Quadrature-phase noise penalties of optically and electro-optically phase-locked lasers

Focussing particularly on solid-state laser systems, the phase-noise penalties of laser injection-locking and electro-optical phase-locking are derived using linearised quantum mechanical models. The fundamental performance limit (minimum achievable output phase noise) for an injection-locked laser (IJL) system at low frequencies is equal to that of a standard phase-insensitive amplifier, whereas, in principle, that of a phase-locked laser (PLL) system can be better. At high frequencies, the output phase noise of the IJL system is limited by that of the master laser, while that of the PLL system tends to a weighted sum of contributions from the master and slave laser fields. Under conditions of large amplification, particularly where there has been significant attenuation, the noise penalties are shown to be substantial. Nonideal photodetector characteristics are shown to add significantly to the noise penalties for the PLL system. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear optical effects manifested by electromagnetic induced transparency in cold atoms

This dissertation reports experimental studies of nonlinear optical effects manifested by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in cold Rb atoms. The cold Rb atoms are confined in a magneto-optic trap (MOT) obtained with the standard laser cooling and trapping technique. Because of the near zero Doppler shift and a high phase density, the cold Rb sample is well suited for studies of atomic coherence and interference and related applications, and the experiments can be compared quantitatively with theoretical calculations. It is shown that with EIT induced in the multi-level Rb system by laser fields, the linear absorption is suppressed and the nonlinear susceptibility is enhanced, which enables studies of nonlinear optics in the cold atoms with slow photons and at low light intensities. Three independent experiments are described and the experimental results are presented. First, an experimental method that can produce simultaneously co-propagating slow and fast light pulses is discussed and the experimental demonstration is reported. Second, it is shown that in a three-level Rb system coupled by multi-color laser fields, the multi-channel two-photon Raman transitions can be manipulated by the relative phase and frequency of a control laser field. Third, a scheme for all-optical switching near single photon levels is developed. The scheme is based on the phase-dependent multi-photon interference in a coherently coupled four-level system. The phase dependent multi-photon interference is observed and switching of a single light pulse by a control pulse containing ∼20 photons is demonstrated. These experimental studies reveal new phenomena manifested by quantum coherence and interference in cold atoms, contribute to the advancement of fundamental quantum optics and nonlinear optics at ultra-low light intensities, and may lead to the development of new techniques to control quantum states of atoms and photons, which will be useful for applications in quantum measurements and quantum photonic devices.

Engineering a Quantum Many-body Hamiltonian with Trapped Ions

While fault-tolerant quantum computation might still be years away, analog quantum simulators offer a way to leverage current quantum technologies to study classically intractable quantum systems. Cutting edge quantum simulators such as those utilizing ultracold atoms are beginning to study physics which surpass what is classically tractable. As the system sizes of these quantum simulators increase, there are also concurrent gains in the complexity and types of Hamiltonians which can be simulated. In this work, I describe advances toward the realization of an adaptable, tunable quantum simulator capable of surpassing classical computation. We simulate long-ranged Ising and XY spin models which can have global arbitrary transverse and longitudinal fields in addition to individual transverse fields using a linear chain of up to 24 Yb+ 171 ions confined in a linear rf Paul trap. Each qubit is encoded in the ground state hyperfine levels of an ion. Spin-spin interactions are engineered by the application of spin-dependent forces from laser fields, coupling spin to motion. Each spin can be read independently using state-dependent fluorescence. The results here add yet more tools to an ever growing quantum simulation toolbox. One of many challenges has been the coherent manipulation of individual qubits. By using a surprisingly large fourth-order Stark shifts in a clock-state qubit, we demonstrate an ability to individually manipulate spins and apply independent Hamiltonian terms, greatly increasing the range of quantum simulations which can be implemented. As quantum systems grow beyond the capability of classical numerics, a constant question is how to verify a quantum simulation. Here, I present measurements which may provide useful metrics for large system sizes and demonstrate them in a system of up to 24 ions during a classically intractable simulation. The observed values are consistent with extremely large entangled states, as much as ~95% of the system entangled. Finally, we use many of these techniques in order to generate a spin Hamiltonian which fails to thermalize during experimental time scales due to a meta-stable state which is often called prethermal. The observed prethermal state is a new form of prethermalization which arises due to long-range interactions and open boundary conditions, even in the thermodynamic limit. This prethermalization is observed in a system of up to 22 spins. We expect that system sizes can be extended up to 30 spins with only minor upgrades to the current apparatus. These results emphasize that as the technology improves, the techniques and tools developed here can potentially be used to perform simulations which will surpass the capability of even the most sophisticated classical techniques, enabling the study of a whole new regime of quantum many-body physics.

Dynamic tunnelling ionization of H-+(2) in intense fields

Intense-field ionization of the hydrogen molecular ion by linearly polarized light is modelled by direct solution of the fixed-nuclei time-dependent Schrodinger equation and compared with recent experiments. Parallel transitions are calculated using algorithms which exploit massively parallel computers. We identify and calculate dynamic tunnelling ionization resonances that depend on laser wavelength and intensity, and molecular bond length. Results for lambda similar to 1064 nm are consistent with static tunnelling ionization. At shorter wavelengths lambda similar to 790 nm large dynamic corrections are observed. The results agree very well with recent experimental measurements of the ion spectra. Our results reproduce the single peak resonance and provide accurate ionization rate estimates at high intensities. At lower intensities our results confirm a double peak in the ionization rate as the bond length varies.

Laser technology - Measuring huge magnetic fields

Huge magnetic fields are predicted1–4 to exist in the high-density region of plasmas produced during intense laser–matter interaction, near the criticaldensity surface where most laser absorption occurs, but until now these fields have never been measured. By using pulses focused to extreme intensities to investigate laser–plasma interactions5, we have been able to record the highest magnetic fields ever produced in a laboratory – over 340 megagauss – by polarimetry measurements of self-generated laser harmonics.

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.

Multiple ionization of ions and atoms by intense ultrafast laser pulses

Non-sequential processes in the multiple ionization of Xe and Xe+ targets subject to intense femtosecond laser pulses have been investigated. A precise ratio has been determined for the direct comparison of ionization using circular and linear polarized fields. Suppression of non-sequential effects where an ionic target is compared to a neutral atom target has been confirmed.

Photodissociation of D-3(+) in an intense, femtosecond laser field

H-3(+) is the simplest triatomic molecule and plays an important role in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. It is very stable both in terms of its electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom but is difficult to study in depth in the laboratory due to its ionic nature. In this communication, experimental results are presented for the strong field dissociation of the isotopic analogue D-3(+), using 30 fs, 800 nm laser pulses with intensities up to 10(16) W cm(-2). By employing a novel experimental set-up, ions were confined in an electrostatic ion trap so that dissociation of the molecule could be studied as it radiatively cools. It was determined that dissociation could only be observed for molecules in ro-vibrational states relatively close to the dissociation limit, while more tightly bound states demonstrated remarkable stability in even the strongest fields.

Laboratory measurements of 0.7 GG magnetic fields generated during high-intensity laser interactions with dense plasmas

We report measurements of ultrahigh magnetic fields produced during intense (similar to10(20) Wcm(-2) mum(2)) laser interaction experiments with solids. We show that polarization measurements of high-order vuv laser harmonics generated during the interaction (up to the 15th order) suggest the existence of magnetic field strengths of 0.7+/-0.1 GG in the overdense plasma. Measurements using higher order harmonics indicate that denser regions of the plasma can be probed. This technique may be useful for measurements of multi-GG level magnetic fields which are predicted to occur at even higher intensities.

A compact broadband ion beam focusing device based on laser-driven megagauss thermoelectric magnetic fields

Ultra-intense lasers can nowadays routinely accelerate kiloampere ion beams. These unique sources of particle beams could impact many societal (e.g., proton-therapy or fuel recycling) and fundamental (e.g., neutron probing) domains. However, this requires overcoming the beam angular divergence at the source. This has been attempted, either with large-scale conventional setups or with compact plasma techniques that however have the restriction of short (<1 mm) focusing distances or a chromatic behavior. Here, we show that exploiting laser-triggered, long-lasting (>50 ps), thermoelectric multi-megagauss surface magnetic (B)-fields, compact capturing, and focusing of a diverging laser-driven multi-MeV ion beam can be achieved over a wide range of ion energies in the limit of a 5° acceptance angle.

Fragmentation of CD+ induced by intense ultrashort laser pulses

The fragmentation of CD+ in intense ultrashort laser pulses was investigated using a coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging technique improved by employing both transverse and longitudinal electric fields. This allowed clear separation of all fragmentation channels and the determination of the kinetic energy release down to nearly zero, for a molecule with significant mass asymmetry. The most probable dissociation pathways for the two lowest dissociation limits, C+ + D and C+ D+, were identified for both 22-fs, 798-nm and 50-fs, 392-nm pulses. Curiously, the charge asymmetric dissociation of CD2+ was not observed for 392-nm photons, even though it was clearly visible for the fundamental 798 nm at the same peak intensity.

Geomorphological and statistical analysis on Ravenna dune fields changes, based on Terrestrial Laser Technology

Coastal sand dunes represent a richness first of all in terms of defense from the sea storms waves and the saltwater ingression; moreover these morphological elements constitute an unique ecosystem of transition between the sea and the land environment. The research about dune system is a strong part of the coastal sciences, since the last century. Nowadays this branch have assumed even more importance for two reasons: on one side the born of brand new technologies, especially related to the Remote Sensing, have increased the researcher possibilities; on the other side the intense urbanization of these days have strongly limited the dune possibilities of development and fragmented what was remaining from the last century. This is particularly true in the Ravenna area, where the industrialization united to the touristic economy and an intense subsidence, have left only few dune ridges residual still active. In this work three different foredune ridges, along the Ravenna coast, have been studied with Laser Scanner technology. This research didn’t limit to analyze volume or spatial difference, but try also to find new ways and new features to monitor this environment. Moreover the author planned a series of test to validate data from Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), with the additional aim of finalize a methodology to test 3D survey accuracy. Data acquired by TLS were then applied on one hand to test some brand new applications, such as Digital Shore Line Analysis System (DSAS) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to prove their efficacy in this field; on the other hand the author used TLS data to find any correlation with meteorological indexes (Forcing Factors), linked to sea and wind (Fryberger's method) applying statistical tools, such as the Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

Intense Acoustic Burst Ultrasound Modulated Optical Tomography for Elasticity Mapping of Soft Biological Tissue Mimicking Phantom: A Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis Study

This report addresses the assessment of variation in elastic property of soft biological tissues non-invasively using laser speckle contrast measurement. The experimental as well as the numerical (Monte-Carlo simulation) studies are carried out. In this an intense acoustic burst of ultrasound (an acoustic pulse with high power within standard safety limits), instead of continuous wave, is employed to induce large modulation of the tissue materials in the ultrasound insonified region of interest (ROI) and it results to enhance the strength of the ultrasound modulated optical signal in ultrasound modulated optical tomography (UMOT) system. The intensity fluctuation of speckle patterns formed by interference of light scattered (while traversing through tissue medium) is characterized by the motion of scattering sites. The displacement of scattering particles is inversely related to the elastic property of the tissue. We study the feasibility of laser speckle contrast analysis (LSCA) technique to reconstruct a map of the elastic property of a soft tissue-mimicking phantom. We employ source synchronized parallel speckle detection scheme to (experimentally) measure the speckle contrast from the light traversing through ultrasound (US) insonified tissue-mimicking phantom. The measured relative image contrast (the ratio of the difference of the maximum and the minimum values to the maximum value) for intense acoustic burst is 86.44 % in comparison to 67.28 % for continuous wave excitation of ultrasound. We also present 1-D and 2-D image of speckle contrast which is the representative of elastic property distribution.

Electron acceleration by an intense short-pulse laser in underdense plasma

Electron acceleration from the interaction of an intense short-pulse laser with low density plasma is considered. The relation between direct electron acceleration within the laser pulse and that in the wake is investigated analytically. The magnitude and location of the ponderomotive-force-caused charge separation field with respect to that of the pulse determine the relative effectiveness of the two acceleration mechanisms. It is shown that there is an optimum condition for acceleration in the wake. Electron acceleration within the pulse dominates as the pulse becomes sufficiently short, and the latter directly drives and even traps the electrons. The latter can reach ultrahigh energies and can be extracted by impinging the pulse on a solid target. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Studies of ion energy and yield from argon clusters heated by intense femtosecond laser pulses

Using time-of-flight spectrometry, the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with argon clusters has been studied by measuring the energy and yield of emitted ions. With two different supersonic nozzles, the dependence of average ion energy (E) over bar on cluster size (n) over bar in a large range of (n) over bar approximate to 3 x 10(3) similar to 3 x 10(6) has been measured. The experimental results indicate that when the cluster size (n) over bar <= 3 x 10(5), the average ion energy (E) over bar proportional to (n) over bar (0.5), Coulomb explosion is the dominant expansion mechanism. Beyond this size, the average ion energy gets saturated gradually, the clusters exhibit a mixed Coulomb-hydrodynamic expansion behavior. We also find that with the increasing gas backing pressure, there is a maximum ion yield, the ion yield decreases as the gas backing pressure is further increased.