Time-resolved momentum imaging system for molecular dynamics studies using a tabletop ultrafast extreme-ultraviolet light source

We describe a momentum imaging setup for direct time-resolved studies of ionization-induced molecular dynamics. This system uses a tabletop ultrafast extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light source based on high harmonic upconversion of a femtosecond laser. The high photon energy (around 42 eV) allows access to inner-valence states of a variety of small molecules via single photon excitation, while the sub--10-fs pulse duration makes it possible to follow the resulting dynamics in real time. To obtain a complete picture of molecular dynamics following EUV induced photofragmentation, we apply the versatile cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy reaction microscope technique, which makes use of coincident three-dimensional momentum imaging of fragments resulting from photoexcitation. This system is capable of pump-probe spectroscopy by using a combination of EUV and IR laser pulses with either beam as a pump or probe pulse. We report several experiments performed using this system.     

Excitation of high-intensity laser radiation of semiconductor targets by a subnanosecond electron beam

The results of the excitation of СdS semiconductor targets by a subnanosecond electron beam (EB) with an electron energy of 60–230 keV are presented. The maximum intensity of laser radiation from targets for a 1-mm EB diameter exceeded 10⁷ W/cm² at an efficiency of ~10%. Lasing was initiated at the leading edge of the EB current; laser radiation then reproduced the shape of the excitation pulse. At low excitation levels, a single-mode lasing regime with the wavelength λ = 522 nm was observed. The maximum power of laser radiation (10 MW) was achieved on a multielement CdS semiconductor target. The duration of laser pulses changed in the range of 100–500 ps.     

提高外场脉冲激光光斑测量距离的有效方法

介绍了提高外场脉冲激光光斑测量距离的两个关键技术:CCD电子快门预测和背景相减技术, 并给出了提高白天外场脉冲激光光斑的测量距离的试验效果,在激光制导武器系统和激光告警系统的研制中都有重要的意义.影响白天外场对脉冲激光光斑的测量距离的主要原因是激光光斑被淹没在阳光照射的背景里,不能提取光斑图像.设法让电子快门的触发脉冲在每个激光脉冲到来前的固定时间间隔产生,保证CCD捕捉到光斑的全部能量,从而可以使CCD输出最亮的光斑图像.另一方面,在激光没有照射时,采集一帧图像作为背景, 让激光照到靶板后的图像与背景图像相减,结果只在光斑照到的位置处有不同.在相减后的图像中,使激光光斑突出.试验证明采用本文介绍的技术明显地提高了外场脉冲激光光斑测量距离.     

Short pulse laser train for laser plasma interaction experiments

A multiframe, high-time resolution pump-probe diagnostic consisting of a consecutive train of ultrashort laser pulses (approximately ps) has been developed for use with a chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system. A system of high quality windows is used to create a series of 1054 nm picosecond-laser pulses which are injected into the CPA system before the pulse stretcher and amplifiers. By adding or removing windows in the pulse train forming optics, the number of pulses can be varied. By varying the distance and thickness of the respective optical elements, the time in between the pulses, i.e., the time in between frames, can be set. In our example application, the CPA pulse train is converted to 527 nm using a KDP crystal and focused into a preformed plasma and the reflected laser light due to stimulated Raman scattering is measured. Each pulse samples different plasma conditions as the plasma evolves in time, producing more data on each laser shot than with a single short pulse probe. This novel technique could potentially be implemented to obtain multiple high-time resolution measurements of the dynamics of physical processes over hundreds of picoseconds or even nanoseconds with picosecond resolution on a single shot.     

Compact high-power TEA N(2) laser

A modification is adopted in the conventional Blumlein excitation system for realizing a simple and compact TEA N(2) laser. Super-radiant laser pulses of approximately 1.0 MW peak power, approximately 0.6 ns duration, and approximately 1.0 mrad divergence have been achieved.     

Acousto-optic modulator system for femtosecond laser pulses

Femtosecond laser pulses have made a revolution in multiphoton excitation microscopy, micromachining, and optical storage for their unprecedented high peak power. However, modulation of their intensity with acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is frustrated by dispersion which results in a significant stretch in pulse width. Here we report a scheme composed of two acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) to modulate the intensity of the femtosecond laser pulses with simultaneous compensation for the temporal dispersion. With commercial AODs, we demonstrated such an AOM system for the femtosecond laser pulses with overall transmission efficiency of around 80%. The pulse width of the exit beam is 115-177 fs for an input pulse of 110 fs, across the wavelength range of 720-920 nm when the temporal dispersion compensation is optimally tuned at 800 nm. The fluorescence intensity in a two-photon microscopy experiment performed using this system increased 5.5-fold over that of the uncompensated AOM.     

A TEA CO2 laser with a peak radiation power of 100 MW

A high-power pulse-periodic TEA CO₂ laser is used as a component of a long-range mobile differential absorption lidar. In order to reach the ultimate peak generation power, a system for laser excitation with a supply voltage of ±40 kV and efficient preionization was developed, allowing the laser to operate at high pressures of gas mixtures of various compositions. Energy, time, and spatial characteristics of laser radiation were studied. Laser pulses with an energy of >10 J and FWHM duration of ≈30 ns were obtained. The ultimate peak laser radiation power is 100 MW, and the maximum efficiency with respect to the discharge-consumed energy is 12.6%.     

TEACO2非稳腔激光器远场光束质量的评价

研究了对虚共焦非稳腔结构的脉冲TEA CO2激光器远场光束质量进行评价的方法.首先将稳腔TEA CO2激光器加工改造成非稳腔结构;然后从实际设计加工的数据出发,用3种常用形式对其远场光束质量进行理论评价与分析,并与设计的2 kW非稳腔激光器的实测远场光强分布实验结果进行了对比.理论和实验结果表明,非稳腔能够获得接近衍射...     

高灵敏宽量程光脉冲能量绝对测量和误差分析

试验了多种光敏探头(PIN硅光二极管、热释电和热敏电阻探测器等)用于微弱激光脉冲能量绝对测量(该仪器简称弱光能量计),使用量程扩大到10~(-9)—10~(-4)J(加标定衰减片可扩展到J以上),波段从紫外到红外,脉宽从亚ns到ms。使用多种定标技术、合适的数据处理设备,该仪器可以测量单脉冲能量和低于100PPS的重复频率脉冲能量或平均功率。总的测量误差可以达到±3％。     

Feedback-controlled laser fabrication of micromirror substrates

Short (40-200 μs) single focused CO(2) laser pulses of energy ?100 μJ were used to fabricate high quality concave micromirror templates on silica and fluoride glass. The ablated features have diameters of ≈20-100 μm and average root-mean-square (RMS) surface microroughness near their center of less than 0.2 nm. Temporally monitoring the fabrication process revealed that it proceeds on a time scale shorter than the laser pulse duration. We implement a fast feedback control loop (≈20 kHz bandwidth) based on the light emitted by the sample that ensures an RMS size dispersion of less than 5% in arrays on chips or in individually fabricated features on an optical fiber tip, a significant improvement over previous approaches using longer pulses and open loop operation.     

Digital feedback stabilization of a single-axial-mode CO2 TEA laser

We have achieved long-term stability in producing high-power single-axial-mode CO2 laser pulses with a hybrid oscillator (TEA laser + low-pressure section) by using a novel digital feedback system that electronically adjusts cavity length.     

Development of a time-of-flight measurement technique in plasma induced by a СO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser

Experiments on the irradiation of a carbon target with СО₂-laser pulses in the free-running mode at a radiation-flux density of 1.3 × 10¹¹ W/cm² and the time-of-flight technique for measuring the characteristics of the plasma ion component are described. The characteristics of the ion component of plasma that expands along the normal to the target and the statistical spread of the mean values were obtained. As a result of the measurements, the energy spectra of the plasma expansion and the partial ion currents at a chosen distance of the plasma drift from the target were reconstructed. The high time resolution of this technique made it possible to reconstruct the escape times of individual groups of ions from a heated region on the scale of the duration of the heating laser pulse.     

激光主动成像图像的多帧后处理算法研究

在确定激光器的发散角度、脉冲峰值功率、接收光学系统的参数以及确定激光器和接收光学系统的几何配置后,激光主动成像系统要想得到更远距离更高分辨率的微弱目标的图像,就只受微弱目标的探测成像及处理技术的制约,因为在较长的距离和有限的激光能量下,不可能立刻照明整个目标场景,接收成像端CCD上每个像素接收到的光照度也不可能达到相当的水平。为了在特定的脉冲激光能量下增加成像系统的成像距离,同时减轻大气扰动对成像分辨率的影响,研究了一种独特的图像处理算法,用激光多脉冲来获取整个目标场景的图像,采用辐射量来确定每次曝光时间内最大景物照明区域,这种独特的多帧后处理算法,可以在大气扰动和连续散粒噪声影响下,得到比传统连续照明方式更高分辨率的图像。     

Characteristics of a pulse–periodic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser for applications in the field of laser-produced plasma

The design of a pulse–periodic СО₂ laser oscillator that operates at a high level of the specific energy deposition into a self-sustained discharge is described. The laser is intended for generating pulses with a high-density radiation flux in a laser-plasma generator of multiply charged ions at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP). The results of investigations of the spatiotemporal and energy characteristics of laser output radiation in a wide range of the discharge excitation level and the mixture composition are presented. The optimal conditions are determined under which the oscillator provides an output energy of >10 J in a pulse with a duration of ~28 ns and a record specific peak radiation power of 190 MW per liter of the active volume of a CO₂: N₂: He mixture. The high quality of the spatial characteristics was confirmed in measurements of the radial energy-density distribution in the far-field zone, whose characteristic size is close to the diffraction limit.     

Parallel femtosecond laser light sheet micro-manufacturing based on temporal focusing

We present a parallel depth resolved laser fabrication technique for micro- and nano-machining metal substrates based on temporal focusing. In this system, the spectrum of a femtosecond laser pulse is first spatially separated by a digital micromirror device, which simultaneously serves as a diffraction grating and a programmable binary mask. After collimation and beam flattening, an objective lens recombines the spectrum to the focal region, forming a high-intensity, depth resolved light sheet for laser micromachining. The light sheet technology enables parallel fabrication of highly uniform micro-structures of close to diffraction-limited resolution. Experimental results demonstrate high-resolution (~800 nm) direct area patterning on various metal substrates, e.g., nickel and copper, over an area of ~100 × 60 µm² within tens of laser pulses. The relationship among material removal rate, surface flatness, laser power, and number of pulses have been experimentally studied; the results suggest the application of higher power with fewer number of laser pulses produce microstructures of better surface quality. The light sheet technology substantially improves the throughput of ultrafast laser machining, enabling direct area patterning without compromising the resolution.     

Enhanced laser shutter using a hard disk drive rotary voice-coil actuator

Rotary voice-coil motors from computer hard disk drives make excellent mechanical shutters for light beams. However, the complexity of the necessary electronic driving circuit can hinder their application. A new design is presented here, using a single integrated circuit originally intended for controlling dc motors. A digital input signal switches a unipolar power supply bidirectionally through the voice coil. Short high-current pulses are generated on the transitions to ensure rapid shutter action, while a low holding current reduces the power requirement and heating of the actuator. The circuit can reverse the current to brake the shutter and reduce the impact at the end of its travel. With a focused laser beam, the shutter achieves rise times below 500 ns. A method for producing variable length pulses is also described, demonstrating durations as short as 700 ns.     

Monoenergetic proton emission from nuclear reaction induced by high intensity laser-generated plasma

A 10(16) W∕cm(2) Asterix laser pulse intensity, 1315 nm at the fundamental frequency, 300 ps pulse duration, was employed at PALS laboratory of Prague, to irradiate thick and thin primary CD(2) targets placed inside a high vacuum chamber. The laser irradiation produces non-equilibrium plasma with deutons and carbon ions emission with energy of up to about 4 MeV per charge state, as measured by time-of-flight (TOF) techniques by using ion collectors and silicon carbide detectors. Accelerated deutons may induce high D-D cross section for fusion processes generating 3 MeV protons and 2.5?MeV neutrons, as measured by TOF analyses. In order to increase the mono-energetic proton yield, secondary CD(2) targets can be employed to be irradiated by the plasma-accelerated deutons. Experiments demonstrated that high intensity laser pulses can be employed to promote nuclear reactions from which characteristic ion streams may be developed. Results open new scenario for applications of laser-generated plasma to the fields of ion sources and ion accelerators.     

Present Status of EUV Interferometer Development at the Research Center for Soft X-ray Microscopy

A new interferometer for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation with a laser produced plasma (LPP) laboratory source is under construction. The LPP source is operated with a Sn solid rod target on which pulsed YAG laser is focused to produce high temperature plasma emitting EUV radiation. The source is equipped with a newly designed debris stopper protecting a condenser multilayer mirror from the particle debris of the target. The condenser mirror focuses the light onto an EUV beam - splitter to form transmitted and reflected paths for producing interference fringes of a sharing type. The optical configuration is of a common path based on a triangular path type with a focusing at the beam- splitter, which is enabled to produce fringes by a low coherence radiation with a standard optical quality beam - splitter. The fringes are recorded by an imaging plate with pixels as small as 25μm. The dynamic range of linearity in detection of the EUV light was found to be more than 10^4 with sensitivity of 10^4 photo ns/pixel, enough for the purpose of interferogram recording possibly with one laser shot.     

Development of high-repetition-rate laser pump/x-ray probe methodologies for synchrotron facilities

We describe our implementation of a high repetition rate (54 kHz-6.5 MHz), high power (>10 W), laser system at the 7ID beamline at the Advanced Photon Source for laser pump/x-ray probe studies of optically driven molecular processes. Laser pulses at 1.06 μm wavelength and variable duration (10 or 130 ps) are synchronized to the storage ring rf signal to a precision of ~250 fs rms. Frequency doubling and tripling of the laser radiation using nonlinear optical techniques have been applied to generate 532 and 355 nm light. We demonstrate that by combining a microfocused x-ray probe with focused optical laser radiation the requisite fluence (with <10 μJ/pulse) for efficient optical excitation can be readily achieved with a compact and commercial laser system at megahertz repetition rates. We present results showing the time-evolution of near-edge x-ray spectra of a well-studied, laser-excited metalloporphyrin, Ni(II)-tetramesitylporphyrin. The use of high repetition rate, short pulse lasers as pump sources will dramatically enhance the duty cycle and efficiency in data acquisition and hence capabilities for laser-pump/x-ray probe studies of ultrafast structural dynamics at synchrotron sources.     

飞秒脉冲激光沉积类金刚石膜实验研究

期望用类金刚石膜作为硅的红外保护/增透膜,采用波长为800nm,脉宽50fs,重复频率1KH z的T i:Sapph ire飞秒激光器及石墨靶材在单晶S i片上沉积了约0.7μm~1μm厚的类金刚石膜(d iam ond-like carbon film s,DLC),获得了光滑致密,硬度显著提高,红外透过率有一定增加的样品。通过对薄膜拉曼光谱和X射线光电子能谱等的测试,发现单脉冲能量在0.4m J~1.6m J范围内变动时,单脉冲能量0.8m J获得的类金刚石膜综合性能最佳,其对应的焦斑功率密度计算值为1.4×1014W/cm2。