Few cycle dynamics of multiphoton double ionization

In intense field ionization, an electron removed from the atomic core oscillates in the combined fields of the laser and the parent ion. This oscillation forces repeated revivals of its spatial correlation with the bound electrons. The total probability of double ionization depends on the number of returns and therefore on the number of optical periods in the laser pulse. We observed the yield of Ne(2+) relative to Ne(+) with 12 fs pulses to be clearly less compared to 50 fs pulses in qualitative agreement with our theoretical model.     

Nonadiabatic Multielectron Dynamics in Strong Field Molecular Ionization

We report the observation of a general strong field ionization mechanism due to highly nonadiabatic multielectron excitation dynamics in polyatomic molecules. We observe that such excitation mechanisms greatly affect molecular ionization, fragmentation, and energetics. We characterized this phenomenon as a function of optical frequency, intensity, and molecular properties.     

Ultrasound-enhanced diffusion through isolated frog skin

The effect of ultrasound on the transport of oxygen across excised frog abdominal skin has been studied. Samples were mounted in an exposure chamber in which the Ringer's solution on one side was saturated with oxygen while the other side of the skin had a low initial oxygen concentration. They were treated with ultrasound at 1, 1.5 and 2 W cm⁻² SATA c.w., respectively, and increases in the rate of oxygen transport were observed at all intensities. These increases ranged from 38 ± 4% at 1 W cm⁻² to 55 ± 8% at 2 W cm⁻². Variation in the pulse lengths from 25 to 200 ms and a constant average intensity did not affect the rate of transport significantly provided that the temporal intensity was constant. Since the peak acoustic pressure within the pulse increased with decreasing pulse length and increasing acoustic pressure increases the probability of cavitation occurring, the mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is probably not cavitation.     

Polarization state of high-order harmonic emission from aligned molecules

High harmonic emission in isotropic gases is polarized in the same direction as the incident laser polarization. Laser-induced molecular alignment allows us to break the symmetry of the gas medium. By using aligned molecules in high harmonic generation experiments, we show that the polarization of the extreme ultraviolet emission depends strongly on the molecular alignment and the orbital structure. Polarization measurements give insight into the molecular orbital symmetry. Furthermore, molecular alignment will allow us to produce attosecond pulses with time-dependent polarization.     

Binary and recoil collisions in strong field double ionization of helium

We have investigated the correlated momentum distribution of both electrons from nonsequential double ionization of helium in a 800 nm, 4.5 x 10(14 W/cm2 laser field. Using very high resolution coincidence techniques, we find a so-far unobserved fingerlike structure in the correlated electron momentum distribution. The structure can be interpreted as a signature of the microscopic dynamics in the recollision process. We identify features corresponding to the binary and recoil lobe in field-free (e,2e) collisions. This interpretation is supported by analyzing ab initio solutions of a fully correlated three-dimensional helium model.     

Generation of 11 fs pulses by using hollow-core gas-filled fibers at a 100 kHz repetition rate

Using self-phase modulation in a hollow-core fiber filled with xenon, we were able to produce 2.3 microJ laser pulses with a duration of 10.9 fs at a repetition rate of up to 100 kHz. We started with 45 fs, 4.4 microJ, 800 nm pulses generated by a Coherent RegA Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier system, then spectrally broadened the 30 nm bandwidth to more than 100 nm. Dispersion compensation was achieved with two pairs of chirped mirrors. This is believed to be the first time this type of compression was achieved at a repetition rate as high as 100 kHz. This brings the advantages of few-cycle laser pulses to experiments that require high-repetition-rate, low-energy laser systems, for example, coincidence experiments.     

An STM for molecules and wide-bandgap crystal

We are all influenced by Nicolai Delone’s research. Through much of his career, his influence reached Canada through his published papers. However, Professor Delone visited the National Research Council of Canada’s laboratories at least three times from about 1989 to 1995. At that time he was primarily interested in stabilization. Stabilization refers to the fact that, as the intensity of laser light illuminating an atom is increased, the ionization rate passes through a maximum, then falls. Surprisingly the atom becomes stable against ionization at very high intensities.     

A computer simulation of trapping electrophoresis

The gel electrophoretic migration of streptavidin-DNA complexes is severely altered by the phenomenon known as “trapping electrophoresis.” We present a first computer simulation study of this process. Our simulations use the very efficient biased reptation algorithm. The steady state is characterized by a large increase in band broadening and interband separation. However, we also find that for a narrow range of molecular sizes, the separation power of gel electrophoresis is greatly increased. We discuss the implications of our findings for the possible improvement of DNA sequencing technologies. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.