超强飞秒激光与固体靶产生的超热电子加热机制

 在SILEX-1激光器上测量了超强飞秒激光与Ta靶相互作用产生的出射超热电子能谱及角分布，研究了出射超热电子加热机制。激光脉宽为 30 fs，激光功率密度为8.5×10¹⁸ W/cm²。靶前法线方向超热电子温度为550 keV。从实验结果可知：共振吸收是靶前法线方向超热电子主要加热机制，这与靶前存在大密度标长预等离子体的实验条件吻合。靶厚为6～50 μm时，靶后超热电子沿法线方向出射；靶厚为2 mm时，该发射峰消失。     

The effect of the laser pulse shape on the wakefield generation in field-ionized plasma

In this paper, the effect of the laser pulse shape on the generation and evolution of the wakefield during the interaction of the intense laser pulse with the gas have been studied utilizing the parallel relativistic PIC simulation code. In order to reach this aim, three pulses with length 300 fs and different rise-times 30, 45, and 60 are typically selected. Our results show that, the amplitude of the laser wakefield produced in the gas in comparison with the plasma strongly depends on the laser pulse shape. The simulation results indicate that for the high-slope laser pulse time (here 30 fs), ionization and thus density fluctuations have no significant effect on the wakefield generation because of rapid increase of the laser electric field. While by increasing the laser pulse rise-time to 45 fs, the rapid wave breaking due to the change in the medium refractive index during the gas ionization, prevents from the wakefield amplitude growth, so that the wakefield with larger amplitude is emerged in the plasma. For a slow-sloping pulse (here 60 fs), the ratio of the wakefield generation in the gas to the plasma is altered for the different gas densities and laser intensities. Moreover, it is represented that the longer the laser pulse rise-time, the sooner difference between the wakefield produced in the gas and plasma is observed. In fact, the larger the rise-time, the greater the density fluctuations and, consequently, the larger the initial noise is generated to seed the Raman instability.     

Properties of long light filaments in natural environment

The multiple filamentation of terawatt femtosecond(fs) laser pulses is experimentally studied in a natural environment.A more than 30-m long plasma filament with a millimeter diameter is formed by the collimated fs laser pulse freely propagating in an open atmosphere. This study provides the first quantitative experimental data about the electron density of a long range light filament in the atmosphere. The electron density of such a filament is quantitatively detected by using an electric method, showing that it is at the 10~(11)-cm~(-3) level.     

Valley density profile for highly efficient x-ray lasers with good beam quality

A plasma with a valley density profile at the required electron density for high-gain operation of an x-ray laser could be obtained using a normally incident 300 ps laser pulse followed by a grazing-incident 300 ps laser pulse. Sudden heating of the valley plasma region by another grazing-incident 300 fs laser pulse would then yield a highly efficient x-ray laser beam with a deflecting angle of 2 mrad and a divergence angle of 4 mrad. Saturation operation of the x-ray laser beam at 32.6 nm could be achieved with a total pump energy of less than 100 mJ.     

Thresholds of plasma formation in silicon identified by optimizing the ablation laser pulse form

Using an evolutionary algorithm combined with pulse shaping, we have identified that rapid plasma formation in Silicon can occur already at a fluence of about 150 mJ/cm2 if a substantial part of the laser energy is deposited efficiently around 200 fs after an exciting laser pulse. Nonthermal solid-to-liquid phase transition leads to the increase of the deposited energy in the material. Highly charged ions have been observed in the mass spectrum. While the pulse optimization procedure allowed us to identify the plasma formation, further experiments where the influence of the laser pulse width on the ablation yield was studied and Two-Pulse-Correlation experiments provided additional proof for the appearance of rapid plasma formation.     

空气中激光等离子体通道的三次谐波光谱特性研究

对不同条件下强激光在空气中形成等离子体通道的三次谐波光谱特性进行了研究。单脉冲能量12 mJ,脉宽30 fs,重复频率10 Hz,中心波长795 nm的飞秒激光脉冲经0.5 m焦距的凹面镜聚焦,在空气中形成了等离子体通道, 并在前 向观测到谱线半峰全宽（FWHM）为15 nm的三次谐波。随着脉冲啁啾的变化,三次谐波的光谱出现红移或兰移,当激光脉冲附带+1.3×105fs2的二阶色散时,三次谐波谱线红移且谱峰强度增长了两倍。同时 ,通过改变可编程声光色散滤波器（AOPDF）光谱调制的位置（Hole position）,三次谐波的光谱也发生频移。     

飞秒激光诱导水光学击穿阈值

为了研究飞秒激光诱导水光学击穿阈值随激光脉冲参数的变化关系,采用四阶RungeKutta方法对飞秒激光诱导水光学击穿的椭球体模型进行了不同脉宽(40～540fs)、波长(400～1200nm)和光斑尺寸(0～200μm)下的数值模拟。通过控制变量法得出阈值光强与这些激光脉冲参数的关系曲线图,据此定性分析了阈值光强与激光脉冲参数的变化特征趋势。应用光强与功率、能量、辐照曝光量和电场强度之间的关系,得到了它们随激光脉冲参数脉宽、波长和光斑尺寸的动态关系,这为进一步研究飞秒激光与水和含水介质的相互作用提供了理论依据。     

Stimulated Raman backscattering from an ultrashort laser interacting with underdense plasmas

We present experimental results of the stimulated Raman backscattering instability (BSRS) in an ultrashort intense (45fs, 5.7×10¹⁷Wcm^-2) laser pulse interacting with an optically ionized helium gas. We have studied the stimulated Raman backscattering reflectivity and the phenomenon of the transition from strongly coupled BSRS to weakly coupled BSRS. We have obtained a good agreement between our experimental results and the theory of BSRS.     

Spectral and temporal analysis of ultrashort ultraviolet pulses generated by high-intensity laser radiation in the atmosphere

We report direct spectral and temporal characterization of ultrashort ultraviolet (UV) pulses resulting from third-harmonic generation by high-intensity Ti: sapphire laser radiation in the atmosphere. The experimental technique implemented in this work enables the measurement of the pulse width and the chirp of the UV field, as well as the electron density of the plasma produced by laser pulses. The bandwidth of the third harmonic generated in our experiments by laser pulses with an initial pulse width of 45 fs supports transform-limited UV pulses as short as 30 fs.     

超短超强激光脉冲辐照超薄碳膜电离状态研究

为了进一步理解极端条件下物质的电离特性, 特别是超短超强激光脉冲辐照超薄靶时等离子体的形成与分布, 本文以超薄碳膜为例, 细致研究了超短超强激光脉冲辐照下原子的离化过程. 分析和比较了强激光场直接作用电离和靶内静电场电离等两种场致电离形式, 在碰撞电离可以忽略的情况下, 发现更多的电离份额是来自靶内静电场的电离方式. 研究了激光脉冲强度对电离的影响, 发现激光脉冲强度越强, 电离速度越快, 产生的高价态离子所占比例也越高.当激光强度为1×10²⁰ W/cm²时, 尽管该强度高于电离生成C⁺⁶所需要的激光强度阈值, 但该激光脉冲并不能将整个靶电离成C⁺⁶离子, 对此本文进行了详细的分析. 在研究激光脉冲宽度的影响时, 发现激光脉宽越小, 电离速度越快, 但越小的激光脉冲电离获得的高价态离子越少.     

Ultrafast electron pulses from a tungsten tip triggered by low-power femtosecond laser pulses

We present an experimental and numerical study of electron emission from a sharp tungsten tip triggered by sub-8-fs low-power laser pulses. This process is nonlinear in the laser electric field, and the nonlinearity can be tuned via the dc voltage applied to the tip. Numerical simulations of this system show that electron emission takes place within less than one optical period of the exciting laser pulse, so that an 8 fs 800 nm laser pulse is capable of producing a single electron pulse of less than 1 fs duration. Furthermore, we find that the carrier-envelope phase dependence of the emission process is smaller than 0.1% for an 8 fs pulse but is steeply increasing with decreasing laser pulse duration.     

Spatiotemporal stability of a femtosecond hard-x-ray undulator source studied by control of coherent optical phonons

We report on the temporal and spatial stability of the first tunable femtosecond undulator hard-x-ray source for ultrafast diffraction and absorption experiments. The 2.5-1 Angstrom output radiation is driven by an initial 50 fs laser pulse employing the laser-electron slicing technique. By using x-ray diffraction to probe laser-induced coherent optical phonons in bulk bismuth, we estimate an x-ray pulse duration of 140+/-30 fs FWHM with timing drifts below 30 fs rms measured over 5 days. Optical control of coherent lattice motion is demonstrated.     

Ar plasma waveguide produced by a low-intensity femtosecond laser

Using the interaction of a low-intensity femtosecond laser pulse (30 fs, 6 × 10¹⁵ Wcm^? 2) with argon cluster jet produced from a slit nozzle, we experimentally probe the formation of a uniform plasma waveguide by the interferogram analysis. The results about evolution of plasma channel demonstrate that it is feasible to produce the plasma waveguide for an fs laser pulse of low-intensity. It takes tens of nanoseconds to form a plasma waveguide. The simulation by one-dimensional Gaussian plasma hydrodynamic expansion model indicates that the temperature of plasma channel is not high under this condition. Thus it takes tens of nanoseconds to form a plasma waveguide.     

基于平衡光学互相关方法的超短脉冲激光相干合成技术

相干合成技术是超快光学领域的重要研究方向之一.当单路脉冲激光的连续谱超过一个倍频程时,精确控制其光谱相位(色散管理)是获得亚周期超短脉冲激光的关键.由于常见的脉冲压缩系统存在光谱带宽限制,因此多通道相干合成技术受到了广泛的关注.本文将充气空心光纤展宽后的超倍频程连续光谱分波段独立压缩,并利用平衡光学互相关方法锁定子脉冲之间的相位延迟,获得了4.1 fs的合成脉冲.实验结果表明相干合成技术在高能量亚周期超快光场调控中存在优势.     

Radiation damping effects on the interaction of ultraintense laser pulses with an overdense plasma

A strong effect of radiation damping on the interaction of an ultraintense laser pulse with an overdense plasma slab is found and studied via a relativistic particle-in-cell simulation including ionization. Hot electrons generated by the irradiation of a laser pulse with a radiance of I lambda(2)>10(22) W microm(2)/cm(2) and duration of 20 fs can convert more than 35% of the laser energy to radiation. This incoherent x-ray emission lasts for only the pulse duration and can be intense. The radiation efficiency is shown to increase nonlinearly with laser intensity. Similar to cyclotron radiation, the radiation damping may restrain the maximal energy of relativistic electrons in ultraintense-laser-produced plasmas.     

Effect of external static magnetic field on the emittance and total charge of electron beams generated by laser-Wakefield acceleration

Significant enhancement of emittance and an increase of the total charge of femtosecond electron beams produced by a 12 TW, 40 fs laser pulse, tightly focused in a He gas jet, are observed after applying a static magnetic field, B> or =0.2 T, directed along the axis of laser pulse propagation. The effect appears when plasma produced by a laser prepulse becomes magnetized in the vicinity of the focus point: the electron Larmor frequency exceeds the collisional frequency, while periphery of the plasma remains unmagnetized. The entailed change in the shape of the plasma suppresses the diffraction of the main laser pulse that results in a much higher charge of electrons self-injected during the longitudinal wave breaking of the laser wake as well as the excellent stability of the beams.     

Highly directive 18.9 nm nickel-like molybdenum x-ray laser operating at 150 mJ pump energy

We experimentally demonstrate that by longitudinally pumping 2 mm long molybdenum preformed plasma with high-intensity 475 fs duration laser pulse, a highly directive soft-x-ray laser at 18.9 nm wavelength is generated. The divergence of the beam is evaluated to be of the submilliradian order, and only requires a pump laser energy of 150 mJ.     

超短脉冲激光烧蚀石墨产生的喷射物的时间分辨发射光谱研究

本文使用不同激光能流(18 J/cm²–115 J/cm²)和脉冲宽度(50 fs–4 ps)的超短脉冲激光在真空中(4×10^-4 Pa)烧蚀高定向热解石墨. 通过测量烧蚀喷射物的时间分辨发射光谱研究喷射物的超快时间演化. 在喷射物发射光谱中, 观察到了C₂基团的天鹅带光谱系统, 416 nm附近C₁₅基团的由电子能级¹Σ_u⁺ 和¹Σ_g⁺之间的振动跃迁产生的光谱峰以及连续谱. 50 fs, 115 J/cm²的脉冲激光烧蚀产生的喷射物的连续谱的强度衰减分为快速下降和慢速下降两个阶段(以20 ns时间延迟为分界). 这表明连续谱是由两种不同的组分贡献的. 快速下降阶段, 连续谱主要由碳等离子体通过韧致辐射产生; 慢速下降阶段, 连续谱主要由烧蚀后期产生的大颗粒碳簇的热辐射贡献. 实验结果还揭示了激光能流的提高, 会明显增加喷射物中碳等离子体和激发态C₂的含量, 但对质量稍大的C₁₅的影响较小; 此外, 50 fs脉冲激光烧蚀产生的连续谱的存在时间会随着激光能流的减小而增大, 这说明低能流更有利于在烧蚀后期产生碳簇. 脉宽主要影响喷射物连续谱的时间演化. 4 ps脉冲激光烧蚀产生的连续谱的整个时间演化过程明显慢于50 fs脉冲产生的连续谱.     

采用光谱展宽技术的钛宝石飞秒激光放大器

报道了飞秒激光啁啾脉冲放大器中的激光脉冲光谱展宽技术，实验中使用了几种光谱展宽元件，结果表明使用激光光谱展宽元件能有效地将飞秒激光脉冲 光谱展宽，抑制了飞秒激光放大器中常见的激光脉冲光谱增益窄化现象，从飞秒放大系统的振荡级输出28fs种子脉冲，放大后得到了重复频率为10Hz、峰值功率为1．6TW、脉冲宽度37．5fs的超短强飞秒激光脉冲 。     

钕玻璃啁啾脉冲放大器产生百焦耳亚皮秒脉冲

以钕玻璃为增益介质研制了高能啁啾脉冲激光放大器系统,实验演示输出啁啾脉冲能量在百焦耳量级时,光谱宽度保持在4—6 nm.最大能量168 J,相应谱宽5.5 nm,中心波长1054 nm.压缩脉冲宽度最短710 fs. 关键词： 啁啾脉冲放大 钕玻璃 高能拍瓦