Dramatic enhancement of optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation x-ray lasing by an optically preformed plasma waveguide

Dramatic enhancement of optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation x-ray lasing is achieved by using an optically preformed plasma waveguide. With a 9-mm-long pure krypton plasma waveguide prepared by using the axicon-ignitor-heater scheme, lasing at 32.8 nm is enhanced by 400 folds relative to the case without the plasma waveguide. An output level of 8 x 10(10) photon/shot is reached at an energy conversion efficiency of 2 x 10(-6). The same method is used to achieve x-ray lasing in a gas jet for the high-threshold low-gain transition at 46.9 nm in neonlike argon.     

相对论激光在Maxwell分布等离子体中产生的高次谐波

研究了强激光与具有初始速度分布的等离子体作用产生的高次谐波。结果表明,对于Maxwell速度分布的等离子体,由于电子初始时刻的无规则热运动,在一定程度上抹平了辐射功率在谐波谱上的分布,使得高次谐波的辐射增强,低次谐波的辐射有所减弱,有利于高次谐波的产生。     

High-brightness optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation extreme-ultraviolet lasing pumped by a 100-TW laser system in an optically preformed plasma waveguide

Recent study on optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation extreme-ultraviolet lasing of Ni-like krypton at 32.8 nm pumped by a 100-TW laser system with an optically preformed plasma waveguide is reported. By using a 9-mm-long pure krypton plasma waveguide fabricated with the axicon-ignitor-heater scheme, the 32.8-nm extreme-ultraviolet laser provided an average output of 10¹² photons/pulse at pump energy of 1 J, more than one order of magnitude enhancement relative to the previous results with the same scheme at pump energy of 235 mJ. It is also found the far-field pattern of laser beams varies from a single peak profile at low pump energy to an annular profile at high pump energy due to over-ionization of krypton ions at the center of the plasma channel.     

相对论激光在Maxwell分布等离子体中产生的高次谐波

 研究了强激光与具有初始速度分布的等离子体作用产生的高次谐波。结果表明，对于Maxwell速度分布的等离子体，由于电子初始时刻的无规则热运动，在一定程度上抹平了辐射功率在谐波谱上的分布，使得高次谐波的辐射增强，低次谐波的辐射有所减弱，有利于高次谐波的产生。     

Guiding of relativistic laser pulses by preformed plasma channels

Guiding of relativistically intense (>10(18) W/cm2) laser pulses over more than 10 diffraction lengths has been demonstrated using plasma channels formed by hydrodynamic shock. Pulses up to twice the self-guiding threshold power were guided without aberration by tuning the guide profile. Transmitted spectra and mode images showed the pulse remained in the channel over the entire length. Experiments varying guided mode power and simulations show a large plasma wave was driven. Operating just below the trapping threshold produces a dark current free structure suitable for controlled injection.     

Enhancement of harmonic generation by Fresnel-lensing effects

We present experimental results of enhanced second- and third-harmonic generation efficiency from Fresnel-lensing effects. We obtained enhancement by a factor of 6 in the third-harmonic yield by simply limiting the laser beam with an iris. Higher enhancement factors (up to 16) were obtained with a Fresnel zone plate. The experimental findings are in good agreement with the results of a simple theoretical analysis.     

Observation of phase-matched relativistic harmonic generation

Phase-matched relativistic harmonic generation in plasmas is observed for the first time. Third-harmonic light is detected and discriminated spectrally and angularly from the harmonics generated from competing processes. Its angular pattern is a narrow forward-directed cone, which is consistent with phase matching of a high-order transverse mode in a plasma. The signal level is found to be on the same order of magnitude for a circularly polarized pump pulse as for a linearly polarized pump pulse.     

Enhanced high harmonic generation from an optically prepared excited medium

We investigate high harmonics generated from rubidium atoms irradiated simultaneously by an intense 3.5 microm fundamental field and a weak cw diode laser. When 5p, 5d, and 4d excited states are populated through cascade excitation or deexcitation, orders-of-magnitude increases in harmonic yield as compared with the ground state are observed. It appears that, quite unexpectedly, the population accumulated in the 4d state alone is responsible for the observed enhancement.     

Nonlinear analysis of relativistic harmonic generation by intenselasers in plasmas

A linearly polarized, ultraintense laser field induces transverse plasma currents which are highly relativistic and nonlinear, resulting in the generation of coherent harmonic radiation in the forward direction (i.e., copropagating with the incident laser field). A nonlinear cold fluid model, valid for ultrahigh intensities, is formulated and used to analyze relativistic harmonic generation. The plasma density response is included self-consistently and is shown to significantly reduce the current driving the harmonic radiation. Phase detuning severely limits the growth of the harmonic radiation. The effects of diffraction are considered in the mildly relativistic limit. No third-harmonic signal emerges from a uniform plasma of near-infinite extent. A finite third-harmonic signal requires the use of a semi-infinite or finite slab plasma. For an initially uniform plasma, no second-harmonic radiation is generated. Generation of even harmonics requires transverse gradients in the initial plasma density profile     

Modulation of terahertz generation in dual-color filaments by an external electric field and preformed plasma

Terahertz generation driven by dual-color filaments in air is demonstrated to be remarkably enhanced by applying an external electric field to the filaments. As terahertz generation is sensitive to the dual-color phase difference, a preformed plasma is verified efficiently in modulating terahertz radiation from linear to elliptical polarization. In the presence of preformed plasma, a dual-color filament generates terahertz pulses of elliptical polarization and the corresponding ellipse rotates regularly with the change of the preformed plasma density. The observed terahertz modulation with the external electric field and the preformed plasma provides a simple way to estimate the plasma density and evaluate the photocurrent dynamics of the dual-color filaments. It provides further experimental evidence of the photo-current model in governing the dual-color filament driven terahertz generation processes.     

相对论质量修正效应对超高次谐波的影响

通过分别求解含时狄拉克方程和含时薛定谔方程, 研究了一维模型原子在相对论超强激光脉冲作用下的超高次谐波发射过程. 研究结果表明: 在弱场强条件下, 相对论的模拟结果可以退化到非相对论的结果; 随着场强的增强, 可以逐渐观察到明显的相对论质量修正效应. 此外, 根据发展的相对论的"三步"模型并结合小波时频分析方法, 分析了谐波平台的截止位置和发射效率.     

Spectral modulation of third-harmonic generation by molecular alignment and preformed plasma

We demonstrate spectral modulation of third-harmonic generation from molecular alignment effects. The third harmonic spectrum is broadened or narrowed under different influences of cross-phase modulations originating from various molecular alignment revivals. Furthermore, the spectrum and spatial distribution of the generated third harmonic pulse change dramatically in the presence of a preformed plasma. Under the influence of a preformed plasma, a narrower third harmonic spectrum is observed, and the conical third-harmonic pulse increases while the axial part decreases. The investigation provides an effective method to modulate the spectral characteristic and spatial distribution of third-harmonic generation from intense femtosecond filament.     

Enhanced third harmonic generation in periodic structures

We consider third harmonic generation in a periodic layered medium with alternate nonlinear media. We show enhanced third harmonic generation when the fundamental frequency matches one of the mode frequencies of the distributed feedback structure. The observed feature is explained in terms of large local field enhancement for the fundamental wave.     

Surface acceleration of fast electrons with relativistic self-focusing in preformed plasma

We report an observation of surface acceleration of fast electrons in intense laser-plasma interactions. When a preformed plasma is presented in front of a solid target with a higher laser intensity, the emission direction of fast electrons is changed to the target surface direction from the laser and specular directions. This feature could be caused by the formation of a strong static magnetic field along the target surface which traps and holds fast electrons on the surface. In our experiment, the increase in the laser intensity due to relativistic self-focusing in plasma plays an important role for the formation. The strength of the magnetic field is calculated from the bent angle of the electrons, resulting in tens of percent of laser magnetic field, which agrees well with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell calculation. The strong surface current explains the high conversion efficiency on the cone-guided fast ignitor experiments.     

Second harmonic generation by periodic laminar structure of nonlinear optical crystal

The phase-matched second harmonic generation by periodic structures composed of laminae of nonlinear optical crystals has been studied experimentally. It is shown that the intensity of the second harmonic is approximately proportional to the square of the number of laminae under phase-matched condition, which is satisfied over a broad frequency range by the variation of the angle of incidence when a laminar structure with a period much larger than the coherence length is used.     

Harmonic balance approach to the periodic solutions of the (an)harmonic relativistic oscillator

The first-order harmonic balance method via the first Fourier coefficient is used to construct two approximate frequency-amplitude relations for the relativistic oscillator for which the nonlinearity (anharmonicity) is a relativistic effect due to the time line dilation along the world line. Making a change of variable, a new nonlinear differential equation is obtained and two procedures are used to approximately solve this differential equation. In the first the differential equation is rewritten in a form that does not contain a square-root expression, while in the second the differential equation is solved directly. The approximate frequency obtained using the second procedure is more accurate than the frequency obtained with the first due to the fact that, in the second procedure, application of the harmonic balance method produces an infinite set of harmonics, while in the first procedure only two harmonics are produced. Both approximate frequencies are valid for the complete range of oscillation amplitudes, and excellent agreement of the approximate frequencies with the exact one are demonstrated and discussed. The discrepancy between the first-order approximate frequency obtained by means of the second procedure and the exact frequency never exceeds 1.6%. We also obtained the approximate frequency by applying the second-order harmonic balance method and in this case the relative error is as low 0.31% for all the range of values of amplitude of oscillation A.     

Nonlinear harmonic interaction in a waveguide with periodic layered walls

We study the harmonic interaction in the nonlinear guiding layer located between two periodic layered structures. Analytical relations for the first-and second-harmonic amplitudes are obtained. It is shown that the nonlinear interaction coefficients become maximum at points where the Bragg resonance conditions are fulfilled for all structure layers of the studied waveguide including the guiding layer. The appreciable enhancement of the nonlinear interaction within the forbidden band described in experimental paper [1] is explained. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 416–424, May 2006.     

Enhancement of second harmonic generation by double-pass configuration in barium borate

Double-pass type-I second harmonic generation (SHG) external to a laser cavity is reported for the first time in a BBO crystal resulting in an enhancement of the generated harmonic intensity by a factor of 3.4 from that obtained in the single-pass generation.     

Sub-millimeter third harmonic generation in n-InSb waveguide

Resonant third harmonic generation of a sub-millimeter wave in n-InSb waveguide embedded with a density ripple is investigated. The non-linearity arises through the modulation of free electron mass while the ripple accounts for the phase mismatch. The efficiency of the third harmonic generation is large. However, as the plasma frequency increases the attenuation rate of the third harmonic increases and the third harmonic efficiency decreases as (ω_pb/c) is raised.