Spatial coherence and coherent interactions of broadband dispersed laser beams

Analytical expressions are obtained that describe the changes in the degree of coherence and in the thickness of the coherence layers occurring upon propagation of a dispersed broadband laser beam. It is found that the greater the tilting of the coherence layers with respect to the phase fronts, the more rapidly the spatial coherence is violated with increasing distance. A comparison with the case of an undispersed beam is performed. It is shown that, as the beam propagates, the decrease in the degree of coherence is accompanied by the appearance of spatial fluctuations of this parameter. The degree of mutual coherence of intersecting dispersed beams with parallel correlated coherence layers, which determines the efficiency of their coherent interaction, is investigated. The existence of spatial fluctuations of the degree of mutual coherence is established.     

Spatial structure of the degree of coherence for broadband dispersed laser beams

1D and 2D spatial distributions of a complex degree of coherence are obtained using numerical simulation for the broadband dispersed laser beams. The configuration of the spatial inhomogeneities (speck-les) of the degree of coherence is studied at various spectral widths and dispersions of the beam. It is shown that the speckle size increases with increasing distance from the initial plane where the light field is assumed to be spatially coherent. The small- and large-scale structures of the degree of coherence are shown for the transverse cross section of the beam. The results are compared with the analytically calculated correlation functions of the spatial coherence. The features of the speckle structure are interpreted using the concept of partial speckles.     

Spatial modulation of Gaussian laser beams

A technique is described for obtaining deep spatial modulation of laser beams. A phase modulator at one plane in the beam path can yield amplitude modulation at a later plane with little loss in power. Explicit formulae are derived for the field distributions of the modulated beams, and applications are considered.     

Specific features of speckle structure formed by dispersed laser beams

The geometry of statistical average of intensity speckles formed by a broadband dispersed laser beam spatially coherent in initial plane z = 0 is studied theoretically. A computer simulation was used to obtain two-dimensional distributions of random intensity that provide a clear picture of the transformations experienced by the speckle structure upon laser beam propagation. Correlation functions and power spectra of random intensity are calculated in order to determine the characteristic size and shape of speckles as a function of longitudinal coordinate z, the width and shape of the frequency spectrum, and the degree of dispersion of the light beam. Analytical expressions that describe an increase in the speckle size along the beam axis and in the direction of beam dispersion as a function of distance from the initial plane are obtained. The ultimate (at z → ∞) width of speckles in the direction of beam dispersion is calculated.     

Beam quality of truncated laser beams with amplitude modulations and phase fluctuations in turbulence

The closed-form expressions for the Rayleigh range z_R and the M²-factor of truncated laser beams with amplitude modulations (AMs) and phase fluctuations (PFs) in turbulence are derived, and the beam quality is studied by taking the z_R and the M²-factor as the characteristic parameters of beam quality. The M²-factor of truncated laser beams with AMs and PFs is always larger than that of truncated Gaussian beams both in free space and in turbulence. However, in turbulence the beam quality of truncated laser beams with AMs and PFs may be better than that of truncated Gaussian beams if the z_R is taken as the characteristic parameter of beam quality. For laser beams with AMs and PFs in turbulence, the beam quality expressed in terms of z_R is consistent with that in terms of the M²-factor versus the phase fluctuation parameter α, but not versus the intensity modulation parameter σ_A. The beam quality of truncated laser beams with AMs and PFs is less sensitive to turbulence than that of truncated Gaussian beams. The beam quality of laser beams with smaller α and larger σ_A is less affected by turbulence than those with larger α and smaller σ_A.     

Fast local intensity fluctuations in a pulsed untuned dye laser

Intensity fluctuations in a pulsed dye laser are studied. Fluctuations are local and very fast. The onset of the fluctuating regime coincides with the laser threshold. The average Fourier spectrum of fluctuations shows three broad peaks at frequencies v ₁=55 MHz, v ₂=110 MHz, v ₃=165 MHz. The three frequencies remain unchanged when resonator geometrical and optical parameters are changed. Nevertheless the amplitude of fluctuations is easily affected by such changes and by the solution temperature. The application of the Grassberger-Procaccia algorithm to the experimental fluctuations gives slope convergence (between 3 and 5) in some cases. This seems to indicate that the origin of fluctuations is chaotic-deterministic.     

Nonstationary fluctuations in the intensity and aiming of YAG laser emissions

Result are presented from an experimental investigation of nonstationary fluctuations in the intensity and aiming of a stabilized continuous-wave Model 126 Lightwave laser. We discuss mechanisms of their emergence, ways of describing them, and procedeures for suppressing them.     

Influence of non-kolmogorov turbulence on intensity fluctuations in laser satellite communication

Satellite laser communication holds the potential for high-bandwidth communication, but the atmosphere can significantly affect the capability of this type of communication systems for satellite-toground and ground-to-satellite data links to transfer information consistently and operate effectively. Usually the influence of atmosphere on satellite laser communication is investigated based on the Kolmogorov turbulence model. However, both increasing experimental evidence and theoretical investigations have shown that the Kolmogorov theory is sometimes incomplete to describe the atmospheric statistics properly, in particular, in some portions of the atmosphere. Considering a non-Kolmogorov turbulent power spectrum with power law −5 that describes the refractive-index fluctuations in the atmosphere above 6 km, we calculate the scintillation index of a lowest-order Gaussian-beam wave under the weak-fluctuation condition. Then, considering a combined power spectrum of refractiveindex fluctuations and using the expression obtained, we analyze the joint influence of the Kolmogorov turbulence from the ground to 6 km and non-Kolmogorov turbulence above 6 km on the scintillation indices of laser beams used in ground-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground laser communication links. We show that the scintillation index in satellite laser communication is equal to the sum of the scintillation indices induced by the Kolmogorov turbulence from ground to 6 km and that caused by the non-Kolmogorov turbulence above 6 km. Also we investigate variations of the scintillation index with the beam radius on the transmitter, wavelength, the radial distance, and zenith angle. Finally, comparing the scintillation index induced by these two turbulences with the conventional results, we show that the scintillation index induced by these two turbulences is a bit smaller than the conventional results.     

Technical fluctuations of radiation intensity of a laser with a nonlinearly absorbing cell

A He-Ne laser with a neon absorbing cell (λ=0.63 μm) is studied experimentally in the regime of generation of one longitudinal mode. It is shown that the spectral density of technical fluctuations of the radiation intensity increases significantly when the generation frequency is tuned to the center of the absorption line, which agrees with the known theoretical results. Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 41, No. 11, pp. 1469–1472, November, 1998.     

Photon and positron generation by ultrahigh intensity laser interaction with electron beams

This study investigates the generation of high energy photons and positrons using focused ultrahigh intensity femtosecond laser pulses on a relativistic electron beam with a set of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We consider circularly and linearly polarized, single and spatially separated double laser pulses. We model both 500 MeV and 1 GeV electron beams. Higher positron production is obtained using circularly polarized laser pulses. Using double pulses, the focusing effect of the ponderomotive force confines the electrons to a small volume, generating additional energetic photons and positrons. The positron spectral distributions are effectively modified by these variations. When the electron beam energy is doubled, the number of positrons increased, while the cutoff energy remained nearly constant.     

光谱色散后的相位调制光束衍射特性研究

用数值方法研究了激光驱动器系统中使用光谱色散平滑单元后光束的衍射特性.模拟结果表明，光谱色散会使光束衍射光斑变大，近场空间强度均匀性改善，而远场光斑内部存在光强接近于均匀分布的区域.进一步分析了光谱色散平滑单元中相位调制器的调制深度、调制频率及光栅色散系数等主要元件参数对光束传输特性的影响，发现在一定情况下光斑内部会出现较强的强度调制. 关键词： 光谱色散平滑 光束衍射 近场 远场     

Wavelength dependence of intensity fluctuations in laser speckle patterns from biological specimens

Speckle patterns obtained when botanical specimens are illuminated with laser light are observed to fluctuate at a rate which depends on the wavelength of the light used. It is suggested that this wavelength dependence may be of value as an additional degree of freedom in some applications of intensity fluctuation spectroscopy.