Spatio-temporal characterization of double plasma mirror for ultrahigh contrast and stable laser pulse

An ultrahigh contrast laser pulse of over 10¹¹ for 6 ps before the main pulse was achieved by employing a double plasma mirror installed at the end of a 100 TW Ti:sapphire laser system. Spatial beam qualities such as focusability and stability were found to be extremely sensitive in the range of 14–360 J/cm² on the double plasma mirror, while ultrahigh contrast was maintained. At the fluence of 90 J/cm² the focusability of the ultrahigh contrast laser was not degraded, and the stability was very close to that obtained without the double plasma mirror when the 2-dimensional normalized standard deviation and the correlation function for several laser beam profiles were analyzed. These results are requisites for carrying out relativistic laser-plasma interactions with ultrahigh contrast laser pulses, enabling the use of ultrathin solid targets.     

A comparative study of the ionic keV X-ray line emission from plasma produced by the femtosecond,picosecond and nanosecond duration laser pulses

We report here an experimental study of the ionic keV X-ray line emission from magnesium plasma produced by laser pulses of three widely different pulse durations (FWHM) of 45 fs, 25 ps and 3 ns, at a constant laser fluence of ∼1.5 × 10⁴ J cm^− 2. It is observed that the X-ray yield of the resonance lines from the higher ionization states such as H- and He-like ions decreases on decreasing the laser pulse duration, even though the peak laser intensities of 3.5 × 10¹⁷ W cm^− 2 for the 45 fs pulses and 6.2 × 10¹⁴ W cm^− 2 for the 25 ps pulses are much higher than 5 × 10¹² W cm^− 2 for the 3 ns laser pulse. The results were explained in terms of the ionization equilibrium time for different ionization states in the heated plasma. The study can be useful to make optimum choice of the laser pulse duration to produce short pulse intense X-ray line emission from the plasma and to get the knowledge of the degree of ionization in the plasma.     

Forward plasma emission through laser–foil interaction with nanosecond lasers

Fundamental investigations of plasma diagnostics of a forward laser plasma acceleration employing laser–foil interactions were conducted for an Al-foil target irradiated with an Nd:YAG laser of 1 J/pulse with pulse width of 10 ns. Temporal evolutions of electron temperatures and densities were evaluated with electrostatic probes and spectroscopic diagnostics. From the results, it was shown that an average speed of ions in a forward direction was about 40 km/s. Also, it was shown that the plasma temperature and density were about 2.5–8 eV and 10¹⁰ cm⁻³, respectively.     

Transient reflectivity and transmission changes during plasma formation and ablation in fused silica induced by femtosecond laser pulses

We have studied the plasma formation and ablation dynamics in fused silica upon irradiation with a single 120 fs laser pulse at 800 nm by using fs-resolved pump-probe microscope. It allows recording images of the laser-excited surface at different time delays after the arrival of the pump pulse. This way, we can extract both the temporal evolution of the surface reflectivity and transmission, at 400 nm, for different spatial positions in the spots (and thus for different local fluences) from single series of images. At fluences well above the visible ablation threshold, a fast and large increase of the reflectivity is induced by the formation of a dense free-electron plasma. The maximum reflectivity value is reached within ≈1.5 ps, while the normalized transmission decreases within ≈400 fs. The subsequent temporal evolution of both transient reflectivity and transmission are consistent with the occurrence of surface ablation. In addition, the time-resolved images reveal the existence of a free-electron plasma distribution surrounding the visible ablation crater and thus formed at local fluences below the ablation threshold. The lifetime of this sub-ablation plasma is ≈50 ps, and its maximum electron density amounts to 5.5×10²² cm⁻³.     

K<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis></Subscript> x-ray emission characterization of 100 Hz, 15 mJ femtosecond laser system with high contrast ratio

We report K _α x-ray production with a high energy (110 mJ per pulse at 800 nm before compression/15 mJ at 400 nm after compression), high repetition rate (100 Hz), and high pulse contrast (better than 10⁻⁹ at 400 nm) laser system. To develop laser-based x-ray sources for biomedical imaging requires to use high-energy and high-power ultrafast laser system where compression is achieved under vacuum. Using this type of laser system, we demonstrate long-term stability of the x-ray yield, conversion efficiency higher than 1.5×10⁻⁵ with a Mo target, and the x-ray spot size close to the optical focal spot. This high-repetition K _α x-ray source can be very useful for x-ray phase-contrast imaging. S. Fourmaux and C. Serbanescu contributed equally to this work.     

Generation of lower and higher harmonics in different plasma media with small <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>

The generation of lower (third) and higher harmonics of femtosecond laser radiation in plasmas produced by laser ablation of different targets with a small atomic number Z (B, Be, Li) has been investigated. The high (10⁻³) efficiency of third-harmonic generation was observed in plasma produced on the boron surface. Efficient third-harmonic generation was also observed in beryllium plasma using femtosecond pulses of Ti:sapphire laser radiation (λ = 790 nm) and its second harmonic (395 nm). We could tune the higher harmonics generation spectrum by tuning the crystal converter when using 395-nm radiation to be converted. It is shown that, in plasmas formed on targets with small Z, the conversion efficiency and limiting generated harmonic order depend on the delay between the ablation pulse and the pulse to be converted.     

Optical absorption in early stage low temperature laser produced plasma

We describe a new technique to measure the UV/visible absorption spectrum of the ablated material during the laser pulse. The technique utilizes the continuum emission from one laser produced plasma as a light source to measure the absorption properties of a second laser produced plasma which is formed on a semi-transparent target with an array of 40 μm holes. A 6 ns, 1064 nm laser was used to ablate a Ag target and the plasma absorption was measured in the range 450–625 nm for a laser fluence of 1 J cm⁻². The total absorption cross-section is (0.5–1.5)×10⁻¹⁷ cm² in the range 450–540 nm. By comparing the measured absorption with a calculation using the plasma spectroscopy code FLYCHK it can be concluded that, in the wavelength region examined here, the absorption is mainly due to bound-bound transitions.     

Material ablation and plasma plume expansion study from Fe and graphite targets in Ar gas atmosphere

Study of expansion dynamics of pulsed-laser ablation plasmas from Fe and graphite targets is presented. A 532 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with fluence of 30 J cm⁻² is used to ablate the Fe and graphite targets in various Ar ambient gas pressures. Plasma ablation parameters for the two target materials are estimated using snow-plow and shock-wave models, which show that the laser beam energy deposited to ablated species remains at 70% for both targets at all ambient pressures. The plume splitting was observed, more prominently, for Fe plasma as it moves faster compared to graphite plasma. The difference in plasma plume fronts’ speeds for different targets was attributed to the significant difference in mass of the ablated plasma for two targets, as estimated from simulation results.     

Proton and light-ion acceleration to relativistic GeV energies by the superstrong laser radiation interacting with a structured plasma target

A new scheme is proposed for proton and light-ion acceleration to relativistic energies by superstrong laser radiation interacting with a structured plasma target. The proposal consists in the use of two-component targets consisting of heavy and light ions, where an ambipolar field is formed under the action of the ponderomotive force of incident radiation, and, in contrast to the traditional schemes, acceleration starts from the front boundary of the layer. It is shown that, for the optimized target parameters, monoenergetic GeV ion beams can be produced for radiation pulse intensities on the order of 10²¹−10²² W/cm².     

Picosecond pulse contrast enhancement by use of polarization rotation in crystals with the second-order nonlinearity

We report on the implementation of intensity-dependent filter for picosecond pulse temporal cleaning based on an effect of pulse polarization rotation during the unbalanced phase matched second harmonic generation. The pulse contrast enhancement by more than two orders of magnitude and filter transmission of ∼25% has been demonstrated at pulse intensities of <1 GW/cm². A simple and reliable all-solid-state filter scheme was integrated in a two-stage picosecond Nd:YAG regenerative amplifier seeded with pJ-energy femtosecond pulses of the Yb:KGW oscillator, and allowed us to reduce the ASE intensity level down to 1.5×10⁻⁸ with reference to the intensity of main 100 ps and 100 μJ pulse.     

Nd-Glass laser with plasma mirror

A high power pulse Nd-glass laser system with plasma mirror is studied. Plasma is created on the surface of a solid target and the action is superradiantly triggered. Long trains of modelocked pulses are generated if the carbon or metal targets are used and Q-switched pulses are observed with dielectric targets like PVC. Tens of joules of light energy are extracted from the laser medium and absorbed by plasma in both regimes. Spatial and temporal structures of the laser beam are very reproducible, the laser action is insensitive to variations in air pressure inside the target chamber. Stimulated Brillouin back-scattering in the underdense plasma is discussed as the nonlinear mechanism governing the plasma reflectivity.     

Three-dimensional simulation of laser–plasma-based electron acceleration

A sequential three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell simulation code PICPSI-3D with a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed and used to study the interaction of plasma with ultrahigh intensity laser radiation. A case study of laser–plasma-based electron acceleration has been carried out to assess the performance of this code. Simulations have been performed for a Gaussian laser beam of peak intensity 5 × 10¹⁹ W/cm² propagating through an underdense plasma of uniform density 1 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, and for a Gaussian laser beam of peak intensity 1.5 × 10¹⁹ W/cm² propagating through an underdense plasma of uniform density 3.5 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3. The electron energy spectrum has been evaluated at different time-steps during the propagation of the laser beam. When the plasma density is 1 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, simulations show that the electron energy spectrum forms a monoenergetic peak at ~14 MeV, with an energy spread of ±7 MeV. On the other hand, when the plasma density is 3.5 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, simulations show that the electron energy spectrum forms a monoenergetic peak at ~23 MeV, with an energy spread of ±7.5 MeV.     

Excitation of X rays by electrons accelerated in air in the wake wave of a laser pulse

The characteristics of X rays of a laser plasma generated in the interaction of a femtosecond pulse with solid targets in an air atmosphere have been investigated. It has been shown that the mechanism for the generation of X rays in the interaction of short intense laser pulses with solid targets in a gas atmosphere is attributed to the generation of fast electrons in the region of the filamentation of a laser pulse. It has been proven experimentally that under such conditions, the solid target irradiated by laser radiation of even a low density of about 10¹⁵ W/cm² very efficiently emits ∼10-keV photons. It has been shown theoretically that the maximum energy of accelerated electrons can reach ɛ_max ∼ 100–200 keV under these conditions. This means that the proposed method can provide characteristic radiation with the energy of photons much higher than 10 keV.     

Modelling of a simple Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> doped chalcogenide glass fibre laser for mid-infrared light generation

A simple Dy³⁺-doped chalcogenide glass fibre laser design for mid-infrared light generation is studied using a one dimensional rate equation model. The fibre laser design employs the concept of cascade lasing. The results obtained demonstrate that efficient cascade lasing may be achieved in practice without the need for fibre grating fabrication, as a sufficient level of feedback for laser action is provided by Fresnel light reflection at chalcogenide glass fibre–air interfaces. Further enhancement of the laser efficiency can be achieved by terminating one of the fibre ends with a mirror. A numerical analysis of the effect of the Dy³⁺ doping concentration and fibre loss on the laser operation shows that with 5 W of pump power, at 1.71 μm wavelength, output powers above 100 mW at ∼ 4.5 μm wavelength can be achieved with Dy³⁺ ion concentrations as low as 3 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, when fibre loss is of the order 1dB/m.     

Enhanced harmonic generation in C60-containing plasma plumes

The results of enhanced harmonic generation in fullerene-containing plasma plumes using laser radiation of different wavelengths, pulse durations, and phase modulation are presented. Odd and even harmonics up to the 29^th order of 800 nm radiation have been extended in the case of two-color orthogonal polarization pump of C₆₀-containing plasma plumes. The conversion efficiency for the odd and even harmonics in the vicinity of SPR of the C₆₀-containing plasma (40–70 nm) was estimated to be in the range of 10⁻⁴.     

Picosecond laser micromachining of nitinol and platinum–iridium alloy for coronary stent applications

The demand for micromachining of coronary stents by means of industrial lasers rises quickly for treating coronary artery diseases, which cause more than one million deaths each year. The most widely used types of laser for stent manufacturing are Nd:YAG laser systems with a wavelength of 1064 nm with pulse lengths of 10⁻³–10⁻² seconds. Considerable post-processing is required to remove heat-affected zones (HAZ), and to improve surface finishes and geometry. Using a third harmonic laser radiation of picosecond laser (6×10⁻¹² s pulse duration) in UV range, the capability of the picosecond laser micromachining of nitinol and platinum–iridium alloy for coronary stent applications are presented. In this study dross-free cut of nitinol and platinum–iridium alloy tubes are demonstrated and topography analysis of the cut surface is carried out. The HAZ characteristics have been investigated by means of microscopic examinations and measurement of micro-hardness distribution near the cut zones.     

Nonlinear photoionization and laser-induced damage in silicate glasses by infrared ultrashort laser pulses

We show that photoionization of wide band gap silicate glasses by infrared ultrashort laser pulses can occur without laser-induced damage. Two glasses are studied, fused silica and a multi-component silicate photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass. Experiments are performed by low numerical aperture focusing of ultrashort laser pulses (100 fsec<τ<1.5 psec) at the wavelengths 780 nm, 1430 nm, and 1550 nm. Filaments form inside both glasses and are visibly observable due to intrinsic luminescence. Keldysh’s theory of nonlinear photoionization is used to model the formation of filaments and values of about 10¹³ W cm⁻² for the laser intensity and 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ for the free electron density are estimated for stable filaments to arise. Laser-induced damage is studied by the generation of a third harmonic from an interface created between a damage site and the surrounding glass matrix. It is found that third harmonic generation occurs only after several thousands of laser shots indicating that damage is not a single-shot phenomena. The ability to photoionize PTR glass without damage by ultrashort laser pulses offers a new approach for fabricating diffractive optical elements in photosensitive glass.     

Plasma plume induced during laser ablation of graphite

The plasma plume induced during ArF laser ablation of a graphite target is studied. Velocities of the plasma expansion front are determined by the optical time of flight method. Mass center velocities of the emitting atoms and ions are constant and amount to 1.7×10⁴ and 3.8×10⁴ m s⁻¹, respectively. Higher velocities of ions result probably from their acceleration in electrostatic field created by electron emission prior to ion emission. The emission spectroscopy of the plasma plume is used to determine the electron densities and temperatures at various distances from the target. The electron density is determined from the Stark broadening of the Ca II and Ca I lines. It reaches a maximum of ∼9.5×10²³ m⁻³ 30 ns from the beginning of the laser pulse at the distance of 1.2 mm from the target and next decreases to ∼1.2×10²² m⁻³ at the distance of 7.6 mm from the target. The electron temperature is determined from the ratio of intensities of ionic and atomic lines. Close to the target the electron temperature of ∼30 kK is found but it decreases quickly to 11.5 kK 4 mm from the target.     

Mechanism of generation of high-intensity terahetrz radiation under the action of high-power laser pulsed on a target

The mechanism of generation of terahertz radiation upon irradiation of a target by short (∼ 0.1 ns) high-intensity laser pulses (I ∼ 10¹⁸−10¹⁹ W cm⁻²) is investigated by numerical simulation using the relativistic electromagnetic PIC code. The interaction of such a pulse with the target, a plasma is formed on it. Electrons emitted from the plasma form a virtual cathode whose oscillations are determined not only by their self-field, but also by the field of ions of the plasma. Generation occurs in the terahertz frequency range with the efficiency thrice as high as in the absence of ions (i.e., with traditional reditron generation mechanism). The explanation for this effect is also given.     

Proton and light-ion acceleration to relativistic GeV energies by the superstrong laser radiation interacting with a structured plasma target

A new scheme is proposed for proton and light-ion acceleration to relativistic energies by superstrong laser radiation interacting with a structured plasma target. The proposal consists in the use of two-component targets consisting of heavy and light ions, where an ambipolar field is formed under the action of the ponderomotive force of incident radiation, and, in contrast to the traditional schemes, acceleration starts from the front boundary of the layer. It is shown that, for the optimized target parameters, monoenergetic GeV ion beams can be produced for radiation pulse intensities on the order of 10²¹−10²² W/cm². Original Russian Text ? A.V. Korzhimanov, A.A. Gonoskov, A.V. Kim, A.M. Sergeev, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Zhurnal éksperimental’noĭ i Teoreticheskoĭ Fiziki, 2007, Vol. 86, No. 9, pp. 662–669.