Tuning the high-order harmonic lines of a Nd:Glass laser for soft X-ray laser seeding

We report here more than 50% coverage of the XUV spectral range between 18 nm and 35 nm by tuning the high-order harmonics generated by a fixed frequency Nd:Glass laser system. The tuning range achieved is suitable to seed Ni-like Y, Zr and Mo soft X-ray lasers.     

Optimization of quadrature frequency conversion with type-Ⅱ KDP for second harmonic generation of the nanosecond chirp pulse at 1053 nm

A second harmonic generation system with two type Ⅱ KDP crystals in quadrature is optimized for the nanosecond chirp pulse.The acceptance bandwidth of this optimizing scheme is close to 10 nm by using two crystals with slightly opposite angular detuning from phase matching and the conversion efficiency can reach 70%for top-hat chirp pulse at ～2 GW/cm2in theory.The preliminary experimental results are obtained on the 9th beam of Shen Guang Ⅱ SGⅡ laser system,and the performance of optimization is partially verified.     

The dependence of high-order harmonic generation on the laser frequency and inter-nuclear distance from multi-atom molecular ions

High-order harmonic generation from one-dimensional (1D) multi-atom molecular ions in an ultra-short laser field is theoretically investigated. The dynamics of the electron in a linearly polarized intense laser field is analyzed in terms of 1D Schrodinger equation with the Crank-Nicolson algorithm. The dependence of high-order harmonics on the laser frequency and the inter-nuclear distance is discussed. It is found that the optimum range of inter-nuclear distance should be changed to get extended harmonic generation for different laser frequency, and the lower frequency laser pulse is favorable to higher order harmonic generation as the inter-nuclear distance increases.     

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.     

Numerical study of the expansion of metallic vapor plasma by a nanosecond laser pulse

The interaction between a laser-produced aluminum plasma and the ambient air, at a pressure of 173.3 Pa, is studied at the plasma thermalization stage. A two-dimensional approach is developed to solve the Navier–Stokes equations, where a finite volume discretization allows for obtaining a numerical solution. The simulation runs over a time representing 10 μs of plasma expansion. It is shown that the shock and drag models are good approximations for the two successive regimes after the initial strong expansion stage, and the calculation makes evident the plume sharpening on the axial direction before its confinement by the ambient gas, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation.     

Ultrashort-pulse laser irradiation of metal films: the effect of a double-peak laser pulse

The optical properties of blue-violet InGaN light-emitting diodes under normal and reversed polarizations are numerically studied. The best light-emitting performance under normal and reversed polarization is obtained in a single quantum-well structure and double quantum-well structure, respectively. The key factors responsible for these phenomena are presumably the carrier concentration distribution and the amount of carriers in quantum wells. The turn-on voltage of light-emitting diodes under reversed polarization is lower than that of light-emitting diodes under normal polarization, due mainly to lower potential heights for electrons and holes in the active region.     

Temporal characteristics of Ti: sapphire laser pumped synchronously by bounded pulse train

A Ti: sapphire laser pumped synchronously by a bounded frequency-doubled pulse train of a pulsed mode-locked Nd : YAG laser was presented. The temporal characteristics of the laser and optimal conditions of generating stable ultrashort pulses are also given.     

Design of efficient single-stage chirped pulse difference frequency generation at 7 μm,driven by a dual wavelength Ti:sapphire laser

We present simulations for a design of a high-energy single-stage mid-IR difference frequency generation adapted to a two-color Ti:sapphire amplifier system. The optimized mixing process is based on chirped pulse difference frequency generation (CP-DFG), allowing for a higher conversion efficiency and reduced two-photon absorption losses. The numerical start-to-end simulations include stretching, chirped pulse difference frequency generation and pulse compression. Realistic design parameters for commercially available nonlinear crystals (GaSe, AgGaS₂, LiInSe₂, LiGaSe₂) are considered. Compared with conventional unchirped DFG directly pumped by Ti:sapphire technology, we predict a threefold increase in the quantum efficiency. Our CP-DFG scheme provides up to 340 μJ pulse energy directly at 7.2 μm when pumped with 8 mJ and supports a bandwidth of up to 350 nm. The resulting 240 fs mid-IR pulses are inherently phase stable.     

Influence of Z-pinch evolution on laser pulse duration at 46.9 nm in Ne-like Ar ions

A capillary discharge 46.9 nm Ne-like Ar laser is achieved with peak current of 20–23 kA. The variation of laser pulse duration with initial Ar pressure and rise-time of main current is reported. Measurements show that the laser pulse durations slightly increase with the increased pressure and increased rise-time of current. A comparison of the experimental results with the calculation of snow-plow model indicates that the increase of laser pulse duration is the result of decreased Z-pinch velocity at the pinch time when the radius of plasma is minimal.     

Effect of pressure relaxation during the laser heating and electron–ion relaxation stages

The multi-phase equation of state by Bushman et al. (Sov. Tech. Rev. 5:1–44, 2008) is modified to describe states with different electron and ion temperatures and it is applied to the non-equilibrium evolution of an aluminum sample heated by a subpicosecond laser pulse. The sample evolution is described by the two-temperature model for the electron and ion temperatures, while the pressure and density are described by a simplified relaxation equation. The pressure relaxation in the heating stage reduces the binding energy and facilitates the electron-driven ablation. The model is applied to estimate the ablation depth of an Al target irradiated by a subpicosecond laser pulse. It improves the agreement with the experimental data and provides a new explanation of the ablation process.     

Free-running and Q-switched operation of a diode pumped Er:YSGG laser at the 3 μm transition

A study is made of a diode pumped Er³⁺:YSGG laser crystal operating at 2.797 μm. Lasers were constructed in the bounce geometry, using a transversely cooled 50 at.% Er:YSGG slab and a face-cooled 38 at.% Er:YSGG slab. Results from these are compared with those from a 50 at.% Er³⁺:YAG laser, also in the bounce geometry. With quasi-continuous wave diode pumping, free-running pulse energies of up to ~55 mJ and a slope efficiency of 20.5% are obtained from 50 at.% Er:YSGG. Better thermal performance is obtained from the face-cooled 38 at.% Er:YSGG slab, allowing average power of ~2 W to be obtained at a repetition rate and pump pulse duration of 140 Hz and 500 μs, respectively. Both Er:YSGG systems perform better than Er:YAG. Numerical modelling of the free-running 50 at.% Er:YSGG and Er:YAG systems is undertaken with good qualitative agreement with experimental results. Electro-optic Q-switching of the 50 at.% Er:YSGG laser using a LiNbO₃ crystal yields ~0.5 mJ pulses with ~77 ns duration.     

Second harmonic generation by micropowders: a revision of the Kurtz–Perry method and its practical application

We theoretically study the second harmonic generation by powder crystal monolayers and by thick samples of crystalline powder with particle size in the range of microns. Contrary to usual treatments, the light scattering by the particles is explicitly introduced in the model. The cases of powder in air and in an index-matching liquid under the most common experimental geometries are considered. Special attention is paid to the possibility of determining the value of some nonlinear optical coefficients from the experiments. The limitations and shortcomings of the classical Kurtz and Perry method (Kurtz and Perry in J Appl Phys 39:3798, 1968) and the most common practical misuses of it are discussed. It is argued that many of the experimental works based on that method oversimplify the technique and contain important errors. In order to obtain reliable values of the nonlinear coefficients, an appropriate experimental configuration and analysis of the data are pointed out. The analysis is especially simple in the case of uniaxial phase-matchable materials for which simple analytical expressions are derived.     

An all-solid-state laser system for generation of 100 μJ femtosecond pulses near 625 nm at 1 kHz

Frequency doubling the output of a high-power femtosecond Cr:forsterite regenerative amplifier with >50% conversion efficiency in a temperature-tuned noncritically phase-matched LBO crystal produces femtosecond pulses of >100 μJ energy in the visible range near 625 nm at a pulse duration of about 200 fs or >65 μJ at <170 fs. Received: 29 March 1999 / Revised version: 27 April 1999 / Published online: 24 June 1999     

Effects temperature,pressure and spin–orbit interaction simultaneously on third harmonic generation of wedge-shaped quantum dots

In the present paper, we have studied the effects of temperature and pressure simultaneously on the third harmonic generation (THG) of a GaAs wedge-shaped quantum dot under the influence of spin–orbit interaction (SOI). For this purpose, we have used analytical expression for THG obtained by the compact-density matrix formalism. THG has been calculated for different temperatures and pressures under SOI. According to the obtained results, it is found that (i) THG shows a red shift of peak position in the presence of SOI. (ii) THG shifts toward higher energies with increasing temperature and considering the SOI. (iii) THG moves to lower energies with increasing pressure and considering the SOI.     

Ozone detection by differential absorption spectroscopy at ambient pressure with a 9.6 μm pulsed quantum-cascade laser

We report direct absorption spectroscopic detection of ozone at ambient pressure with a pulsed, DFB quantum-cascade laser (QCL) tuned within 1044–1050 cm^-1 by temperature scanning. Wavelength calibration curves were derived from FTIR and CO₂ spectra and interpreted with respect to the heat transfer from the heterostructure to the sink. The laser linewidth (0.13 cm^-1 FWHM) was found to decrease with temperature, probably as a result of operation at constant current. Spurious spectral features due to baseline inaccuracies were successfully filtered out from the QCL O₃ spectra using differential absorption. Reference O₃ concentrations were obtained by applying the same method to UV spectra, simultaneously measured with a differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS). Column densities retrieved from QCL spectra are in fairly good agreement (±20%) with the DOAS values above 28 ppmm. The estimated QCL lowest detectable, absolute and differential absorptions, (7×10^-3 and 2×10^-3, respectively), entail effective detection limits of 14 and 25 ppmm, respectively. Ongoing improvements in the acquisition system should allow the achievement of detection limits at the level of commercial open-path DOAS systems (2 ppmm) in the near future. Our results demonstrate the applicability of the differential absorption method to QCL spectroscopy at ambient pressure, and encourage its use for open path detection. PACS 42.62.Fi; 82.80.Gk; 92.60.Sz     

Preparation of monodispersed Pd nanoparticles by laser ablation at air–suspension interface

Strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) has attracted a lot of attention because of its possible applications in new microelectronic devices. It is a material with a high dielectric constant, low leakage current, and some of its properties can be changed by adding or modifying the concentration of a dopant, which can be used for a wide range of functional purposes, from simple capacitors to complicated microwave devices. Therefore, in this work, we report the development of a new route to synthesize SrTiO₃ nanoparticles based on the solvothermal method by employing two precursor solutions: strontium chloride and titanium(IV) butoxide. Our route allows the production of cubic SrTiO₃ nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution. The particle sizes range between 8 and 24 nm, forming agglomerates of SrTiO₃ in the range of 128–229 nm. It was demonstrated that the Ti/Sr molar ratio employed into the precursor solution has an important effect onto the chemical composition of the resulting SrTiO₃ nanoparticles: when using Ti/Sr < 1, the formation and incorporation of the SrCO₃ compound into the nanoparticles was observed while with Ti/Sr ≥ 1 nanoparticles are free of contaminants. The as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, selected area electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering.     

Temporal pulsewidth and the wavelength dependences of the product ions obtained by laser ablation of solid C<Subscript>60</Subscript>

By ablating solid C₆₀ with a laser pulse, we observe various processes such as the prompt- and the delayed-ionization of C₆₀, the fragmentation into molecular ions and the formation of cluster ions. We found these processes show distinct dependences on the temporal pulse width, the power and the wavelength of the ablation laser. From the observations, we could confirm efficient coupling of laser energy to C₆₀ through the molecular absorption even with a laser pulse width less than the electron-phonon coupling time of the C₆₀ molecule.     

Effects of thickness of β-barium borate and angle of non-collinearity on the fs pulse generation by optical parametric amplification

Non-collinear optical parametric amplifiers (NOPAs) are used for the generation of tunable femtosecond pulses. The spectra of the uncompressed output from a lab-built NOPA in the 470–650 nm range have been recorded. Theoretical simulations for the effect of the length of the β-barium borate (BBO) crystal as well as the non-collinear angles between the pump and seed wavelengths have been carried out. For these we have obtained the initial experimental data from a 2 mm-thick BBO crystal when pumped with the second harmonic of the Ti:sapphire laser pulses of 100 fs duration. The pulse splitting length (PSL) and the group velocity mismatch (GVM) have been considered in simulations of the output. It was found that the crystal length of 1.3 mm and the crystal tilt of approximately 3.7° are optimal for the generation of pulses of ～11 fs at 600 nm.