Efficient grid treatment of the ionization dynamics of laser-driven H-2(+)

We implement a parallel, time-dependent hybrid finite-difference Lagrange mesh code to model the electron dynamics of the fixed-nuclei hydrogen molecular ion subjected to intense ultrashort laser Pulses, Ionization rates are calculated and compared with results from a previous finite-difference approach and also with published Floquet results. The sensitivity of the results to the gauge describing the electron-field interaction is studied. Visualizations of the evolving wave packets are also presented in which the formation of a stable bound-state resonance is observed.

Molecular effects in the ionization of N-2, O-2, and F-2 by intense laser fields

In this paper we study the response in time of N2, O2, and F2 to laser pulses having a wavelength of 390 nm. We find single-ionization suppression in O2 and its absence in F2, in accordance with experimental results at lambda= 800 nm. Within our framework of time-dependent density functional theory we are able to explain deviations from the predictions of intense-field many-body S-matrix theory (IMST). We confirm the connection of ionization suppression with destructive interference of outgoing electron waves from the ionized electron orbital. However, the prediction of ionization suppression, justified within the IMST approach through the symmetry of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), is not reliable since it turns out that—e.g., in the case of F2—the electronic response to the laser pulse is rather complicated and does not lead to dominant depletion of the HOMO. Therefore, the symmetry of the HOMO is not sufficient to predict ionization suppression. However, at least for F2, the symmetry of the dominantly ionized orbital is consistent with the nonsuppression of ionization.

Dynamics of electric fields driving the laser acceleration of multi-MeV protons

The acceleration of multi-MeV protons from the rear surface of thin solid foils irradiated by an intense (similar to 10(18) W/cm(2)) and short (similar to 1.5 ps) laser pulse has been investigated using transverse proton probing. The structure of the electric field driving the expansion of the proton beam has been resolved with high spatial and temporal resolution. The main features of the experimental observations, namely, an initial intense sheath field and a late time field peaking at the beam front, are consistent with the results from particle-in-cell and fluid simulations of thin plasma expansion into a vacuum.

Geometrical dependence in photoionization of H-2(+) in high-intensity, high-frequency, ultrashort laser pulses

The ionization dynamics of H2 + exposed to high-intensity, high-frequency, ultrashort laser pulses is investigated with two theoretical approaches. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is solved by a direct numerical method, and a simple two-center interference-diffraction model is studied. The energy and angular distributions of the photoelectron for various internuclear distances and relative orientations between the internuclear axis of the molecule and the polarization of the field are calculated. The main features of the photoelectron spectrum pattern are described well by the interference-diffraction model, and excellent quantitative agreement between the two methods is found. The effect of quantal vibration on the photoelectron spectrum is also calculated. We find that vibrational average produces some broadening of the main features, but that the patterns remain clearly distinguishable.

3D Simulations of Surface Harmonic Generation with few-cycle laser pulses

The mechanism of harmonic generation in the interaction of short laser pulses with solid targets holds the promise for the production of intense attosecond pulses. Using the three dimensional code ILLUMINATION we have performed simulations pertaining to an experimentally realizable parameter range by high power laser systems to become available in the near future. The emphasis of the investigation is on the coherent nature of the emission. We studied the influence of the plasma scale length on the harmonic efficiency, angular distribution and the focusability using a post processing scheme in which the far-field of the emission is calculated. It is found that the presence of an extended density profile reduces significantly the transverse coherence length of the emitted XUV light. The different stages of the interaction for two particular cases can be followed with the help of movies.

Quantum revivals in ultrashort intense field dissociation of molecular ions

Ultrashort (<15 fs) high intensity (1014-1016 W cm-2) laser pulses have provided novel methods for investigation of the dynamics of simple molecular ions such as H2+ and D2+. In this paper we report on simulations carried out for the D2+ molecular ion, within the Born- Oppenheimer and two-state approximations. These simulations allow one to investigate the dissociation dynamics of the D2+ molecular ion when subjected to such ultrashort, intense laser pulses. In particular, these simulations are compared to the results from recent pump-probe experiments, in which, the nuclear vibrational motion of D2+ has been imaged. Simulations suggest that the nature of the dissociation process, be it 1- or 2-photon, may be influenced by the tuning of the pump-probe delay time.

Reconstruction of atomic ionization probabilities in intense laser fields

Application of a parallel-projection inversion technique to z-scan spectra of multiply charged xenon and krypton ions, obtained by non-resonant field ionization of neutral targets, has for the first time permitted the direct observation of intensity-dependent ionization probabilities. These ionization efficiency curves have highlighted the presence of structure in the tunnelling regime, previously unobserved under full-volume techniques.

Short pulse laser interaction with positive ions

The viability of using beams of molecular ions as a target for strong field fragmentation studies using intense ultra-short laser pulses is demonstrated. In this way the production mechanism for multiply charged ions in strong fields may be elucidated.

Dynamic control of laser-produced proton beams

The emission characteristics of intense laser driven protons are controlled using ultrastrong (of the order of 10(9) V/m) electrostatic fields varying on a few ps time scale. The field structures are achieved by exploiting the high potential of the target (reaching multi-MV during the laser interaction). Suitably shaped targets result in a reduction in the proton beam divergence, and hence an increase in proton flux while preserving the high beam quality. The peak focusing power and its temporal variation are shown to depend on the target characteristics, allowing for the collimation of the inherently highly divergent beam and the design of achromatic electrostatic lenses.

Observation of Collisionless Shocks in Laser-Plasma Experiments

The propagation in a rarefied plasma (n(e)less than or similar to 10(15) cm(-3)) of collisionless shock waves and ion-acoustic solitons, excited following the interaction of a long (tau(L)similar to 470 ps) and intense (I similar to 10(15) W cm(-2)) laser pulse with solid targets, has been investigated via proton probing techniques. The shocks' structures and related electric field distributions were reconstructed with high spatial and temporal resolution. The experimental results were interpreted within the framework of the nonlinear wave description based on the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation.

Laser-Driven Proton Beams: Acceleration Mechanism, Beam Optimization, and Radiographic Applications

This paper reviews recent experimental activity in the area of optimization, control, and application of laser accelerated proton beams, carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses 100 TW facility in France. In particular, experiments have investigated the role of the scale length at the rear of the plasma in reducing target-normal-sheath-acceleration acceleration efficiency. Results match with recent theoretical predictions and provide information in view of the feasibility of proton fast-ignition applications. Experiments aiming to control the divergence of the proton beams have investigated the use of a laser-triggered microlens, which employs laser-driven transient electric fields in cylindrical geometry, enabling to focus the emitted
protons and select monochromatic beam lets out of the broad spectrum beam. This approach could be advantageous in view
of a variety of applications. The use of laser-driven protons as a particle probe for transient field detection has been developed and
applied to a number of experimental conditions. Recent work in this area has focused on the detection of large-scale self-generated magnetic fields in laser-produced plasmas and the investigation of fields associated to the propagation of relativistic electron both on the surface and in the bulk of targets irradiated by high-power laser pulses.

Ionography of nanostructures with the use of a laser plasma of cluster targets

It has been shown that a femtosecond plasma of cluster targets is an almost isotropic source of fast ions and, hence, can be used to obtain ionographic images with a wide field of view. The spatial resolution of the resulting ionographic images is no worse than 600 nm, which corresponds to a uniquely high value of about 105 of the ratio of the field of view to the resolution. The use of 100–300-keV ion fluxes ensures the sensitivity of the method to the sample thickness of no worse than 100 nm even for samples consisting of light chemical elements (C, H). The proposed method can be used to obtain images of low-contrast biological objects, thin films, membranes, and other nanostructured objects.

Measurements of the XUV transmission of aluminium with a soft x-ray laser

We have used XUV lasers to make absolute measurements of the photoabsorption coefficient of Al at energies just below that of the L3 absorption edge at 72.7 eV. Transmission measurements at photon energies of 53.7 and 63.3 eV have been made using Ne-like Ni and Ge XUV lasers. The XUV laser output was recorded in first and second orders using a flat-field spectrometer. Al foils with steps of various thicknesses were placed over the first order diffracted signal, while the second order diffraction was used to monitor the beam profile at each position. The transmission data agree extremely well with the original measurements at these wavelengths made by Henke and co-workers (Henke B L, Gullikson E M and Davis J C 1993 At. Data Nucl. Data Tables 54 18 1), but are in conflict with subsequent measurements which are currently in common use (Gullikson E M, Denham P, Mrowka S and Underwood J H 1994 Phys. Rev. B 49 16 283). The exact values of the absorption coefficients in this region of the spectrum have significant implications for the diagnosis of the energy and intensity output of XUV lasers.

Short pulse laser-induced dissociation of vibrationally cold, trapped molecular ions

An electrostatic trapping scheme for use in the study of light-induced dissociation of molecular ions is outlined. We present a detailed description of the electrostatic reflection storage device and specifically demonstrate its use in the preparation of a vibrationally cold ensemble of deuterium hydride (HD+) ions. By interacting an intense femtosecond laser with this target and detecting neutral fragmentation products, we are able to elucidate previously inaccessible dissociation dynamics for fundamental diatomics in intense laser fields. In this context, we present new results of intense field dissociation of HD+ which are interpreted in terms of recent theoretical calculations.

Coherent X-ray production via pulse reflection from laser-driven dense electron sheets

A scheme to obtain brilliant x-ray sources by coherent reflection of a counter-propagating pulse from laser-driven dense electron sheets is theoretically and numerically investigated in a self-consistent manner. A radiation pressure acceleration model for the dynamics of the electron sheets blown out from laser-irradiated ultrathin foils is developed and verified by PIC simulations. The first multidimensional and integral demonstration of the scheme by 2D PIC simulations is presented. It is found that the reflected pulse undergoes Doppler-upshift by a factor 4?z2, where ?z = (1- vz2/c2)-1/2 is the effective Lorentz factor of the electron sheet al ong its normal direction. Meanwhile the pulse electric field is intensified by a factor depending on the electron density of the sheet in its moving frame ne/?, where ? is the full Lorentz factor.