Generation of sub-5 fs pulses through cascade of filamentation and hollow fiber compression

A pulse-compression scheme based on cascade of filamentation and hollow fiber has been demonstrated, Pulses with duration of sub-5 fs and energy of 0.2 mJ near 800 nm have been generated by compressing the similar to 40 fs pulses from a commercial laser system. This method is promising to generate near monocycle high energy pulses. [GRAPHICS] Measured autocorrelation curve of the final compressed pulses with duration of sub-5 fs (black solid) and the simulated autocorrelation curve of 4.6 fs pulse near 800 rim (red dash) (C) 2008 by Astro Ltd. Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA

Two-color two-photon excitation of indole using a femtosecond laser regenerative amplifier

The fluorescence emission from indole resulting from two-color two-photon (2C2P) excitation with 400 and 800 nm wavelengths is observed, using the second harmonic and fundamental wavelength of a 800 nm 40 fs pulsed Ti:Sapphire femtosecond (fs) regenerative amplifier operating at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. By delaying one fs laser pulse relative to the other, the cross correlation of fluorescence is observed, which indicates the generation of 2C2P fluorescence signal in the experiment. The strongest 2C2P fluorescence emission characterized by the peak of cross correlation curve suggests optimal temporal overlap of the two fs laser pulses. The 2C2P fluorescence signal is linearly dependent on the total excitation intensity. The fluorescence signals with 400 nm and 800 nm irradiation alone are also demonstrated and discussed in this paper. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms of ultrafast laser-induced deep-subwavelength gratings on graphite and diamond

Deep-subwavelength gratings with periodicities of 170, 120, and 70 nm can be observed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite irradiated by a femtosecond (fs) laser at 800 nm. Under picosecond laser irradiation, such gratings likewise can be produced. Interestingly, the 170-nm grating is also observed on single-crystal diamond irradiated by the 800-nm fs laser. In our opinion, the optical properties of the high-excited state of material surface play a key role for the formation of the deep-subwavelength gratings. The numerical simulations of the graphite deep-subwavelength grating at normal and high-excited states confirm that in the groove the light intensity can be extraordinarily enhanced via cavity-mode excitation in the condition of transverse-magnetic wave irradiation with near-ablation-threshold fluences. This field enhancement of polarization sensitiveness in deep-subwavelength apertures acts as an important feedback mechanism for the growth and polarization dependence of the deep-subwavelength gratings. In addition, we suggest that surface plasmons are responsible for the formation of seed deep-subwavelength apertures with a particular periodicity and the initial polarization dependence. Finally, we propose that the nanoscale Coulomb explosion occurring in the groove is responsible for the ultrafast nonthermal ablation mechanism.

Optical breakdown of 6H SiC induced by wavelength-tunable femtosecond laser pulses

The damage mechanisms and micromachining of 6H SiC are studied by using femtosecond laser pulses at wavelengths between near infrared (NIR) and near ultraviolet (NUV) delivered from an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Our experimental results indicate that high quality microstructures can be fabricated in SiC crystals. On the basis of the dependence of the ablated area and the laser pulse energy, the threshold fluence of SiC is found to increase with the incident laser wavelength in the visible region, while it remains almost constant for the NIR laser. For the NIR laser pulses, both photoionization and impact ionization play important roles in electronic excitation, while for visible lasers, photoionization plays a more important role.

Direct acceleration of solid-density plasma bunch by ultraintense laser

The interaction of a petawatt laser with a small solid-density plasma bunch is studied by particle-in-cell simulation. It is shown that when irradiated by a laser of intensity >10(21) W/cm(2), a dense plasma bunch of micrometer size can be efficiently accelerated. The kinetic energy of the ions in the high-density region of the plasma bunch can exceed ten MeV at a density in the 10(23)-cm(-3) level. Having a flux density orders of magnitude higher than that of the traditional charged-particle pulses, the laser-accelerated plasma bunch can have a wide range of applications. In particular, such a dense energetic plasma bunch impinging on the compressed fuel in inertial fusion can significantly enhance the nuclear-reaction cross section and is thus a promising alternative for fast ignition.

Further acceleration of MeV electrons by a relativistic laser pulse

With the development of photocathode rf electron gun, electrons with high-brightness and mono-energy can be obtained easily. By numerically solving the relativistic equations of motion of an electron generated from this facility in laser fields modelled by a circular polarized Gaussian laser pulse, we find the electron can obtain high energy gain from the laser pulse. The corresponding acceleration distance for this electron driven by the ascending part of the laser pulse is much longer than the Rayleigh length, and the light amplitude experienced on the electron is very weak when the laser pulse overtakes the electron. The electron is accelerated effectively and the deceleration can be neglected. For intensities around 10(19) W(.)mu m(2)/cm(2), an electron's energy gain near 0.1 GeV can be realized when its initial energy is 4.5 MeV, and the final velocity of the energetic electron is parallel with the propagation axis. The energy gain can be up to 1 GeV if the intensity is about 10(21) W(.)mu m(2)/cm(2). The final energy gain of the electron as a function of its initial conditions and the parameters of the laser beam has also been discussed.

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.

Ultraviolet-infrared femtosecond laser-induced damage in fused silica and CaF2 crystals

The damage in fused silica and CaF2 crystals induced by wavelength tunable femtosecond lasers is studied. The threshold fluence is observed to increase rapidly with laser wavelength lambda in the region of 250-800 nm, while it is nearly a constant for 800 near ultraviolet femtosecond lasers. Our theory explains well the experiments.

Nonlinear X-wave formation and conical emission at different powers of a femtosecond laser pulse in water

Nonlinear X-wave formation at different pulse powers in water is simulated using the standard model of nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE). It is shown that in near field X-shape originally emerges from the interplay between radial diffraction and optical Kerr effect. At relatively low power group-velocity dispersion (GVD) arrests the collapse and leads to pulse splitting on axis. With high enough power, multi-photon ionization (NIPI) and multi-photon absorption (MPA) play great importance in arresting the collapse. The tailing part of pulse is first defocused by MPI and then refocuses. Pulse splitting on axis is a manifestation of this process. Double X-wave forms when the split sub-pulses are self-focusing. In the far field, the character of the central X structure of conical emission (CE) is directly related to the single or double X-shape in the near field. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluorescent Ag nanoclusters in glass induced by an infrared femtosecond laser

We report a method for the selective introduction of fluorescent Ag nanoclusters in glass. Extinction and photoluminescence spectra show that a fraction of the Ag atoms are generated through femtosecond laser induced multiphoton reduction and then aggregate to form Ag nanoclusters after heat treatment. Red luminescence from the irradiated region is observed under blue or green laser excitation. The fluorescence can be attributed to interband transitions within Ag nanoclusters. This method provides a novel route to fabricate fluorescent nanomaterials in 3D transparent materials. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

超连续谱干涉方法测量古依相移

利用两束超连续光干涉得到的信号,测量了透镜焦点附近飞秒激光脉冲的古依(Gouy)相移。根据得到的光谱干涉信号,利用傅里叶变换得到相对相位值。激光光束在聚焦透镜后的束腰半径可以由成像方法测得。根据测量得到的激光光束束腰半径,用非线性拟合的方法得到了古依相移曲线,拟合曲线与实验结果符合得非常好。给出了古依相位在焦点前后1 mm区域内的移动量。