Effects of Lorentz local field correction on propagation properties of few-cycle pulse in dense Λ-type atomic medium

By solving numerically the full Maxwell-Bloch equations without the slowly varying envelope approximation and the rotating-wave approximation, we investigate the effects of Lorentz local field correction (LFC) on the propagation properties of few-cycle laser pulse in a dense A-type three-level atomic medium. We find that: when the area of the input pulse is larger, split of pulse occurs and the number of the sub-pulses with LFC is larger than that without LFC; at the same distance, the time interval between the first sub-pulse and the second sub-pulse in the case without LFC is longer than that with LFC, the time of pulse appearing in the case without LFC is later than that in the case with LFC, and the two phenomena are more obvious with propagation distance increasing; time evolution rules of the populations of levels vertical bar 1 >, vertical bar 2 > and vertical bar 3 > in the two cases with and without LFC are much different. When the area of the input pulse is smaller, effects of LFC on time evolutions of the pulse and populations are remarkably smaller than those in the case of larger area pulse. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporal evolution and multiple self-focusing of ultrashort pulses in a resonant two-level medium

The spatiotemporal evolutions of ultrashort pulses in two dimensions are investigated numerically by solving the coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations without invoking the slowly varying envelope approximation and rotating-wave approximation. For an on-axis 2n pi sech pulse, local delay makes the temporal split 2 pi sech pulses crescent-shaped in the transverse distribution. Due to the transverse effect, the temporal split 2 pi sech pulses become unstable and experience reshaping during the propagation process. Then, interference occurs between the successive crescent-shaped pulses and multiple self-focusing can form.

Near-field x-ray phase contrast imaging and phase retrieval algorithm

Theoretical analyses of x-ray diffraction phase contrast imaging and near field phase retrieval method are presented. A new variant of the near field intensity distribution is derived with the optimal phase imaging distance and spatial frequency of object taken into account. Numerical examples of phase retrieval using simulated data are also given. On the above basis, the influence of detecting distance and polychroism of radiation on the phase contrast image and the retrieved phase distribution are discussed. The present results should be useful in the practical application of in-line phase contrast imaging.

硬X射线相位衬度成像的实验研究

介绍了硬X射线(类同轴)相位衬度成像的工作原理及其实验研究结果。X射线波长为0．08860nm,样品为未经任何处理的飞蛾，记录介质为X射线胶片。胶片经处理以后，用光学显微镜读出，可以看出样品的许多细节,尤其在折射率突变处。而同样条件下基于吸收衬度机制的硬X射线吸收成像，由于是弱吸收样品．没有观察到任何图像。

Absolute phase control of spectra effects in a two-level medium driven by two-color ultrashort laser pulses

Using a omega-3 omega combination scenario, we investigate the absolute phase control of the spectra effects for ultrashort laser pulses propagating in a two-level medium. It is found that the higher spectral components can be controlled by the absolute phases. In particular, different absolute phase combinations can lead to the buildup or split of the even harmonics. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarization evolution of a few-cycle ultrashort laser pulse propagating in a degenerate three-level medium

The propagation of an arbitrary polarized few-cycle ultrashort laser pulse in a degenerate three-level medium is investigated by using an iterative predictor-corrector finite-difference time-domain method. It is found that the polarization evolution of the ultrashort laser pulse is dependent not only on the initial atomic coherence of the medium but also on the polarization condition of the incident laser pulse. When the initial effective area is equal to 2 pi, complete linear-to-circular and circular-to-linear polarization conversion of few-cycle ultrashort laser pulses can be achieved due to the quantum interference effects between the two different transition paths.

Carrier-envelope phase dependence of few-cycle ultrashort laser pulse propagation in a polar molecule medium

We theoretically investigate carrier-envelope phase dependence of few-cycle ultrashort laser pulse propagation in a polar molecule medium. Our results show that a soliton pulse can be generated during the two-photon resonant propagation of few-cycle pulse in the polar molecule medium. Moreover, the main features of the soliton pulse, such as pulse duration and intensity, depend crucially on the carrier-envelope phase of the incident pulse, which could be utilized to determine the carrier-envelope phase of a few-cycle ultrashort laser pulse from a mode-locked oscillator.

Instability of solution of phase retrieval in direct diffraction phase-contrast imaging with partially coherent X-ray source

The theoretical model of direct diffraction phase-contrast imaging with partially coherent x-ray source is expressed by an operator of multiple integral. It is presented that the integral operator is linear. The problem of its phase retrieval is described by solving an operator equation of multiple integral. It is demonstrated that the solution of the phase retrieval is unstable. The numerical simulation is performed and the result validates that the solution of the phase retrieval is unstable.

Manipulating spectral anomalies of focused pulses in a medium with electromagnetically induced transparency

We study the possibility of manipulating the focusing properties of a medium with electromagnetically induced transparency. In the focal region of focused ultraslow light pulses, the spectral anomalous behaviors can be actively modified by varying the control field intensity. Unlike the case in free space, we find in slow light focusing that the spectrum bandwidth of the incident field needed to produce observable spectral changes can be reduced by several orders. Numerical simulations with accessible parameters clearly show that spectral anomalies of focused mu s pulses are observable.

The design of a controllable imaging device with the cold atomic medium

Under the circumstance of a Gaussian control field, the cold atomic medium with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) turns out to be the special medium with the quadratic index distribution which is controllable online. In our study, the optical system occupies a portion of the EIT medium which acts as an imaging device. With the help of the Collins formula, the analytic expression for the spatial distribution of the probe field in the cold atomic medium is obtained as well as the location of the imaging. The methods for improving the visibility of the imaging are proposed in this paper. Moreover, we also show that the shapes of the images on the output are strongly influenced by the intensity of the control field, which provides a potential optical processing method.

Measuring temporal fluctuation on femtosecond scale in a random medium

We report an observation of femtosecond optical fluctuations of transmitted light when a coherent femtosecond pulse propagates through a random medium. They are a result of random interference among scattered waves coming from different trajectories in the time domain. Temporal fluctuations are measured by using cross-correlated frequency optical gating. It is shown that a femtosecond pulse will be broadened and distorted in pulse shape while it is propagating in random medium. The real and imaginary components of transmitted electric field are also distorted severely. The average of the fluctuated transmission pulses yields a smooth profile, probability functions show good agreement with Gaussian distribution. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modal analysis of deep-etched low-contrast two-port beam splitter grating

Modal analysis of a deep-etched low-contrast two-port beam splitter grating under Littrow Mounting is presented. The guideline for the design of a subwavelength transmission fused-silica phase grating as high-efficiency grating, polarizing beam splitter (PBS), and two-port beam splitter, is summarized. As an example, a polarization-independent two-port beam splitter grating is designed at wavelength of 1064 nm. We firstly analyzed the physical essence of the grating by the simplified modal method. The guideline for the grating design and the approximate grating parameters are obtained. Then using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) with parameters varying around the approximate ones, Optimum grating parameters can be determined. With the design guideline, the time for the rigorous calculation of the grating profile parameters can be reduced significantly. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved