Self-focusing, Raman, and modulation instability of shaped relativistic laser pulse in plasmas

The interaction of shaped laser pulses with plasmas is studied in a strict theoretical framework without adopting the slow-varying envelope approximation (SVEA). Any physical quantities involved in the interaction are denoted as a summation of different real quantities of respective phases. The relationships among the phases of those real quantities and their moduli are strictly analyzed. Such strict analyses lead to a more exact equation set for the three-dimensional envelope of the laser pulse, which is not based on SVEA. Based on this equation set, self-focusing, Raman, and modulation instabilities could be discussed in a unified framework. The solutions of this equation set for the laser envelope reveal many possible multicolor laser modes in plasmas. The energy and the shape of a pulse determine its propagation through plasmas in a multicolor mode or in a monochromic mode. A global growth rate is introduced to measure the speed of the transition from the monochromic mode in vacuum to a possible mode in plasmas. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Spectral distributions of harmonic generation from electron oscillation driven by intense femtosecond laser pulses

The characteristics of harmonic radiation due to electron oscillation driven by an intense femtosecond laser pulse are analyzed considering a single electron model. An interesting modulated structure of the spectrum is observed and analyzed for different polarization. Higher order harmonic radiations are possible for a sufficiently intense driving laser pulse. We have shown that for a realistic pulsed photon beam, the spectrum of the radiation is red shifted as well as broadened because of changes in the longitudinal velocity of the electrons during the laser pulse. These effects are more pronounced at higher laser intensities giving rise to higher order harmonics that eventually leads to a continuous spectrum. Numerical simulations have further shown that by increasing the laser pulse width broadening of the high harmonic radiations can be limited. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

再生放大器宽带光谱整形的双折射片设计

提出了一种用于再生放大器中展宽光谱的双折射片的设计方法，利用这种方法设计了厚度为761微米的石英双折射片，并将其插入钛宝石再生放大器中，有效抑制了增益窄化效应，实验的结果和理论计算一致。使用设计的石英双折射片后光谱带宽由使用前的28nm展宽到了62nm，最后压缩脉冲为23fs。

Enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity with vanishing absorption in a tripod scheme

The giant enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level tripod type system is investigated theoretically. By tuning the value of the Rabi frequency of the coherent control field, owing to the double dark resonances, the giant-enhanced Kerr nonlinearity can be achieved within the right transparency window. The in fluence of Doppler broadening is also discussed.

Femtosecond filamentation and supercontinuum generation in silver-nanoparticle-doped water

The authors report the investigation of filament and supercontinuum generation by focusing a femtosecond laser beam into water doped with silver nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles enhance the nonlinear optical response of water, leading to broadening of supercontinuum spectra in self-focused femtosecond filaments. During the propagation of the supercontinuum light in the filament, the silver nanoparticles preferentially scatter the short-wavelength light near the plasmon resonant wavelength peak, followed by the scattering of the long-wavelength light. Thus, a side view of the filament shows a full-color spectrum in the visible range, which is herein called "rainbow filament." (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Existence of the transverse relaxation time in optically excited bulk semiconductors

Two basic types of depolarization mechanisms, carrier-carrier (CC) and carrier-phonon (CP) scattering, are investigated in optically excited bulk semiconductors (3D), in which the existence of the transverse relaxation time is proven based on the vector property of the interband transition matrix elements. The dephasing rates for both CC and CP scattering are determined to be equal to one half of the total scattering-rate-integrals weighted by the factors (1 - cos chi), where chi are the scattering angles. Analytical expressions of the polarization dephasing due to CC scattering are established by using an uncertainty broadening approach, and analytical ones due to both the polar optical-phonon and non-polar deformation potential scattering (including inter-valley scattering) are also presented by using the sharp spectral functions in the dephasing rate calculations. These formulas, which reveal the trivial role of the Coulomb screening effect in the depolarization processes, are used to explain the experimental results at hand and provide a clear physical picture that is difficult to extract from numerical treatments.

Electromagnetically induced self-imaging

We study the self-imaging and image-transforming properties of a probe field in a cold atomic medium with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Due to the similarities between the gradient-index medium and the inhomogeneous index distribution of an EIT medium under the conditions of a negative probe detuning and a Gaussian control field, we find based on analytical investigations that there exists a kind of electromagnetically induced self-imaging phenomenon in cold atomic media. Numerical simulations clearly show that electromagnetically induced self-imaging is observable and controllable. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Influence of birefringence dispersion on distributed measurement of polarization coupling in birefringent fibers

A white light interferometer is developed to measure the distributed polarization coupling in high-birefringence polarization-maintaining fibers (PMFs). Usually the birefringence dispersion between two orthogonal eigenmodes of PMFs is neglected in such systems. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the birefringence dispersion becomes a nonnegligible factor in a long-fiber test. Significant broadening of interferograms and loss of longitudinal coherence are observed. The spatial resolution and measurement sensitivity of the system decrease correspondingly. Optimum spectrum width selection is presented for better spatial resolution and measurement range. c 2007 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Distributed measurement of birefringence dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers

A new method to measure the birefringence dispersion in high-birefringence polarization-maintaining fibers is presented using white-light interferometry. By analyzing broadening of low-coherence interferograms obtained in a scanning Michelson interferometer, the birefringence dispersion and its variation along different fiber sections are acquired with high sensitivity and accuracy. Birefringence dispersions of two PANDA fibers at their operation wavelength are measured to be 0.011 ps/(km nm) and 0.018 ps/(km nm), respectively. Distributed measurement capability of the method is also verified experimentally. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Characterization of birefringence dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers by use of white-light interferometry

A new method for measuring the birefringence dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers (PMFs) with high sensitivity and accuracy is presented. The method employs white-light interferences between two orthogonally polarized modes of PMFs. The group birefringence of the fiber is calibrated first. Then the birefringence dispersion and its variation along different fiber sections are acquired by analyzing the broadening of interferograms at different fiber lengths. The main sources of error are investigated. Bireffingence dispersions of two PANDA fibers at their operation wavelength are measured to be 0.011 ps/(km nm) and 0.018 ps/(km nm). A measurement repeatability of 0.001 ps/(km nm) is achieved. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Influence of birefringence dispersion on distributed measurement of polarization coupling in birefringent fibers

A white light interferometer is developed to measure the distributed polarization coupling in high-birefringence polarization-maintaining fibers (PMFs). Usually the birefringence dispersion between two orthogonal eigenmodes of PMFs is neglected in such systems. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the birefringence dispersion becomes a nonnegligible factor in a long-fiber test. Significant broadening of interferograms and loss of longitudinal coherence are observed. The spatial resolution and measurement sensitivity of the system decrease correspondingly. Optimum spectrum width selection is presented for better spatial resolution and measurement range. c 2007 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

基于反射式达曼光栅的频率分辨光学开关装置

采用反射式达曼光栅对飞秒激光进行分束,可以避免材料色散的影响。搭建了利用反射式1×2达曼光栅为基础的频率分辨光学开关(FROG)装置,并把测量结果与传统多发频率分辨光学开关装置的测量结果进行了对比。理论和实验结果表明,当输入脉冲宽度大于50 fs时,用达曼光栅作为分光器和使用分光镜分光的效果是一样的;当输入脉冲的宽度小于50 fs时,用达曼光栅作为分光器引入的展宽量明显小于分光镜引入的展宽量,尤其是当输入脉冲的宽度小于20 fs时用达曼光栅作为分光器的效果更为突出。

拼接光栅压缩器的时域特性

在拼接光栅和拼接光栅压缩器的设计中,子光栅调节偏差不可避免,各维偏差与拼接光栅的时间特性之间的关系很关键。通过脉冲压缩理论分析得到各维偏差和聚焦脉冲时间宽度展宽之间的解析关系,从数值计算结果分析,面平行左右偏差对脉冲的时间宽度影响较大,必须控制在21.08 μrad内；条纹密度差异对脉冲宽度的影响很显著,相对条纹密度的比值应控制在10-5以内；从消除角色散的角度分析,面平行俯仰偏差和条纹平行度偏差可以相互补偿,条纹密度差异和面平行左右偏差也可以相互补偿。

星载激光测距仪的高精度时间间隔测量单元

高精度时间间隔测量单元(TIU)是星载激光测距仪的关键部件。基于现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)研制出了满足星载要求的高精度、高集成度时间间隔测量单元。该单元采用数字计数法结合数字延迟线插入法的技术,在0.5～10 km的测量距离范围内,时间分辨率为500 ps。通过地面检测,在全程范围内保持了良好的线性度,标准偏差小于270 ps。该单元同时具备测量脉冲回波宽度的能力,可以获取目标的脉冲展宽信息。由于单元选用的元器件都具有航天产品性能,因此其设计和技术指标可满足星载激光测距仪的应用。

大气到海洋激光通信信道仿真

详细分析了蓝绿激光穿过大气海洋信道的信道效应和物理特性,利用理论分析和蒙特卡罗模拟方法完成对光信道仿真。介绍了大气海洋激光通信蒙特卡罗模拟方法及计算步骤。研究了不同厚度云层对光束投影面积的展宽,和光脉冲穿过不同深度海水后的空间分布和时域信号波形,讨论了其不同的展宽机理,并对信道的噪声分布进行了分析。发现云层对光脉冲展宽作用在云层厚度500 m时达到饱和,信号能量的随机起伏随海水深度的增加而增大,但能量分布的半峰全宽并不增加,大气海洋的综合信道效应可以用时延滤波器进行建模。