A plasma channel scheme for the interaction of an intense femtosecond laser pulse with a deuterium cluster jet

We propose a plasma channel scheme to obtain an improved table-top laser driven fusion neutron yield as a result of explosions of large deuterium clusters irradiated by an intense laser pulse. A cylindrical plasma channel is created by two moderate intensity laser prepulses at the edge of a deuterium cluster jet along which an intense main laser pulse propagates several nanoseconds later. With the aid of this plasma channel, the main laser pulse will be allowed to deposit its energy into the central region of the deuterium gas jet where the cluster sizes are larger and the atomic density is higher. The plasma channel formation and its impact on the deuterium ion energy spectrum and the consequent fusion neutron yield have been investigated. The calculated results show that a remarkable increase of the table-top laser driven fusion neutron yield would be expected.

Characterization of a multi-keV x-ray source produced by nanosecond laser irradiation of a solid target: The influence of laser focus spot and target thickness

The influence of focus spot and target thickness on multi-keV x-ray sources generated by 2 ns duration laser heated solid targets are investigated on the Shenguang II laser facility. In the case of thick-foil targets, the experimental data and theoretical analysis show that the emission volume of the x-ray sources is sensitive to the laser focus spot and proportional to the 3 power of the focus spot size. The steady x-ray flux is proportional to the 5/3 power of the focus spot size of the given laser beam in our experimental condition. In the case of thin-foil targets, experimental data show that there is an optimal foil thickness corresponding to the given laser parameters. With the given laser beam, the optimal thin-foil thickness is proportional to the -2/3 power of the focus spot size, and the optimal x-ray energy of thin foil is independent of focus spot size. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Comparison of laser performances of 5at.% Yb : Gd2xY2(1-x)SiO5 crystals between different cutting directions

We investigate the laser actions of 5at.% Yb:Gd2xY2(1-x)SiO5 (Yb:GYSO; x = 0.1) crystals with different cutting directions, parallel and vertical to the growth axis. Our results show that the cutting direction of the sample plays an astonished role in the laser operation. The sample cut vertically to the growth axis possesses the favourable lasing characteristics. Its output power reaches 3.13W at 1060nm with a slope efficiency of 44.68% when the absorbed pump power is 8.9 W. In contrast, the sample cut parallel reaches only 1.65 W at 1044 nm with a slope elLiciency of 33.76% with absorbed pump power of 7.99 W. The absorption and emission spectra of the two samples are examined and the merit factor M is calculated. Our analysis is in agreement well with the experimental results. The wavelength tuning range of the superior sample covers from 1013.68 nm to 1084.82 nm.

Control of single attosecond pulse generation from the reflection of a synthesized relativistic laser pulse on a solid surface

The influence of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the driving laser pulse on the generation of single attosecond (as) pulses from surface harmonics by using the polarization gating technique is investigated in detail. It is found that the modulation depth of the high-order harmonic spectrum depends on the CEP, and a strong single 68 as pulse can be generated when the CEP is stable and has the proper value. The physical origin of the influence of the CEP is explained in terms of the oscillating mirror model. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2997342]

Coulomb expansion of deuterated methane clusters irradiated by an ultrashort intense laser pulse

The simulations of three-dimensional particle dynamics show that when irradiated by an ultrashort intense laser pulse, the deuterated methane cluster expands and the majority of deuterons overrun the more slowly expanding carbon ions, resulting in the creation of two separated subclusters. The enhanced deuteron kinetic energy and a narrow peak around the energy maximum in the deuteron energy distribution make a considerable contribution to the efficiency of nuclear fusion compared with the case of homonuclear deuterium clusters. With the intense laser irradiation, the nuclear fusion yield increases with the increase of the cluster size, so that deuterated heteronuclear clusters with larger sizes are required to achieve a greater neutron yield.

Effect of laser spot size on fusion neutron yield in laser-deuterium cluster interactions

The effect of the laser spot size on the neutron yield of table-top nuclear fusion from explosions of a femtosecond intense laser pulse heated deuterium clusters is investigated by using a simplified model, in which the cluster size distribution and the energy attenuation of the laser as it propagates through the cluster jet are taken into account. It has been found that there exists a proper laser spot size for the maximum fusion neutron yield for a given laser pulse and a specific deuterium gas cluster jet. The proper spot size, which is dependent on the laser parameters and the cluster jet parameters, has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. A reasonable agreement between the calculated results and the published experimental results is found.

Acceleration of initially moving electrons by a copropagation intense laser pulse

Acceleration of an initially moving electron by a copropagation ultra-short ultra-intense laser pulse in vacuum is studied. It is shown that when appropriate laser pulse parameters and focusing conditions are imposed, the acceleration of electron by ascending front of laser pulse can be much stronger compared to the deceleration by descending part. Consequently, the electron can obtain significantly high net energy gain. We also report the results of the new scheme that enables a second-step acceleration of electron using laser pulses of peak intensity in the range of 10(19)-10(20) W mu m(2)/cm(2). In the first step the electron acceleration from rest is limited to energies of a few MeV, while in the second step the electron acceleration can be considerably enhanced to about 100 MeV energy.

Electron quantum path tuning and isolated attosecond pulse emission driven by a waveform-controlled multi-cycle laser field

We investigate high-order harmonic emission and isolated attosecond pulse (IAP) generation in atoms driven by a two-colour multi-cycle laser field consisting of an 800 nm pulse and an infrared laser pulse at an arbitrary wavelength. With moderate laser intensity, an IAP of similar to 220 as can be generated in helium atoms by using two-colour laser pulses of 35 fs/800 nm and 46 fs/1150 nm. The discussion based on the three-step semiclassical model, and time-frequency analysis shows a clear picture of the high-order harmonic generation in the waveform-controlled laser field which is of benefit to the generation of XUV IAP and attosecond electron pulses. When the propagation effect is included, the duration of the IAP can be shorter than 200 as, when the driving laser pulses are focused 1 mm before the gas medium with a length between 1.5 mm and 2 mm.

Electro-optic integration of embedded electrodes and waveguides in LiNbO3 using a femtosecond laser

We describe the fabrication of a Mach-Zehnder optical modulator in LiNbO3 by femtosecond laser micormachining, which is composed of optical waveguides inscripted by a femtosecond laser and embedded microelectrodes subsequently using femtosecond laser ablation and selective electroless plating. A half-wave voltage close to 19 V is achieved at a wavelength of 632.8 nm with an interaction length of 2.6 mm. This simple and cost-effective technique opens up new opportunities for fabricating integrated electro-optic devices. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Enhancement and broadening of extreme-ultraviolet supercontinuum in a relative phase controlled two-color laser field

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of an extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) supercontinuum in argon with a two-color laser field consisting of an intense 7 fs pulse at 800 nm and a relatively weak 37 fs pulse at 400 nm. By controlling the relative time delay between the two laser pulses, we observe enhanced high-order harmonic generation as well as spectral broadening of the supercontinuum. A method to produce isolated attosecond pulses with variable width and intensity is proposed. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Fabrication of microelectrodes deeply embedded in LiNbO3 using a femtosecond laser

We present a novel technique to fabricate deeply embedded microelectrodes in LiNbO3 using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation and selective electroless plating. The fabrication process mainly consists of four steps, which are (1) micromachining of microgrooves on the surface of LiNbO3 by femtosecond laser ablation; (2) formation of AgNO3 films on substrates; (3) scanning the femtosecond laser beam in the fabricated microgrooves for modi. cation of the inner surfaces; and (4) electroless copper plating. The void-free electroless copper plating is obtained with appropriate cross section of microgrooves and uniform initiation of the autocatalytic deposition on the inner surface of grooves. The dimension and shape of the microelectrodes could be accurately controlled by changing the conditions of femtosecond laser ablation, which in turn can control the distribution of electric field inside LiNbO3 crystal for various applications, opening up a new approach to fabricate three-dimensional integrated electro-optic devices. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structure on ZnO

Three different ZnO nanostructures include nanoparticles, ripples and regular nanogratings were successfully prepared by femtosecond laser irradiation under different experimental conditions. The in-situ observation of the second harmonic generation (SHG) excited in ZnO crystals before, during, and after the formation of the nanostructures was investigated. The obtained results show that the formed nanostructures contribute to the enhancement of the SHG. We propose that the second harmonics in the sample surface plays an important role in the formation of nanostructures. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Fine interference fringes formed in high-order harmonic spectra generated by infrared driving laser pulses

We experimentally investigate the high-order harmonic generation in argon gas using a driving laser pulse at a center wavelength of 1240 nm. High-contrast fine interference fringes could be observed in the harmonic spectra near the propagation axis, which is attributed to the interference between long and short quantum paths. We also systematically examine the variation of the interference fringe pattern with increasing energy of the driving pulse and with different phase-matching conditions.

The role of women in fisheries activities in some selected fishing villages in the southern zone of Kainji Lake basin

Questionnaires containing 39 questions were prepared and administered to 50 women in ten fishing villages in the Southern Kainji Lake Basin to assess the level of women participation in fisheries activities. Results showed that 100% of the women interviewed were involved in fisheries activities and the following factors were considered. Age group between 20-30 years was 18%; 31-40 years; 30%; and above 40 years had the highest percentage of 40%. Also 98% of the women involve in fisheries activities were married while only 2% were not married. Muslin women constituted 82% while 18% were Christians. About 70% of Hausas were involved: no Igbos and Yorubas, while 30% were other tribes, which included Ijaws, Isokos and Urohobos. The percentage of women without education amounted to 62%, those women with Koranic education accounted for 22%, 14% had primary education while only 2% had secondary education. Few women were directly involved in fishing and statistical analysis showed that there was insignificant difference from village to village. All the women (100%) were involved in fish processing and storage (preservation) before sale. Only 26% of the women were not involved in fish marketing. Also 26% of the women made profits ranging from N500 to N1,000 per week, 24% make N1,000 to N1,500 per week, 12% made N1,500 to N2,000 and 38% made profit above N2,000. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the profit made by the women (P<0.05) from the foregoing, women were actively involved in all fisheries activities