Magnetic field generation via linear conversion of laser radiation into leaking surface waves in laser produced plasmas

The generation of large amplitude (MG) quasi-stationary magnetic fields in a laser produced plasma with density profile steepening in the domain of the critical point is considered. The spatial structure of the generated magnetic fields in this domain is obtained. It is shown that the density profile steepening causes a significant enhancement of the generated magnetic fields with respect to a linear profile. The saturation level of the generated magnetic fields is evaluated.     

Few-cycle-driven XUV laser harmonics: generation and focusing

We have investigated the use of sub-10-fs near-infrared laser pulses to generate high-order harmonic radiation efficiently in the wavelength region between 30 to 10 nm. The ultrashort rise time of the driver pulses allows harmonics to be produced at low ionization levels and hence to grow coherently over propagation lengths becoming comparable to the XUV absorption lengths in the noble gas medium. As a result, absorption-limited harmonic generation has been extended to the 10-nm range for the first time. Harmonic conversion efficiencies of (3-4)᎒^ъ in the range of 10-13 nm in neon and some two orders of magnitude higher at around 30 nm in argon have been obtained in simple gas tube targets under these conditions. Preliminary focusing tests with 13-nm harmonic radiation have been carried out with a specially designed zoneplate and a spherical Mo/Si multilayer mirror and have resulted in spot sizes of about 2 microns. Our experiments aim at paving the way to nonlinear optics in the soft-X-ray regime.     

Optimization of laser propagation in optical-field-ionization plasmas for X-ray laser generation

Optical-field-ionization X-ray lasers are investigated numerically with a three-dimensional wave propagation code considering the effects of photoionization, energy depletion due to ionization, and refraction on pump laser pulses in spatially and temporally varied plasmas. By focusing the pump laser with small f-number optics at the optimal position, simulations show that diffraction and ionization-induced refraction in plasmas are compensated to keep the pump beam propagating at the optimal size for a longer distance. An amplification length as long as 5 mm can be achieved in Pd-like xenon and Ni-like krypton X-ray lasers at a pump energy of 160 mJ in 50-fs and 30-fs pulses, respectively. The significant reduction of the pump energy is a desirable step toward low-threshold and practical high-repetition-rate operations. PACS 42.55.Vc; 52.50.Jm     

New trends in high-order harmonics generation using the mid-infrared pulses propagating through the laser-produced plasmas

Various recently emerged applications of mid-infrared pulses for high-order harmonic generation in laser plasmas produced on the surfaces of various materials are reviewed. Among them are (a) the highorder harmonic generation in Ag, Sn, fullerene, and graphene nanoparticle-containing plasmas using tunable two-color mid-infrared pulses, (b) efficiency dependence on the generating particle properties in the case of two-color high-harmonic generation of the longer-wavelength radiation in the plasmas, and (c) high-order sum and difference frequency generation using tunable two- and three-color commensurate and incommensurate mid-infrared pumps of graphite plasma. These studies demonstrate the perspectives of the frequency conversion of mid-infrared radiation in the extended laser-produced plasmas.     

Particular features of higher harmonics generation in nanocluster-containing plasmas using single- and two-color pumps

The wavelength conversion of femtosecond laser pulses in laser plasmas containing clusters of different nature and dimension (fullerenes, metal nanoparticles) is studied. Pulses of a titanium-sapphire laser are used in combination with orthogonally polarized second-harmonic pulses as radiation to be converted. Variations in the generation efficiency of higher harmonics are analyzed under conditions of phase-modulated pulses. It is shown that the optimization of components of a nonlinear optical plasma medium, of plasma excitation conditions by single- and two-color pumps, and of phase and spectral parameters of radiation to be converted leads to a considerable increase in the generation efficiency of higher harmonics.     

Two-color pump of laser plasmas for harmonic generation

Various laser-produced metal plasmas were used for high-order sum and difference harmonic generation using the mixing of tunable mid-infrared pulses from optical parametric amplifier and 810 nm ultrashort pulses. We show that, regardless of non-optimal spatio-temporal overlap of two sources of radiation in the plasmas, the application of proposed technique allows a significant growth of harmonic yield and broadening of the number of different combinations of interacting waves in the extreme ultraviolet region, which could be useful for observation of the resonance induced enhancement of some frequency components.     

High-order harmonics generation by few-cycle and multi-cycle femtosecond laser pulses

This paper investigates experimentally high-order harmonic generation(HHG) of neon gas with 5-fs and 25-fs driving laser pulses.It has been demonstrated that the cutoff energy of the harmonic extreme ultraviolet photons is extended to 131 eV and the HHG spectrum near the cutoff region becomes continuum as the driving laser pulse duration is 5 fs;whereas much lower cutoff photon energy and discrete harmonic spectrum near the cutoff region are presented as the laser pulse duration is 25 fs.The results can be explained by the fact that neutral atoms can be exposed to more intense laser field before they are depleted by ionization because of the extremely short rising time of the few-cycle pulse.The 5-fs driving laser pulse paves the way of generation of coherent x-ray in the water window and single attosecond pulse.     

激光场中锂原子发射的电离阈值以下低阶谐波的研究

利用单电子近似下锂原子精确的模型势,通过数值求解三维含时薛定谔方程的方法,研究了锂原子在激光场中发射低阶谐波的性质,研究结果表明,对于锂原子电离阈值以下的低阶谐波,除了通常的奇次谐波外,还有侧峰结构出现,运用同步压缩变换技术(SST)分析这些低阶谐波的辐射特性,我们发现这些侧峰是由原子在激光场中的缀饰态之间的跃迁和无场下激发态到基态的跃迁组成的,如果当激光脉冲结束后,仍有发射的侧峰,其位置与主峰之间的能量差可以用来估算原子激发态在激光场中的最大Stark移动.     

On the generation of high flux densities within absorbing plasmas due to self-focussing of a laser beam

We investigate the possibility of achieving high flux densities by self-focussing a laser beam within a plasma. We have performed computer simulations on self-focussing of short (≦1 ns) laser pulses in high density laser-produced plasmas. Special consideration has been given to the role of absorption as it affects the laser-intensity obtained within a self-focussed filament.     

Generation of higher harmonics in laser plasma formed on the surface of a silver target

The results of investigation of the higher harmonics (from the 21st to the 61st order) of radiation of a femtosecond laser (793 nm, 48 fs) that are generated in silver plasma are presented. The changes in the shape and spectra of harmonics for different chirps of the laser radiation are studied. It is found that the wavelengths of harmonics generated in the region of the plateaulike distribution of the converted radiation intensity can be tuned. It is shown that the conditions of phase matching between harmonics and laser radiation are different for different modulations of the femtosecond pulse spectrum. The tuning range of the spectrum of the converted radiation in the region of lower harmonics, which lie in the beginning region of the plateau, is shown to amount to 0.8 nm.     

Effect of laser focus in two-color synthesized waveform on generation of soft x-ray high harmonics

Synthesis of multi-color laser pulses has been developed as a promising way to improve low conversion efficiency of high-order harmonic generation (HHG). Here we systematically study the effect of laser focus in a two-color waveform on generation of macroscopic HHG in soft x-rays. We find that the dependence of HHG yields on laser focus at low or high gas pressure is sensitive to the characteristics of single-atom harmonic response, in which "short"-or "long"-trajectory emissions can be selectively controlled by changing the waveform of two-color synthesized laser pulse. We uncover the phase-matching mechanism of HHG in the gas medium by examining the propagation of the two-color waveform and the evolution of time-frequency emissions of high-harmonic field. We further reveal that the nonlinear effects, such as geometric phase, atomic dispersion, and plasma defocusing, are responsible for modification of two-color waveform upon propagation. This work can be used to find better macroscopic conditions for generating soft x-ray HHG by employing two-color optimized waveforms.     

超短激光脉冲在等离子体中的分裂以及类孤子结构的形成

用一维粒子模拟研究了超短脉冲在等离子体中传播时产生的光孤子结构以及由此形成的脉冲分裂现象，比较了不同峰值强度和脉冲宽度对形成光孤子以及脉冲传播方式的影响.研究表明: 脉冲宽度在若干个到十几个振荡周期的超短脉冲在等离子体中可能形成高速传播的光孤子；脉冲宽度增加和强度增大两种方式都可以使得孤子结构的传播速度减慢,且由于高阶孤子的衰变使得初始激光脉冲在等离子体中发生分裂，形成两个以不同速度向前传播的孤子结构.由孤子阶数的理论计算可较好地预言激光脉冲在等离子体中分裂的子脉冲数. 关键词： 光孤子 超短激光脉冲 等离子体 粒子模拟     

New measurements on parametric excitation of ion-acoustic waves and harmonics generation in a laser created plasma

Using a narrowed spectrum Nd³⁺ glass laser, we show that besides parametric excitation of ion-acoustic waves, another different mechanism contributes at the same time to the second harmonic line generation in a laser created plasma.     

Extension of high-order harmonics and generation of an isolated attosecond pulse in the chirped laser field

This paper theoretically investigates the high-order harmonic generation cutoff extension using intense few-cycle linearly chirped laser pulses. It shows that the cutoff of the harmonic can be extended remarkably by optimising the chirping parameters. The time-frequency characteristics of high-order harmonics with different chirping parameters are analysed by means of wavelet transform of the dipole acceleration. It also gives out the classical three-step model pictures of electron. By superposing a properly selected range of the harmonic spectrum, it obtains an isolated 65as pulse.     

Self-pulsing instabilities in the generation of higher harmonics

We consider nonlinear optical processes in a cavity. The processes are driven by an external coherent pump. We predict self-pulsing instabilities in the generation of higher harmonics. We also derive formulas for the threshold pump strength and critical selfpulsing frequency.     

Effect of nuclear motion on molecular high-order harmonics and on generation of attosecond pulses in intense laser pulses

We calculate harmonic spectra and shapes of attosecond-pulse trains using numerical solutions of Non-Born-Oppenheimer time-dependent Shr?dinger equation for 1D H2 molecules in an intense laser pulse. A very strong signature of nuclear motion is seen in the time profiles of high-order harmonics. In general the nuclear motion shortens the part of the attosecond-pulse train originating from the first electron contribution, but it may enhance the second electron contribution for longer pulses. The shape of time profiles of harmonics can thus be used for monitoring the nuclear motion.     

On the effect of long-wavelength electron plasma waves onlarge-angle stimulated Raman scattering of short laser pulse in plasmas

Spectral features of a large-angle stimulated Raman scattering (LA SRS) of a short electromagnetic pulse in an underdense plasma, which are caused by the presence in a plasma of a given linear long-wavelength electron plasma wave (LW EPW), are investigated. It is shown that the LW EPW, whose phase velocity coincides with a group velocity of a pulse and a density perturbation normalized to a background electron density δn_LW/n₀ exceeds the ratio of the electron plasma frequency to the laser frequency ω_pe/ω₀ suppresses the well-known Stokes branch of the weakly coupled LA SRS. Under the same condition, the anti-Stokes band appears in the spectrum of the scattered radiation. Variation of a scattering angle and an electron temperature do not significantly modify qualitative features of the effect. In the case of strongly coupled LA SRS, the maximum of the increment is decreased by nearly one-half for δn_LW/n₀~(a₀ω_pe /ω₀)^2/3≫ω_pe /ω₀, where a₀ is an amplitude of an electron quiver velocity in the laser field normalized to a speed of light c, and it decreases further with an increase in plasma density perturbation in LW EPW     

Coherent wake emission of high-order harmonics from overdense plasmas

We present a new mechanism for high-order harmonic generation by reflection of a laser beam from an overdense plasma, efficient even at moderate laser intensities (down to Igamma2 approximately 4x10(15) W cm-2 microm2). In this mechanism, a transient phase matching between the electromagnetic field and plasma oscillations within a density gradient leads to the emission of harmonics up to the plasma frequency. These plasma oscillations are periodically excited in the wake of attosecond electron bunches which sweep across the density gradient. This process leads to a train of unevenly spaced chirped attosecond pulses and, hence, to broadened and chirped harmonics. This last effect is confirmed experimentally.     

On the role of harmonics superimposed to the driving field in a harmonic generation process

The spatially integrated emission of harmonics from two along the propagation axis spatially separated sources has been investigated as a function of the relative phase and relative emission power of the two sources. Temporal interference fringes have been observed with frequency distributions including multiples of the driving Ti:sapphire laser frequency. The interference fringes provide evidence of harmonic emission that is sensitive to the relative emission phases and intensities of the two sources. Thus they demonstrate control of the emission at the following source by the harmonics emitted at the preceding one. The observed interference frequencies are discussed qualitatively and some of them are attributed to resonant processes.