Using fence pulses to suppress stimulated Raman scattering effect in laser–plasma interaction

In inertial confinement fusion, the laser–plasma interaction(LPI) happens when the high-energy laser irradiates on the target where the scattered light share generated from the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS) effect is difficult to suppress. We propose a method using fence pulses(FPs) to suppress the backward SRS by inhibiting the growth of the intensity of electron plasma waves. Based on our simulation, the FPs can weaken SRS effect in the LPI effectively.     

Melting and resolidification of gold film irradiated by laser pulses less than 100 fs

The rapid melting and resolidification of gold films irradiated by laser pulses less than 100 fs are investigated using the dual-hyperbolic two-step model. The solid–liquid interfacial velocity in the ultrafast phase change process is obtained by coupling a hyperbolic interfacial energy balance equation and nucleation dynamics. The results are compared with the experimental data for the 28-fs laser. The effects of laser pulse widths and fluences on melting process are investigated. A phase chart of the variations of pulse widths and fluences is established. The relationship between the melting threshold and ablation threshold is also presented.     

Generation of picoseconds stimulated Raman scattering in a BaWO4 crystal and frequency up-conversion by difference-frequency generation in BBO

The characters of stimulated Raman scattering of BaWO₄ crystal excited by a picoseconds laser at 1064 nm are studied based on optical parametric amplification (OPA). Up to six-order Stokes components and five-order anti-Stokes components are observed. The SRS components are amplified by an OPA and the wavelength tunable range from 411 to 2594 nm is achieved with a maximum conversion efficiency of 38% using the OPA stage.     

Generation of 2.5 μJ vacuum ultraviolet pulses with sub-50 fs duration by noncollinear four-wave mixing in argon

Generation of sub-50fs vacuum UV pulses with more than 2.5μJ energy at a 1kHz repetition rate is reported. The pulses at 160nm are produced using noncollinear difference-frequency four-wave mixing between the fundamental and third harmonics of an amplified Ti:sapphire laser in argon. While the pulse duration is maintained by increasing the phase-matching pressure, noncollinear interaction improves the conversion efficiency by 1 order of magnitude in comparison with the previous results in collinear geometry.     

Enhancement of stimulated Raman scattering of acetone and the generation of three-color laser by using fluorescence dye RB

The enhancement of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) of acetone (C3H6O) and the generation of three color lasers in lasing dye rhodamine B (RB) were reported. The first-order Stokes wave (629.9 nm) of SRS of C3H6O was amplified by 2.83 times than that of pure C3H6O. At the same time, a dye laser of RB at the wavelength from 575 to 598 nm can be generated in a suitable concentration of RB between 3×10-5 and 2×10-4 mol/L. Thus the green pump laser, yellow dve laser, and red Stokes wave concurred.     

Investigation of unburned carbon particles in fly ash by means of laser light scattering

A new optical method to determine the percentage of unburned carbon particles in fly ash from combustion of pulverized coal has been developed. The technique exploits the different properties of particles of ash and coal in the elastic scattering of polarized light.     

Generation of 100 μJ pulses at 82.8 nm by frequency tripling of sub-picosecond KrF laser radiation

. Investigations of the efficient generation of powerful coherent radiation at 82.8 nm by frequency tripling of short-pulse KrF laser radiation are presented. Argon gas is selected as nonlinear medium due to the resonantly enhanced 3rd-order susceptibility χ⁽³⁾(-3ω,ω,ω,ω). Pulse energies of 100 μJ at 82.8 nm have been measured for a pump pulse energy of 14 mJ. An upscaling to more than 500 μJ is expected with available more powerful pump lasers. Features of this XUV source and possible applications are discussed. Received: 26 July 2002 / Published online: 15 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-511/7622211, E-mail: reinhardt@iqo.uni-hannover.de     

Generation of a high-temporal contrast ultrafast laser pulse near 1,053 nm through stimulated Raman frequency shift

A high-temporal contrast femtosecond Stokes pulse near 1,053 nm is obtained simply without polarizer extinction ratio limitation based on the stimulated Raman frequency shift process in ethanol with an 800-nm femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser as a pump source. By optimizing the incident pump pulse chirp and the ethanol Raman cell length, a clean Stokes pulse near 1,053 nm with a maximum energy of 0.24 mJ is obtained with ~7.5 % conversion efficiency and 0.8 % (rms) energy fluctuation. Compared with the incident pump pulse, the temporal contrast of the Stokes pulse is improved by at least approximately three orders of magnitude.     

Evolution of energy spectrum from laser-accelerated protons with a 100 fs intense prepulse

A parametric study is reported where a femtosecond prepulse is used to change the target properties before the interaction with a multi-terawatt laser pulse which accelerates protons from a foil target. The proton spectrum as function of the prepulse delay and intensity, up to 1.5 ns and up to 3×10¹⁶ W/cm², respectively, shows a global decrease of the maximum proton energy with delay and intensity. However, under appropriate conditions, it is found that the maximum proton energy increases by more than 10% and that the spectral shape changes.     

Analysis of the nonlinear absorption mechanisms in ablation of transparent materials by high-intensity and ultrashort laser pulses

The mechanisms of nonlinear absorption in transparent materials under irradiation with ultrashort laser pulses are considered theoretically. Nitride semiconductor, sapphire and others transparent dielectrics were investigated. The ablation threshold for these materials is within multi-TW/cm² range. The model was used based on the tunneling absorption under the irradiation by high-intensity ultrashort pulses in terms of the theory of ionization of solid in a field of strong electromagnetic wave. The effect of the energy gap of material on the threshold of laser ablation was adequately explained.     

Generation of runaway electrons in a nonuniform electric field by applying nanosecond voltage pulses with a frequency of 100–1000 Hz

Generation of runaway electrons and X-ray radiation in helium and air under the action of a pulsed-periodic discharge in a nonuniform electric field is studied. Positive and negative voltage pulses with a repetition rate of up to 1 kHz, a duration on the order of 1 ns, and an incident wave amplitude of 12.5 kV are applied to a needle-plane gap. For both polarities of the main voltage pulse and a helium pressure from several Torr to several tens of Torr, the arrival of negative reflected voltage pulses at the gap is shown to be accompanied by an electron beam generation. X-ray radiation is detected in a wide range of pressure, including under normal pressure of helium and air.     

Dissipative solitons compounds in a fiber laser. Analogy with the states of the matter

We investigate experimentally ordered and disordered pattern formation of solitons in a double-clad fiber laser. We point out an analogy between the different states of matter and the states of a set of dissipative solitons. In particular, we have identified a gas, a supersonic gas flow, a liquid, a polycrystal and a crystal of solitons. The different states are obtained only by adjustment of the intracavity phase plates.     

Investigation of the threshold intensity versus gas pressure in the breakdown of helium by 248 nm laser radiation

An investigation of the unexpectedly strong dependence of the threshold intensity on the gas pressure in the experimental study on the breakdown of He by short laser wavelength (Turcu et al., in Opt Commun, 134:66–68, 1997) is presented. A modified electron cascade model is applied (Evans and Gamal, in J Phys D Appl Phys, 13:1447–1458, 1980). Computations revealed reasonable agreement between the calculated thresholds and the measured ones. Moreover, the calculated electron energy distribution function and its parameters proved that multiphoton ionization of ground and excited atoms is the main source for the seed electrons, which contributes to the breakdown of helium. The effect of diffusion losses over pressures <1,000 Torr elucidated the origin of the strong dependence of the threshold intensity on the gas pressure. Collisional ionization dominates only at high pressures. No evidence for recombination losses is observed for pressures up to 3,000 Torr.     

All-fiber integrated 10 GHz repetition rate femtosecond laser source based on Raman compression of pulses generated through spectral masking of a phase-modulated diode

We report the development of a 10?GHz repetition rate all-fiber integrated femtosecond source tunable around 1.55?μm. A phase modulator and sharp spectral filter are used to convert the output of a tunable CW diode to a 10?GHz pulse train. These pulses are compressed using Raman soliton adiabatic compression in a 21?km long length of fiber to generate sub-300-fs duration pulses at a 10?GHz repetition rate. By tuning the wavelength of the diode and appropriate filtering, similar performance was achieved over a 20?nm bandwidth.     

Spin correlations in nonperturbative electron–positron pair creation by petawatt laser pulses colliding with a TeV proton beam

The influence of the electron spin degree of freedom on nonperturbative electron–positron pair production by high-energy proton impact on an intense laser field of circular polarization is analyzed. Predictions from the Dirac and Klein–Gordon theories are compared and a spin-resolved calculation is performed. We show that the various spin configurations possess very different production probabilities and discuss the transfer of helicity in this highly nonlinear process. Our predictions could be tested by combining the few-TeV proton beam at CERN-LHC with an intense laser pulse from a table-top petawatt laser source.     

Generation of ultrashort electromagnetic radiation pulses with a repetition rate of ∼100 MHz by a vacuum photoemission element with an antimony cesium photocathode

We studied the generation of ultrashort electromagnetic radiation pulses with the maximal repetition rate by a vacuum photoemission element with an antimony cesium photocathode. Photoelectrons are emitted as a result of supplying four nanosecond initiating laser radiation pulses with a wavelength of 527 nm and an interval from 3.65 to 6.7 ns between the pulses. The voltage between the anode and the photocathode (from 5 to 60 kV) is measured in experiments.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanopore processing in a graphene sheet by using gas cluster ion beam

The formation of a nanopore in a graphene sheet by collision with an argon cluster is simulated using molecular dynamics method. The number of removed carbon atoms and the size of the nanopore are obtained as a function of the kinetic energy of the cluster. In contrast to nanosculpting with a monomer ion beam, the size of the nanopore that is created by one shot of the cluster varies because of the variety of atom configuration. However, the mean size of the nanopore can be controlled over a wide range only by changing the kinetic energy of the cluster. This implies that the cleaning and processing of the graphene sheet may be realized simultaneously by changing the acceleration energy of the cluster.     

Experimental investigation of radiation-gasdynamic processes that develop under the action of high-power λ=10.6 μm laser pulses on a solid in a gas

A cycle of experimental investigations was carried out on radiation-gasdynamic processes that evolve when high-power (1.5 GW) pulses from an electron-beamcontrolled CO2 laser act on a target in air or in inert gases at pressures 0.1–760 torr and flux densities 5·10⁶ to 5·10⁸ W/cm². It is shown that at pressures above several torr a laser-radiation absorption wave is produced in the gas surrounding the target and determines the evolution of the interaction. The laser-stimulated-detonation, subsonic, and supersonic radiative regimes of absorption-wave propagation in gases are investigated under conditions of planar one-dimensional geometry of the experiment and at large (up to 20 cm²) area of the irradiated spot.Translated from Trudy Ordena Lenina Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. N. Lebedeva, Vol. 142, pp. 117–171, 1983.     

Preparation of conventional thermoelectric nanopowders by pulsed laser fracture in water: application to the fabrication of a pn hetero-junction

The technique of laser fracture in a liquid medium has been applied to the synthesis of n-type (Bi_0.95Sb_0.05)₂ (Te_0.95Se_0.05)₃ and p-type (Bi_0.2Sb_0.8)₂Te₃ semiconducting nanopowders which are the best conventional materials currently used for thermoelectric applications at ambient temperature. The nanopowders have been prepared with a high yield in an especially built-up cell. Laser fracture in water of micronsized powders has been applied, using a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser working at 532 nm. The obtained powders have been characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and by X-ray diffraction. The mean diameter is about 10 nm and the phase of the initial powders is kept. To test the potentiality of these nanosized materials, we have shown the feasibility to produce a pn hetero-junction.