Photolysis of NO2 at multiple wavelengths in the spectral region 200–205 nm

A study of the photodissociation dynamics of NO₂ in the 200–205 nm region using resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) in conjunction with the velocity map imaging technique is presented. We chose this region because it allowed the use of a single laser to photodissociate the NO₂ molecule and probe both the O(¹D₂) fragment using (2+1) REMPI via the 3p'¹P₁ state at 2 ×205.47 nm and the 3p'¹F₃ state at 2 ×203.5 nm, and the O(³P_J) fragments using (2+1) REMPI via the P_J states around 2 ×∼200 nm. Translational energy and angular distributions are extracted from the O(¹D) and O(³P) product images. A growth in the population of highly excited vibrational levels of the NO X(²Π) co-fragment is found as the dissociation wavelength decreases. These are compared with similar trends observed previously for other triatomic O-atom containing molecules. Detailed information on the electronic angular momentum alignment of the ¹D₂ state is obtained from analysis of the polarization sensitivity of the O(¹D) images using the two resonant intermediate states. The angular dependence of the potential energy in the exit channels is examined using long-range quadrupole-dipole and quadrupole-quadrupole interaction terms, from which molecular-frame multipole moments of the total angular momentum of the recoiling O atoms have been calculated. Comparison with the experimentally derived multipole moments is used to help provide insight into the dissociation mechanism.     

Femtosecond diode laser MOPA system at 920 nm based on asymmetric colliding pulse mode-locking

We report on the generation of 267 fs long pulses with a peak power of 661 W emitted by an InGaAs diode laser master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) system with an external grating compressor. The oscillator emits strongly chirped picosecond pulses with several nanometer of bandwidth, which can be amplified without significant phase modulation and are compressed to femtosecond pulses after leaving the amplifier. We used a diode laser module for asymmetric colliding pulse mode-locking and optimized the collision point and the relative intensity of the counter-propagation pulses.     

Laser-induced film ejection at interfaces: Comparison of the dynamics of liquid and solid films

The ejection dynamics of nanometer-thin fluid isopropanol and solid CO₂ films are investigated. The films are deposited on a silicon substrate, which is rapidly heated by a nanosecond laser pulse (Nd:YAG, 532 nm). A small fraction of material at the interface evaporates and the film on top is ejected as an intact layer. The kinetic energies of the two different films with thicknesses between 100 nm and 1 μm give an insight into the dynamics of a flying lamella.     

Laser induced incandescence determination of the ratio of the soot absorption functions at 532 nm and 1064 nm in the nucleation zone of a low pressure premixed sooting flame

In this work, the two-excitation wavelength laser induced incandescence (LII) method has been applied in a low-pressure premixed methane/oxygen/nitrogen flame (equivalence ratio 2.32) to determine the variation of the ratio of the soot absorption functions at 532 nm and 1064 nm E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm) along the flame. This method relies on the comparison of LII signals measured upon two different excitation wavelengths (here 532 nm and 1064 nm) and with laser fluences selected in such a way that the soot particles are equally laser-heated. The comparison of the laser fluences at 532 nm and 1064 nm leads to an easy determination of E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm). The reliability of the method is demonstrated for the first time in a low pressure flame in which the soot nucleation zone can be spatially resolved and which contains soot particles acting differently with the laser fluence according to their residence time in the flame. The method is then applied to determine the profile of E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm) along the flame. A very important decrease of this ratio is observed in the region of nascent soot, while the ratio remains constant at high distance above the burner. Implication on temperature determination from spectrally resolved measurement of flame emission is studied.     

Femtosecond electron dynamics at adsorbate–metal interfaces and the dielectric continuum model

2 overlayers adsorbed on Cu(111). With increasing number of adsorbate layers the binding energies of the image potential states are found to decrease while their lifetimes increase (except for the second image potential state on 2 to 3 ML Xe/Cu(111)). These trends are most pronounced for nitrogen, where the binding energy of the first image potential state decreases by a factor of 3.5 from 0 to 2 ML N₂/Cu(111); at the same time the lifetime increases from 22 to 700 fs. The results are discussed in the framework of the dielectric continuum model, which approximates the adsorbate layers by a dielectric slab in front of the metal surface. For Xe, the agreement between measured and calculated lifetimes improves significantly if the full dispersion curve of the Xe 6s conduction band is taken into account. Received: 2 November 1998     

Absolute frequency measurement of the iodine-stabilized He-Ne laser at 633 nm

The absolute frequency of an iodine-stabilized He-Ne laser at 633 nm stabilized on the i (or a₁₃) component of the 11-5 R(127) hyperfine transition of the ¹²⁷I₂ molecule is measured using a femtosecond optical comb generator and an iodine-stabilized Nd:YAG laser standard at 1064 nm. We link the measured absolute frequency to the current internationally adopted value via frequency intercomparison between JILA and the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), leading to the determination of the absolute frequency of the BIPM-4 standard laser. The resulting absolute frequency f_i(BIPM) of the BIPM-4 standard laser is f_i(BIPM)=473612214711.9±2.0 kHz, which is 6.9 kHz higher than the value adopted by the Comité International des Poids et Mesures (CIPM) in 1997. Received: 29 May 2000 / Revised version: 13 September 2000 / Published online: 22 November 2000     

Femtosecond laser bonding of glasses and ion migration in the interface

We report femtosecond laser bonding with strengths of a few MPa and the material mixing during the laser bonding process by using Sm³⁺- and Cr³⁺-doped glasses and 180 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz from an amplified Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 785 nm. By analyzing fluorescence spectra taken around the interface using a confocal scanning microscope we observed the migration of Sm ions from the upper Sm-doped glass to the lower Cr-doped glass and the reduction from Sm³⁺ to Sm²⁺ ions just above the interface for the borate-borate material system. However, in Sm-doped borate-borosilicate, the laser bonding did not produce any reduction and migration of Sm³⁺ ions.     

High-gain Al2O3:Nd3+ channel waveguide amplifiers at 880 nm, 1060 nm, and 1330 nm

Neodymium-doped aluminum oxide films with a range of Nd³⁺ concentrations are deposited on silicon wafers by reactive co-sputtering, and single-mode channel waveguides with various lengths are fabricated by reactive ion etching. Photoluminescence at 880, 1060, and 1330 nm from the Nd³⁺ ions with a lifetime of 325 μs is observed. Internal net gain at 845–945 nm, 1064, and 1330 nm is experimentally and theoretically investigated under continuous-wave excitation at 802 nm. Net optical gain of 6.3 dB/cm at 1064 nm and 1.93 dB/cm at 1330 nm is obtained in a 1.4-cm-long waveguide with a Nd³⁺ concentration of 1.68×10²⁰ cm^?3 when launching 45 mW of pump power. In longer waveguides a maximum gain of 14.4 dB and 5.1 dB is obtained at these wavelengths, respectively. Net optical gain is also observed in the range 865–930 nm and a peak gain of 1.57 dB/cm in a short and 3.0 dB in a 4.1-cm-long waveguide is obtained at 880 nm with a Nd³⁺ concentration of 0.65×10²⁰ cm^?3. By use of a rate-equation model, the gain on these three transitions is calculated, and the macroscopic parameter of energy-transfer upconversion as a function of Nd³⁺ concentration is derived. The high internal net gain indicates that Al₂O₃:Nd³⁺ channel waveguide amplifiers are suitable for providing gain in many integrated optical devices.     

Evaluation of hybrid ytterbium–neodymium laser amplification at 1053 nm

We present here the modeling of a hybrid neodymium/ytterbium laser chain. The laser chain is modeled in energy, spectrum and gain for a relevant choice of ytterbium host materials. Special attention is given to spectral matching of both technologies. The model performance is benchmarked by an experimental setup of a Yb:glass regenerative-amplifier. Results indicate Yb:CaF₂ to be the best material for Nd:glass coupling.     

Examination of the influence of molecular weight on polymer laser ablation: polystyrene at 248 nm

Following previous studies on the influence of the polymer molecular weight (M_W) on the ablation of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at 248 nm, this work extends the examination to the ablation of polystyrene (PS) at 248 nm. The ablation threshold and the etching rates are found to be nearly independent of M_W. Optical microscopy demonstrates an excellent crater morphology, few small bubbles are formed on the surface of the low M_W. Examination of the formation kinetics of products in the irradiation of samples doped with the photoreactive iodophenanthrene demonstrates that high temperatures develop upon irradiation, suggesting that thermal mechanism dominates in the ablation of PS at 248 nm. In similarity to the etching rates, the attained temperatures are largely independent of the PS M_W. The factors for the weak dependence of the process on PS M_W are discussed.     

Design and optimization of thin film polarizer at the wavelength of 1540 nm using differential evolution algorithm

In this paper, a thin film polarizer at the wavelength of 1540 nm in infrared region was designed and optimized using differential evolution method. It is shown how the algorithm’s parameters can change the output result to obtain the best consequence of optimization. This polarizer consists of a few pairs of high and low refractive index dielectric materials, titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide, respectively, with \(BK_{7}\) glass substrate and the angle of incident light was supposed 56° that is the Brewster angle for \(BK_{7}\) glass. Our final optimized polarizer has 91.20 and 0.336% transmittance for P and S polarization, respectively, and a 271 ratio of \(\frac{{T_{P} }}{{T_{S} }}\) which has high significance for this polarizer. It consists of eight pairs of layers with low and high refractive index materials and 3369.1 nm physical thickness which is used to separate S and P polarized light for Q-switching process.     

Modeling the dynamics of one laser pulse surface nanofoaming of biopolymers

Self standing films of biopolymers like gelatine, collagen, and chitosan irradiated with single nanosecond or femtosecond laser pulse easily yield on their surface, a nanofoam layer, formed by a cavitation and bubble growth mechanism. The laser foams have interesting properties that challenge the molecular features of the natural extracellular matrix and which make them good candidates for fabrication of artificial matrix (having nanoscopic fibers, large availability of cell adhesion sites, permeability to fluids due to the open cell structure). As part of the mechanistic study, the dynamics of the process has been measured in the nanosecond timescale by recording the optical transmission of the films at 632.8 nm during and after the foaming laser pulse. A rapid drop 100→0% taking place within the first 100 ns supports the cavitation mechanism as described by the previous negative pressure wave model. As modeled a strong pressure rise (∼several thousands of bar) first takes place in the absorption volume due to pressure confinement and finite sound velocity, and then upon relaxation after some delay equal to the pressure transit time gives rise to a rarefaction wave (negative pressure) in which nucleation and bubble growth are very fast.     

Excitation of Tm<Superscript>+3</Superscript> at a wavelength of 1064 nm

We report on the experimental study of the excitation mechanism of fluorescence in a 10000-ppm wt. Tm⁺³-doped ZBLAN fiber. Visible (at 453 nm and 480 nm) and near-infrared (∼800 nm) radiations were studied under excitation at 1.064 μm. The up-conversion mechanisms responsible are investigated, based on experimental data. The results show that the³ H ₄ and the ¹ D ₂ levels are predominantly excited by ion-ion cross-relaxation processes. Received: 19 August 2002 / Published online: 8 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +41/31-631-3765, E-mail: Reda.El-Agmy@iap.unibe.ch     

Luminescence and damage thresholds of cerium-doped LaF3 for ns-pulsed laser excitation at 248 nm

3 following excitation with 248 nm/14 ns laser pulses at room temperature for the two Ce concentrations 0.03 and [%mol]1. The relative intensities of the 5d-4f bands emitted from Ce³⁺ at regular and at perturbed lattice sites were found to vary linearly with time for the higher concentration and quadratically for the lower one. This can be explained by radiative energy transfer between the two sites and generation of new perturbed sites at a rate that only shows up for the low Ce concentration. Lifetimes of the respective emission bands were determined to be about 18 ns and 41 ns. Despite resonant absorption of the 5 eV photons, surprisingly high ablation thresholds – 16 J/cm² for 0.03% Ce, and 10 J/cm² for 1% Ce – were observed by the probe-beam deflection technique. The reason is the strong energy loss due to intense fluorescence and deposition of the nonradiative energy fraction in the bulk rather than at the surface. The depth of energy deposition was revealed by scanning electron microscopy in the form of distinctly different ablation morphologies for the two Ce concentrations. Received: 30 July 1998     

Identification of extra neutral gauge bosons at the International Linear Collider

Heavy neutral gauge bosons, Z ^′s, are predicted by many theoretical schemes of physics beyond the Standard Model, and intensive searches for their signatures will be performed at present and future high energy colliders. It is quite possible that Z ^′s are heavy enough to lie beyond the discovery reach expected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider LHC, in which case only indirect signatures of Z ^′ exchanges may occur at future colliders, through deviations of the measured cross sections from the Standard Model predictions. We here discuss in this context the foreseeable sensitivity to Z ^′s of fermion-pair production cross sections at an e ⁺ e ^? linear collider, especially as regards the potential of distinguishing different Z ^′ models once such deviations are observed. Specifically, we assess the discovery and identification reaches on Z ^′ gauge bosons pertinent to the E ₆, LR, ALR and SSM classes of models, that should be attained at the planned International Linear Collider (ILC). With the high experimental accuracies expected at the ILC, the discovery and the identification reaches on the Z ^′ models under consideration could be increased substantially. In particular, the identification among the different models could be achieved for values of Z ^′ masses in the discovery (but beyond the identification) reach of the LHC. An important role in enhancing such reaches is played by the electron (and possibly the positron) longitudinally polarized beams. Also, although the purely leptonic processes are experimentally cleaner, the measurements of c- and b-quark pair production cross sections are found to carry important, and complementary, information on these searches.     

Review of searches for Higgs bosons and beyond the Standard Model Physics at the Tevatron

The energy frontier is currently at the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator, which collides protons and antiprotons at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The luminosity delivered to the CDF and DØ experiments has now surpassed the 4 fb^?1. This paper reviews the most recent direct searches for Higgs bosons and beyond-the-standard-model (BSM) physics at the Tevatron. The results reported correspond to an integrated luminosity of up to 2.5 fb^?1 of Run II data collected by the two Collaborations. Searches covered include the standard model (SM) Higgs boson (including sensitivity projections), the neutral Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM), charged Higgs bosons and extended Higgs models, supersymmetric decays that conserve or violate R-parity, gauge-mediated supersymmetric breaking models, long-lived particles, leptoquarks, compositeness, extra gauge bosons, extra dimensions, and finally signature-based searches. Given the excellent performance of the collider and the continued productivity of the experiments, the Tevatron physics potential looks promising for discovery with the coming larger data sets. In particular, evidence for the SM Higgs boson could be obtained if its mass is light or near 160 GeV. The observed (expected) upper limits are currently a factor of 3.7 (3.3) higher than the expected SM Higgs boson cross section at m _H =115 GeV and 1.1 (1.6) at m _H =160 GeV at 95% C.L.     

Influence of Z-pinch evolution on laser pulse duration at 46.9 nm in Ne-like Ar ions

A capillary discharge 46.9 nm Ne-like Ar laser is achieved with peak current of 20–23 kA. The variation of laser pulse duration with initial Ar pressure and rise-time of main current is reported. Measurements show that the laser pulse durations slightly increase with the increased pressure and increased rise-time of current. A comparison of the experimental results with the calculation of snow-plow model indicates that the increase of laser pulse duration is the result of decreased Z-pinch velocity at the pinch time when the radius of plasma is minimal.     

Noise characteristics of a high-power ytterbium-doped fibre amplifier at 1083 nm

Experimental results are reported for the noise characteristics of an Yb-doped fibre amplifier pumped at 975 nm, used as a booster of a low-noise narrow-linewidth single-frequency 1083-nm wavelength laser diode. The maximum output power of the amplifier is 1.2 W with a gain larger than 30 dB. An increase of the intensity-noise spectral density relative to the signal, by approximately 6.5 dB, is introduced by the amplification process, due to signal-amplified spontaneous-emission (ASE) beat noise. A remarkable increase of the noise level with decreasing frequency is observed below ≈35 kHz, probably due to technical noise of the amplifier pump diodes. The spectral broadening due to amplifier phase noise was measured to be less than 300 Hz with a 5-kHz-linewidth Nd:YAG laser and that for the 300-kHz-linewidth diode laser at 1083 nm is therefore expected to be in the same range. Received: 5 October 1999 / Revised version: 2 December 1999 / Published online: 24 March 2000