Phase jump in resonance harmonic emission driven by strong laser fields

We present a theoretical investigation of the multiphoton resonance dynamics in the high-order-harmonic generation(HHG) process driven by a strong driving continuous wave(CW) field along with a weak control harmonic field.The Floquet theorem is employed to provide a nonperturbative and exact treatment of the interaction between a quantum system and the combined laser field.Multiple multiphoton-transition paths for the harmonic emission are coherently summed.The phase information about paths can be extracted via the Fourier transform analysis of the harmonic signals which oscillate as a function of the relative phase between driving and control fields.Phase jumps are observed when sweeping across the resonance by varying the frequency or intensity of the driving field.The phase variation as a function of driving frequency at a fixed intensity and as a function of the intensity at a fixed driving frequency allows us to determine the intensity dependence of the transition energy of quantum systems.     

Probing subcycle spectral structures and dynamics of high-order harmonic generation in crystals

Subcycle spectral structures and dynamics of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) processes of atoms and molecules driven by intense laser fields on the attosecond time scale have been originally studied theoretically and experimentally. However, the time scale of HHG dynamics in crystals is in the order of sub-femtosecond, and the carrier dynamics of HHG in crystals driven by subcycle laser pulses are largely unexplored. Here we perform a theoretical study of subcycle structures, spectra, and dynamics of HHG of crystals in mid-infrared laser fields subject to excitation by a subcycle laser pulse with a time delay. The HHG spectra as a function of time delay between two laser fields are calculated by using a single-band model for the intra-band carrier dynamics in crystal momentum space and by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in velocity gauge for the treatment of multi-band crystal systems. The results exhibit a complex time-delay-dependent oscillatory pattern, and the enhancement and suppression of the HHG related to subcycle pulse are observed at the given time delay in either single-band or multi-band crystal systems. To understand oscillation structures with respect to the dependence for the subcycle laser fields, the time-frequency characteristics of the HHG as well as the probability density distribution of the radiation are analyzed in detail.     

Modulation of multiphoton resonant high-order harmonic spectra driven by two frequency-comb fields

The frequency-comb structure in the extreme ultraviolet(XUV) and vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) regions can be realized by the high-order harmonic generation(HHG) process driven by frequency-comb fields, providing an alternative approach for the measurement of an unknown frequency in XUV or VUV. We consider the case of two driving frequency-comb fields with the same repetition frequency and the carrier frequencies of fundamental-and third-harmonics, respectively.The many-mode Floquet theorem(MMFT) is employed to provide a nonperturbative and exact treatment of the interaction between a quantum system and the frequency-comb laser fields. Multiphoton transition paths involving both fundamentaland third-harmonic photons are opened due to the coupling of the third-harmonic frequency-comb field. The multiphoton transition paths are superpositioned when the carrier-envelope-phase shifts(CEPs) fulfill the matching condition. And the interference of the multiphoton transition paths can be controlled by tuning the relative envelope delay between the fields.We find that the quasienergy structure, as well as the multiphoton resonant high-order harmonic generation(HHG) spectra,driven by the two frequency-comb fields can be coherently controlled via the interference of multiphoton transition paths.It is also found that the spectral intensities of the generated harmonics can be modulated, and the modulation behavior is harmonic-sensitive.     

激光强度依赖的阈下谐波产生机制

利用广义伪谱方法精确数值求解了氢原子在强激光场中的三维含时薛定谔方程,获得了强激光中氢原子的含时波函数,利用时间依赖的偶极矩的傅里叶变换得到了高次谐波谱,研究了氢原子在强激光场中发射低于电离阈值的谐波谱对激光强度的依赖性.研究发现,激光强度在低于电离阈值的谐波产生的通道选择的过程中扮演着重要角色,主要有两种量子通道对阈下谐波的产生有贡献,即广义的短轨道和长轨道,其中长轨道对激光场强度比较敏感.结合小波时频变换、经典轨道分析、以及强度依赖的量子通道选择分析,本文阐明了其背后的物理机制.     

强激光等离子体相互作用驱动高次谐波与阿秒辐射研究进展

对超快过程的探测和控制决定了人类在微观层面认识和改造物质世界的能力.阿秒光源可完成对组成物质的电子运动及其关联效应进行超高时空分辨的探测和操控,为人类认识微观世界提供了全新手段,被认为是激光科学史上最重要的里程碑之一.世界主要科技强国都将阿秒科学列为未来10年重要的科技发展方向.利用强激光与物质相互作用产生高次谐波是突破飞秒极限实现高亮度阿秒脉冲辐射的重要方案之一,成为了近年来激光等离子体领域的研究热点.本文聚焦强激光与等离子体相互作用中的高次谐波和阿秒脉冲辐射,主要介绍其产生机制、研究进展和前沿应用,并对未来的发展趋势和创新突破进行展望.     

激光驱动晶体发射高次谐波的特性研究

通过数值模拟激光驱动下电子在周期性势阱中的动力学行为, 研究了晶体在激光场中发射高次谐波的特性. 研究发现在一定的激光波长和光强驱动下, 晶体发射的谐波谱会呈现出双平台结构, 经分析后得知第一个平台主要来自于最低导带与价带间的电流(电子-空穴对复合), 第二个平台主要来源于较高导带与价带间的电流(电子-空穴对复合), 且两个平台的截止位置处的能量都与激光场的振幅呈线性关系. 在少周期激光驱动下, 晶体谐波第二平台的截止位置与激光的载波相位呈单调变化, 由此我们提出可以利用晶体谐波第二平台的截止位置来确定少周期激光的载波相位. 进一步研究发现, 在啁啾激光驱动下, 晶体发射谐波谱的第二平台有较大变化, 第二平台的发射效率会随啁啾参数而改变, 能够通过改变啁啾激光场来提高晶体谐波第二平台的发射效率.     

克尔介质中皮秒亮孤子多光子J-C模型粒子数反转特性

利用全量子理论研究了克尔介质中皮秒孤子光场与二能级原子多光子相互作用系统中粒子数反转随时间的变化特性,用MATLAB软件编程模拟并讨论了初始平均光子数、克尔介质与场模非线性相互作用强弱、孤子光场与原子耦合强度及相互作用过程中跃迁光子数目对粒子数反转的影响.数值计算结果表明：初始平均光子数越大、克尔介质与场模的非线性相互作用越强、孤子光场与原子耦合强度越小或相互作用过程中跃迁光子数目越多,粒子数反转崩坍与恢复的振荡幅度越小、平均值越大.     

Controlling continuum wavepacket interference by two-color laser field in over-the-barrier ionization regime

Continuum wavepacket interference is investigated by numerically solving the time-dependent Schröodinger equation for the interaction of hydrogen atoms with laser fields. The obtained wavepacket evolution indicates that, in the over-the-barrier ionization regime (10¹⁶ W/cm²), the continuum–continuum (CC) interference of ionizing electrons becomes the main process in highorder harmonics generation (HHG), compared with continuum-bound (CB) transition, as reported by Kohler et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105(20), 203902 (2010)].We propose a two-color laser field scheme for controlling the quantum trajectories of ionizing electrons and for extending the CC harmonic energy. As a result, a high energy platform occurs in the HHG spectrum, which entirely originates from the CC harmonics, with a cutoff adjustable by the relative phase of the two-color fields. This provides further understanding of the dynamic feature of atoms and molecules in super intense laser fields and provides an opportunity to image the atomic or molecular potential.     

Coherent control of dressed images of four-wave mixing

In two-level as well as V-type three-level atomic systems, we study probe transmission, four-wave mixing (FWM) and fluorescence signals with dressing effect experimentally and theoretically. We find both the hyperfine structure (at the same energy level) and the transition dipole moment (at different energy levels) can affect the dressing effect. We also experimentally investigate that angle-control dynamics in the nonlinear propagation of the images of the probe and generated FWM in two-level atomic systems, and find that the focusing and defocusing of probe beam and FWM signals can be greatly affected by the angles between dressing fields.     

Lamb shift of laser-dressed atomic states

We discuss radiative corrections to an atomic two-level system subject to an intense driving laser field. It is shown that the Lamb shift of the laser-dressed states, which are the natural state basis of the combined atom-laser system, cannot be explained in terms of the Lamb shift received by the atomic bare states which is usually observed in spectroscopic experiments. In the final part, we propose an experimental scheme to measure these corrections based on the incoherent resonance fluorescence spectrum of the driven atom.     

Autler-Townes splitting in the multiphoton resonance ionization spectrum of molecules produced by ultrashort laser pulses

We report for the first time the proper conditions to observe Autler-Townes splitting (ac-Stark splitting) from vibrationally coherent states belonging to the different electronic terms of a diatomic molecule. Wave packet dynamics simulations demonstrate that such a process is feasible by multiphoton resonance ionization of the molecule Na2 with a single ultrashort intense laser pulse. With the ultrahigh time resolution of a femtosecond laser pulse, one can directly measure the absolute value of the transition dipole moment between any kinds of molecular states by this kind of Autler-Townes splitting, which is a function of the internuclear distance R.     

Multiphoton coherent control in complex systems

Control of multiphoton transitions is demonstrated for a multilevel system by generalizing the instantaneous phase of any chirped pulse as individual terms of a Taylor series expansion. In the case of a simple two-level system, all odd terms in the series lead to population inversion while the even terms lead to self-induced transparency. The results hold for multiphoton transitions that do not have any lower-order photon resonance or any intermediate virtual state dynamics within the laser pulse width.     

Hydrogen atom in a strong laser field: Numerical simulation versus Keldysh-type theories

The dynamics of a 3D hydrogen atom in an intense laser pulse is investigated using the direct numerical integration of the nonstationary Schrödinger equation in the multiphoton regime of ionization. The results obtained are compared with the theoretical data of the strong-field approximation (SFA) method and the validity of the SFA and other Keldysh-type theories in the problem of the strong-field ionization of atoms is analyzed in a wide range of laser frequencies and intensities. The Reiss approximation (SFA) provides qualitative agreement with the numerical simulation for moderate laser intensities and reveals the channel closing phenomena during the multiphoton ionization. However, this approach is found to be inappropriate in the presence of strong fields where we numerically demonstrate the suppression of atomic ionization. The reason for the stabilization lies in the formation of a new system (dressed atom), which is not taken into account in the SFA and other Keldysh-type theories.     

Stark shift contribution to field statistics in a generalized Jaynes-Cummings model

The nonlinear and multiphoton interaction between a single two-level atom and two modes of radiation is studied in a generalized Jaynes-Cummings model. An intensity-dependent level shift is considered. The time evolution operator is obtained. The detuning has a photon number dependence. Different statistical aspects pertaining to either the atom or the fields are calculated. The dipole moment, the dipole-dipole correlation function, as well as the transient spectrum are obtained.     

双原子分子多光子电离强场效应的含时波包动力学研究

强激光非线性条件下分子的多光子电离过程呈现出较为明显的强场效应.由于这种效应不能用传统的量子微扰论来处理,“缀饰态”模型方法提供了物理图象清晰的处理光与物质相互作用的方案.本文基于含时波包动力学的基本理论,将激光场看作经典场,利用“缀饰态”模型研究了强场下双原子分子(NO、RbI等)的多光子电离过程.研究表明,激光场的强度、泵浦-探测脉冲延迟时间等对多光子电离光电子能谱的形状有着重要的影响,而这种影响是由光诱导势引起的.另外,在研究具有两个连续态的RbI体系时,自电离现象的发生也与势能面的交叉密切相关,并受外场强度的影响.本文计算模拟外场中分子的光电子能谱时所得到的强场效应对理解和实现原子分子过程的激光操控具有重要的意义.     

Quantum interference of multi-orbital effects in high-harmonic spectra from aligned carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide

We investigate experimentally multi-orbital effects in high-order harmonic generation(HHG) from aligned CO_2 and N_2O molecules by intense femtosecond laser fields with linear and elliptical polarizations.For either of the aligned molecules, a minimum in the harmonic spectrum is observed, the position of which shifts to lower-order harmonics when decreasing the intensity or increasing the ellipticity of the driving laser.This indicates that the minimum originates from the dynamic interference of different channels, of which the tunneling ionization and recombination are contributed via different molecular orbitals.The results show that both the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and low-lying HOMO-2 in CO_2(or HOMO-1 in N_2O) contribute to the molecular HHG in both linearly and elliptically polarized strong laser fields.Our study would pave a way for understanding multi-electron dynamics from polyatomic molecules irradiated by strong laser fields.     

Observation of linewidth narrowing due to a spontaneously generated coherence effect

We investigate the resonance fluorescence spectrum of an atomic three-level ladder system driven by two laser fields.We show that such a system emulates to a large degree a V-type atom with parallel dipole moments-the latter being a system that exhibits spontaneously generated coherence and can display ultrasharp spectral lines.We find a suitable energy scheme in a 85Rb atom and experimentally observe the narrowing of the central peak in a rubidium atomic beam.The corresponding spectrum can convincingly demonstrate the existence of spontaneously generated coherence.     

New results in above-threshold ionization and high-order harmonic generation of atomic and molecular systems

Numerical results obtained applying the strong-field approximation to atomic and molecular processes in intense laser fields are presented. In particular, the forward-backward asymmetry in high-order above-threshold ionization (HATI) of Ar atoms by a few-cycle laser pulse is considered. It is shown that the resonantlike enhancements observed in the focal-averaged spectra disappear with the decreasing laser pulse duration. For HATI and high-order harmonic generation (HHG) by molecular systems, we present new results for diatomic molecules. The choice of gauge and the problem of dressing of the initial bound state are discussed. The appearance of the interference minima in molecular HATI and HHG spectra and their role in the characterization of the molecular structure are considered using the example of the Ar₂ molecule.     

超强频率梳激光场驱动下多光子共振谐波辐射的相位突变研究

本文从理论上研究了在双色频率梳激光场驱动下多光子谐波辐射光谱中的相位突变现象。我们利用Floquet理论非微扰地模拟了频率梳激光场与原子分子等量子系统的相互作用过程。谐波辐射信号是多光子偶极跃迁相干叠加的结果,通过调节频率梳激光场间的相对相位,可以相干地控制谐波辐射信号的强度。通过对谐波信号进行傅里叶变换,可以提取不同跃迁路径的相对相位信息。我们通过改变频率梳组激光场的强度和频率组分实现多光子跃迁频率,让其跨越共振跃迁频率时,谐波相位会发生突变。从而可以观测超强激光场驱动下量子系统共振跃迁频率的斯塔克能移。     

Landau-Dykhne approximation for multiphoton dipole-forbidden transitions

A two-level system in a monochromatic laser field is considered in the Landau-Dykhne approximation under the violation of dipole selection rules. An analytic expression is obtained for the rate of transitions. The multiphoton and tunneling limits are found.