Beam smoothing by lens array with spectral dispersion

A scheme of combining technology of lens array (LA) and smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) is introduced to improve the irradiation uniformity in laser fusion based on the earlier works on LA. The feasibility of the scheme is also analyzed by numerical simulation. It shows that a focal pattern with flat-top and sharp-edge profile could be obtained, and the irradiation nonuniformity can fall down from 14% with only LA to 3% with both SSD and LA. And this smoothing scheme is depended less on the incidence comparing to other smoothing methods. The preliminary experiment has demonstrated its effectiveness. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Smoothing the side lobes of a focused pattern by spectral dispersion in the broadband laser

Starting from the Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral, the propagation equations of a broadband laser passing through a dispersive lens and a dispersive wedge are derived. Smoothing effect on the side lobes of the focused pattern is achieved as the broadband laser passes through the lens because of the spectral dispersion of the lens. By inserting a dispersive wedge behind the lens, better smoothing effect is realized because a relative position shift between focused patterns of different frequency components is generated due to the spectral dispersion of the wedge. Smoothing effect on the side lobe is obtained even with small bandwidth of the broadband laser as the wedge is used. (c) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional performance of uniform irradiation with the use of an edge-softened lens array and spectral dispersion

A lens array composed of edge-softened elements is used to improve on-target irradiation uniformity in the Shenguang II Laser Facility, with which a Fresnel pattern of suppressed diffraction peaks is obtained. Additional uniformity can be reached by reducing short-wavelength interference speckles inside the pattern when the technique of smoothing by spectral dispersion is also used. Two-dimensional performance of irradiation is simulated and the results indicate that a pattern of steeper edges and a flat top can be achieved with this joint technique. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

谱色散均匀化的计算研究

利用光传输理论对ICF驱动器中使用的光谱色散平滑(SSD)技术作了理论分析，并结合典型的随机相位板(RPP)技术，用计算机模拟了使用光谱色散平滑技术前后激光靶面辐照不均匀性的变化及其技术中不同带宽和调制频率下激光靶面辐照不均匀性的变化。

利用消衍射透镜列阵及光谱色散平滑实现焦斑均匀辐照

提出将空间域的透镜列阵法和时间域的光谱色散平滑法结合起来实现靶面的均匀辐照．消衍射型透镜列阵能获得边缘陡峭且顶部较平坦的准近场焦斑，光谱色散平滑则能有效地抹平焦斑内部由多光束干涉引起的细密条纹．数值结果显示，通过该方案能获得均匀性较好的焦斑．进一步分析了光谱色散平滑单元中位相调制和光栅的参数对辐照均匀性的影响，发现参数的选取要在焦斑均匀性和能量利用率之间取得合理平衡，以在整体上获得最佳的均匀辐照效果．

谱色散平滑与透镜列阵联用实现均匀照明

为满足激光惯性约束聚变中靶面激光辐照不均匀性低于5%的要求, 在目前使用透镜列阵基础上, 提出了谱色散平滑与透镜列阵联用方案, 对其进行数值计算并分析其平滑效果和应用可行性。结果表明:焦斑的不均匀性从单独使用透镜列阵时的14%降低到与谱色散平滑结合后的3%;对焦斑点功率谱的分析表明谱色散平滑通过抑制焦斑中高频的频谱强度达到平滑效果。该方案可以进一步提高焦斑平滑效果, 计算结果对实际应用有着重要的参考意义。

利用二维光谱色散和透镜列阵改善靶面辐照均匀性

利用二维光谱色散平滑技术和透镜列阵(LA)来改善激光驱动器中靶面的辐照均匀性。通过消衍射透镜列阵可得到包络陡峭且中小空间尺度均匀性较好的焦斑。当在光路中加入二维光谱色散平滑单元后,光束在两个互相垂直的方向发生光谱色散,多光束干涉所引起的细密条纹也将在很大程度上被抹平,如果把横向热传导平滑效应也考虑在内,高空间频率的强度波动可进一步被消除。二维理论模拟结果表明采用该方案可获得顶部平坦边缘陡峭的焦斑,而且该方案无需仔细调整靶面的位置,实际应用较方便。

光谱色散后的相位调制光束衍射特性研究

用数值方法研究了激光驱动器系统中使用光谱色散平滑单元后光束的衍射特性、模拟结果表明，光谱色散会使光束衍射光斑变大，近场空间强度均匀性改善，而远场光斑内部存在光强接近于均匀分布的区域．进一步分析了光谱色散平滑单元中相位调制器的调制深度、调制频率及光栅色散系数等主要元件参数对光束传输特性的影响，发现在一定情况下光斑内部会出现较强的强度调制。

光谱色散平滑的实验研究

为提高国内惯性约束聚变（ICF）装置的焦斑平滑能力，在对光谱色散平滑（SSD）技术理论分析的基础上，开展相关实验并研究其平滑机制。实验结合另一种焦斑平滑技术——分布式相位板（DPP）比较分析光谱色散平滑技术应用下的焦斑均匀性的变化。实验表明，利用光谱色散平滑技术中的正弦相位调制对光谱展宽并色散后，在色散方向上的焦斑均匀性有明显改善，120μm内的光强调制被平滑，其平滑能力依赖于光谱色散平滑技术参量的选择；焦斑的低频光谱强度变化很小，但中高频光谱强度下降，焦斑质量有良好的改善，焦斑的不均匀性从40％降低到1

Improved uniformity of target illumination by combining a lens array and the technique of spectral dispersion

A scheme using a lens array and the technique of spectral dispersion is presented to improve target illumination uniformity in laser produced plasmas. Detailed two-dimensional simulation shows that a quasi-near-field target pattern, of steeper edges and without side lobes, is achieved with a lens array, while interference stripes inside the pattern are smoothed out by the use of the spectral dispersion technique. Moving the target slightly from the exact focal plane of the principal focusing lens can eliminate middle-scale-length intensity fluctuation further. Numerical results indicate that a well-irradiated laser spot with small nonuniformity and great energy efficiency can be obtained in this scheme. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Smoothing of PV power fluctuations by geographical dispersion

The quality and the reliability of the power generated by large grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) plants are negatively affected by the source characteristic variability. This paper deals with the smoothing of power fluctuations because of geographical dispersion of PV systems. The fluctuation frequency and the maximum fluctuation registered at a PV plant ensemble are analyzed to study these effects. We propose an empirical expression to compare the fluctuation attenuation because of both the size and the number of PV plants grouped. The convolution of single PV plants frequency distribution functions has turned out to be a successful tool to statistically describe the behavior of an ensemble of PV plants and determine their maximum output fluctuation. Our work is based on experimental 1-s data collected throughout 2009 from seven PV plants, 20 MWp in total, separated between 6 and 360 km.

Numerical study on heavy rigid particle motion in a plane wake flow by spectral element method

Experimental particle dispersion patterns in a plane wake flow at a high Reynolds number have been predicted numerically by discrete vortex method (Phys. Fluids A 1992; 4:2244-2251; Int. J. Multiphase Flow 2000; 26:1583-1607). To address the particle motion at a moderate Reynolds number, spectral element method is employed to provide an instantaneous wake flow field for particle dynamics equations, which are solved to make a detail classification of the patterns in relation to the Stokes and Froude numbers. It is found that particle motion features only depend on the Stokes number at a high Froude number and depend on both numbers at a low Froude number. A ratio of the Stokes number to squared Froude number is introduced and threshold values of this parameter are evaluated that delineate the different regions of particle behavior. The parameter describes approximately the gravitational settling velocity divided by the characteristic velocity of wake flow. In order to present effects of particle density but preserve rigid sphere, hollow sphere particle dynamics in the plane wake flow is investigated. The evolution of hollow particle motion patterns for the increase of equivalent particle density corresponds to that of solid particle motion patterns for the decrease of particle size. Although the thresholds change a little, the parameter can still make a good qualitative classification of particle motion patterns as the inner diameter changes.

The impact of smoke from forest fires on the spectral dispersion of cloud droplet size distributions in the Amazonian region

In this paper, the main microphysical characteristics of clouds developing in polluted and clean conditions in the biomass-burning season of the Amazon region are examined, with special attention to the spectral dispersion of the cloud droplet size distribution and its potential impact on climate modeling applications. The dispersion effect has been shown to alter the climate cooling predicted by the so-called Twomey effect. In biomass-burning polluted conditions, high concentrations of low dispersed cloud droplets are found. Clean conditions revealed an opposite situation. The liquid water content (0.43 +/- 0.19 g m(-3)) is shown to be uncorrelated with the cloud drop number concentration, while the effective radius is found to be very much correlated with the relative dispersion of the size distribution (R(2) = 0.81). The results suggest that an increase in cloud condensation nuclei concentration from biomass-burning aerosols may lead to an additional effect caused by a decrease in relative dispersion. Since the dry season in the Amazonian region is vapor limiting, the dispersion effect of cloud droplet size distributions could be substantially larger than in other polluted regions.

Design and applications of in-cavity pulse shaping by spectral sculpturing in mode-locked fibre lasers

We review our recent progress on the realisation of pulse shaping in passively-mode-locked fibre lasers by inclusion of an amplitude and/or phase spectral filter into the laser cavity. We numerically show that depending on the amplitude transfer function of the in-cavity filter, various regimes of advanced waveform generation can be achieved, including ones featuring parabolic-, flat-top- and triangular-profiled pulses. An application of this approach using a flat-top spectral filter is shown to achieve the direct generation of high-quality sinc-shaped optical Nyquist pulses with a widely tunable bandwidth from the laser oscillator. We also present the operation of an ultrafast fibre laser in which conventional soliton, dispersion-managed soliton (stretched-pulse) and dissipative soliton mode-locking regimes can be selectively and reliably targeted by adaptively changing the dispersion profile and bandwidth programmed on an in-cavity programmable filter. The results demonstrate the strong potential of an in-cavity spectral pulse shaper for achieving a high degree of control over the dynamics and output of mode-locked fibre lasers.

In-cavity pulse shaping by spectral sculpturing in mode-locked fibre lasers

We review our recent progress on the realisation of pulse shaping in passively-mode-locked fibre lasers by inclusion of an amplitude and/or phase spectral filter into the laser cavity. We numerically show that depending on the amplitude transfer function of the in-cavity filter, various advanced temporal waveforms can be generated, including parabolic, flattop and triangular pulses. An application of this approach using a flattop spectral filter is shown to achieve the direct generation of high-quality sinc-shaped optical Nyquist pulses with a widely tunable bandwidth from the laser oscillator. We also present the operation of an ultrafast fibre laser in which conventional, dispersion-managed and dissipative soliton mode-locking regimes can be selectively and reliably targeted by adaptively changing the dispersion profile and bandwidth programmed on an in-cavity programmable filter.