates with the results of investigations of the action of a powerful radiation pulse of a СО₂ laser on the surface of anodized aluminum. These data can be used in the development of technologies of laser processing of articles made of sapphire and ceramics based on aluminum oxide, as well as anodized articles made of aluminum alloys.     

Restructuring of plasmonic nanoparticle aggregates with arbitrary particle size distribution in pulsed laser fields

We have studied processes of interaction of pulsed laser radiation with resonant groups of plasmonic nanoparticles(resonant domains) in large colloidal nanoparticle aggregates having different interparticle gaps and particle size distributions.These processes are responsible for the origin of nonlinear optical effects and photochromic reactions in multiparticle aggregates.To describe photo-induced transformations in resonant domains and alterations in their absorption spectra remaining after the pulse action,we introduce the factor of spectral photomodification.Based on calculation of changes in thermodynamic,mechanical,and optical characteristics of the domains,the histograms of the spectrum photomodification factor have been obtained for various interparticle gaps,an average particle size,and the degree of polydispersity.Variations in spectra have been analyzed depending on the intensity of laser radiation and various combinations of size characteristics of domains.The obtained results can be used to predict manifestation of photochromic effects in composite materials containing different plasmonic nanoparticle aggregates in pulsed laser fields.