Effects of atomic number Z on the energy distribution of hot electrons generated by femtosecond laser interaction with metallic targets

The effects of atomic number Z on the energy distribution of hot electrons generated by the interaction of 60fs, 130mJ, 800nm, and 7×10^17W/cm^2 laser pulses with metallic targets have been studied experimentally. The results show that the number and the effective temperature of hot electrons increase with the atomic number Z of metallic targets, and the temperature of hot electrons are in the range of 190-230keV, which is consistent with a scaling law of hot electrons temperature.     

Dose estimation and shielding calculation for X-ray hazard at high intensity laser facilities

An ionizing radiation hazard produced from the interaction between high intensity lasers and solid targets has been observed. Laser-plasma interactions create "hot" electrons, which generate bremsstrahlung X-rays when they interact with ions in the target. However, up to now only limited studies have been conducted on this laser-induced radiological protection issue. In this paper, the physical process and characteristics of the interaction between high intensity lasers and solid targets are analyzed. The parameters of the radiation sources are discussed, including the energy conversion efficiency from laser to hot electrons, hot electron energy spectrum and electron temperature, and the bremsstrahlung X-ray energy spectrum produced by hot electrons. Based on this information, the X-ray dose generated with high-Z targets for laser intensities between 10¹⁴ and 10²⁰ W/cm² is estimated. The shielding effects of common shielding items such as the glass view port, aluminum chamber wall and concrete wall are also studied using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. This study provides a reference for the dose estimation and the shielding design of high intensity laser facilities.     

Characteristics of ultrafast K line hard x—ray source from femtosecond terawatt laser—produced plasma

Theoretical studies and analytical scalings were carried out to find the optimized laser parameters and target conditions so that ultrashort hard x-ray pulses and high x-ray power could be achieved.The dependence of laser intensity and wavelength on the yield of K-shell x-ray emission was studied.We propose an optimal design for a foil target for producing high-yield hard x-ray pulses of customizing duration.     

Radiation Temperature Scaling Law for Gold Hohlraum Heated with Lasers at 0.35 mm Wavelength

We have carried out the hohlraum experiments about radiation temperature scaling on the Shenguang-Ⅱ （SG- Ⅱ） laser facility with eight laser beams of 0.35#m, pulse duration of about 1.0ns and total energy of 2000J. The reradiated x-ray flux through the laser entrance hole was measured using a soft x-ray spectrometer. The measured peak radiation temperature was 170eV for the standard hohlraum and 150 eV for the 1.5-scaled one. We have derived the radiation temperature scaling law, in which the laser hohlraum coupling efficiency is included. With an appropriate coupling efficiency, the coincidences between experimental and scaling hohlraum radiation temperatures are rather good.     

A Kilowatt Diode-Pumped Solid-State Heat-Capacity Double-Slab Laser

A kilowatt diode-pumped solid state heat capacity laser is fabricated with a double-slab Nd：YAG. Using the theoretical model of heat capacity laser output laser characteristics, the relationships between the output power, temperature and time are obtained. The slab is 59 × 40×4.5mm^3 in size. The average pump power is 11.2kW, the repetition rate is i kHz, and the duty cycle is 20%. During the running time of i s, the output energy of the laser has a fluctuation with the maximal output energy at 2.06 J, and the maximal output average power is 2.06kW. At the end of the second, the output energy declines to about 50% compared to the beginning. The therma/effects can be improved with one slab cooled by water. The experimental results are consistent with the calculation data.     

Continuous-Wave Green Laser of 9.9 W by Intracavity Frequency Doubling in Laser-Diode Single-End-Pumped Nd：YVO4／LBO

A maximum of 9.9 W cw TEM00 output at 532nm laser has been obtained by intracavity frequency doubling with LBO in laser-diode single-end-pumped Nd:YVO4. The Nd:YVO4/LBO green laser has a simple threemirror V-fold cavity structure. The optical-optical conversion efficiency was 34.8%. Based on the equation of thermal conduction, a general solution for the laser-crystal interior temperature distribution is obtained by the semi-analytical thermal analysis method. Using the software system, the cavity parameters have been optimized according to the stability condition and the astigmatic compensation principle. The astigmatism in the cavity has been effectively controlled and the resonator was insensitive to the thermal lens in the Nd:YVO4 crystal.     

Thermal analysis of intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum

This paper numerically simulates the process of ablation of an aluminum target by an intense femtosecond laser with a fluence of 40 J/cm 2 based on the two-temperature equation,and obtains the evolution of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature over a large temporal and depth range,for the first time. By investigating the temporal evolution curves of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature at three representative depths of 0,100 nm and 500 nm,it reveals different characteristics and mechanisms of the free electron temperature evolution at different depths. The results show that,in the intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum,the material ablation is mainly induced by the thermal conduction of free electrons,instead of the direct absorption of the laser energy; in addition,the thermal conduction of free electrons and the coupling effect between electrons and lattice will induce the temperature of free electrons deep inside the target to experience a process from increase to decrease and finally to increase again.     

Particle simulation on electron acceleration process by the laser ponderomotive force in inhomogeneous underdense plasma layers

The mechanism of electron ponderomotive acceleration due to increasing group velocity of laser pulse in inhomogeneous underdense plasma layers is studied by two-dimensional relativistic parallel particle-in-cell code. The electrons within the laser pulse move with it and can be strongly accelerated ponderomotively when the duration of laser pulse is much shorter than the duration of optimum condition for acceleration in the wake. The extra energy gain can be attributed to the change of laser group velocity. More high energy electrons are generated in the plasma layer with descending density profile than that with ascending density profile. The process and character of electron acceleration in three kinds of underdense plasma layers are presented and compared.     

Intense laser beam guiding in self-induced electron cavitation channel in underdense plasmas

In underdense plasmas, the transverse ponderomotive force of an intense laser beam with Gaussian transverse profile expels electrons radially, and it can lead to an electron cavitation. An improved cavitation model with charge conservation constraint is applied to the determination of the width of the electron cavity. The envelope equation for laser spot size derived by using source-dependent expansion method is extended to including the electron cavity. The condition for self-guiding is given and illuminated by an effective potential for the laser spot size. The effects of the laser power, plasma density and energy dissipation on the self-guiding condition are discussed.     

Spatial and time resolved analysis of CN bands in the laser induced plasma from graphite

Analysis of the emission bands of the CN molecules in the plasma generated from a graphite target irradiated with 1.06 μm radiation pulses from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been done. Depending on the position of the sampled volume of the plasma plume, the intensity distribution in the emission spectra is found to change drastically. The vibrational temperature and population distribution in the different vibrational levels have been studied as function of distance from the target for different time delays with respect to the incidence of the laser pulse. The translational temperature calculated from time of flight is found to be higher than the observed vibrational temperature for CN molecules and the reason for this is explained.     

Laser Tracking and Pointing at a Target with Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Laser tracking and pointing at a simulated moving target in atmosphere 1.27 km away is realized experimentally,in which stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) phase conjugation technology and velocity compensation mirror are used. Only if the angle between the SBS phase conjugation laser and the illumination laser is smaller than the atmosphere isoplanatic angle ψo, is the wave-front aberration of laser beam produced by atmospheric turbulence compensated for in real time. This experiment was carried out with horizontal ranges 1.27km at 50m height above the ground, and Nd: YA G lasers are used. By changing the angle of a velocity compensation mirror reflecting the SBS phase conjugation laser to the simulated target, simulated targets with different moving velocities are tracked and pointed by the laser beam. The spot and energy distribution of illumination laser spot and SBS phase conjugation laser are recorded. The energy back to target is up to 75 mJ. The SBS phase conjugation laser spot shows that it is focused at the simulated moving target within a small area.     

Generation of Very Energetic Ions from Intense Femtosecond Laser Interactions with Rare Gas Clusters in a Dense Jet

Very energetic ions, which are detected by time-of-flight spectrometry with maximum energy up to 1.3 MeV and an average energy of 68keV, are generated in the explosion of large Xe clusters in a dense jet irradiated with a high-intensity (～10^16 W/cm2) 50fs laser pulse from a Ti:sapphire TW laser at 79Ohm wavelength. The interaction of intense laser pulses with a jet of argon clusters is also performed and high average ion energies are observed. The dependence of energy of the ions on the gas backing pressure is examined, suggesting that the results are consistent with the absorption efficiency of the laser energy by the cluster plasmas.     

A new Monte Carlo code for absorption simulation of laser-skin tissue interaction

In laser clinical applications,the process of photon absorption and thermal energy diffusion in the target tissue and its surrounding tissue during laser irradiation are crucial.Such information allows the selection of proper operating parameters such as laser power,and exposure time for optimal therapeutic.The Monte Carlo method is a useful tool for studying laser-tissue interaction and simulation of energy absorption in tissue during laser irradiation.We use the principles of this technique and write a new code with MATLAB 6.5,and then validate it against Monte Carlo multi layer (MCML) code.The new code is proved to be with good accuracy.It can be used to calculate the total power absorbed in the region of interest.This can be combined for heat modelling with other computerized programs.     

The analysis of the transient temperature distribution of double-slab Nd:YAG laser medium

A novel double-slab Nd:YAG laser, which uses face-pumped slab medium cooled by liquid with different temperatures on both sides, is proposed. The thermal distortion of wavefront caused by the non-uniform temperature distribution in the laser gain media can be self-compensated. According to the method of operation, the models of the temperature distribution and stress are presented, and the analytic solutions for the model are derived. Furthermore, the numerical simulations with pulse pumping energy of 10 J and repetition frequencies of 500 and 1000 Hz are calculated respectively for Nd:YAG laser medium. The simulation results show that the temperature gradient remains the approximative linearity, and the heat stress is within the extreme range. Then the absorption coefficient is also discussed. The result indicates that the doping concentration cannot be too large for the high repetition frequency laser. It has been proved that the high repetition frequency, high laser beam quality, and high average outp     

Laser induced collisional energy transfer in Sr—Li system

A four-state model considering the relative velocity distribution function for calculating the cross section of laserinduced collisional energy transfer in a Sr-Li system is presented and profiles of laser-induced collision cross section are obtained.The resulting spectra obtained from different intermediate states are strongly asymmetrical in an opposite asymmetry.Both of the two intermediate states have contributions to the final state,and none of the intermediate states should be neglected.The peak of the laser-induced collisional energy transfer(LICET) profile shifts toward the red and the FWHM becomes narrower obviously with laser field intensity increasing.A cross section of 1.2 × 10-12 cm 2 at a laser field intensity of 2.17 × 10 7 V/m is obtained,which indicates that this collision process can be an effective way to transfer energy selectively from a storage state to a target state.The existence of saturation for cross section with the increase of the laser intensity shows that the high-intensity redistribution of transition probabilities is an important feature of this process,which is not accounted for in a two-state treatment.     

Experimental Scaling for Mass Ablation Rate in Planar Targets Irradiated by Smoothed 0.351μm Laser Beam

Layered planar targets, consists of al and Au layers, were irradiated by smoothed 0.351-μm-high power laser with relatively large focus spot on Xingguang Ⅱ laser facility. The burn-through time of laser ablation of Al sample has been obtained by measuring the delay time of Au N-Band x-ray emission with respect to the Al K-Band x-ray emission. The scaling law of mass ablation rate with the laser flux has been obtained by only varying the laser energy on the target surface on different shots. The experimental scaling law is greatly different from the results of Key et al. [Phys. Fluids 23 (1983) 2011] and is in good agreement with the analytical model.     

High Efficiency Pulse Acetone Liquid Raman Laser Using DCM Fluorescent Dye as the Enhancement Medium

Pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd：YAG laser, 10-Hz repetition rate, 320-mJ pump energy, and 5.1-ns pulse width, a liquid Raman laser using acetone as the Raman shifting medium has been established. The residual pump laser pulse and the generated Stokes pulse are directed to a DCM dye cell for energy enhancement of the Stokes pulse. The Raman laser system is capable to produce a laser pulse at wavelength 630nm, with single pulse energy of 120md, peak power of 70MW and an average power of 1200mW. The energy conversion efficiency is 37.5%, or equivalently a quantum efficiency of 44.5%.     

A High-Energy Good-Beam-Quality Krypton-Lamp-Pumped Nd：YAG Solid-State Laser with One Pump Cavity

We investigate a high-energy good-beam-quality krypton-lamp-pumped pulsed Nd： YA G solid-state laser with one pump cavity. The symmetrical resonator laser is developed and is rated at 80 J with beam parameter product 12mm mrad. The total system electro-optics efficiency of the lamp-pumped YAG laser is as high as 3.3% and the stability of output energy is ±2% with pulse width tunable between 0.1 ms and 10ms. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis and simulation.     

Green Output of 1.5 W from a Diode-Pumped Intracavity Frequency-Doubled Self-Q-Switched and Mode-Locked Cr,Nd：YAG Laser

We report a diode-pumped intracavity frequency-doubled self-Q-switched and mode-locked Cr,Nd：YAG/KTP green laser with a Z-type cavity, which produces 1.5 W of average power at 532nm with incident pump power 14.2 W. The individual mode-locked green pulse duration is about 560ps with 149 MHz repetition rate. Almost 100% modulation depth of the mode-locked green pulses is achieved at an incident pump power of 4.13 W. The maximum energy of Q-switched green pulse is 19.8μJ. The experimental results of pulse duration and pulse energy of Q-switched green pulse agree well with the theoretical calculations.     

Intracavity—Doubled Self—Q—Switched Nd,Cr：YAG 946／473nm Microchip Laser

We carried out the operation of an intracavity frequency-doubled self-Q-switched Nd,Cr:YAG/NHbO3 946/473nm microchip laser pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser.The overall cavity length was about 4mm.The maximum average blue power of 12mW was achieved with a repetition rate of 13kHz at an absorbed pump ower of 545mW.The pulses of the 473nm laser had a duration of 7ns and a peak power of 132W at this pump level.The conversion efficiency was 2.2% with respect to the absorbed pump power of a 808nm laser.