A flexible apparatus for attosecond photoelectron spectroscopy of solids and surfaces

We describe an apparatus for attosecond photoelectron spectroscopy of solids and surfaces, which combines the generation of isolated attosecond extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) laser pulses by high harmonic generation in gases with time-resolved photoelectron detection and surface science techniques in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. This versatile setup provides isolated attosecond pulses with photon energies of up to 140 eV and few-cycle near infrared pulses for studying ultrafast electron dynamics in a large variety of surfaces and interfaces. The samples can be prepared and characterized on an atomic scale in a dedicated flexible surface science end station. The extensive possibilities offered by this apparatus are demonstrated by applying attosecond XUV pulses with a central photon energy of ～125 eV in an attosecond streaking experiment of a xenon multilayer grown on a Re(0001) substrate.     

Invited review article: technology for attosecond science

We describe a complete technological system at Imperial College London for Attosecond Science studies. The system comprises a few-cycle, carrier envelope phase stabilized laser source which delivers sub 4 fs pulses to a vibration-isolated attosecond vacuum beamline. The beamline is used for the generation of isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) at kilohertz repetition rates through laser-driven high harmonic generation in gas targets. The beamline incorporates: interferometers for producing pulse sequences for pump-probe studies; the facility to spectrally and spatially filter the harmonic radiation; an in-line spatially resolving XUV spectrometer; and a photoelectron spectroscopy chamber in which attosecond streaking is used to characterize the attosecond pulses. We discuss the technology and techniques behind the development of our complete system and summarize its performance. This versatile apparatus has enabled a number of new experimental investigations which we briefly describe.     

Versatile apparatus for attosecond metrology and spectroscopy

We present the AS-2 Attosecond Beamline at the Joint Laboratory for Attosecond Physics of the Max-Planck-Institut fu?r Quantenoptik and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universita?t for time resolved pump/probe experiments with attosecond resolution. High harmonic generation and subsequent filtering of the generated extreme ultraviolet (XUV) continuum by means of metal filters and XUV multilayer mirrors serve for the generation of isolated attosecond laser pulses. After high harmonic generation, the remaining fundamental laser pulse is spatially separated from the attosecond XUV pulse, to what is to our knowledge for the first time, by means of a perforated mirror in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Active stabilization of this interferometer guarantees the necessary temporal resolution for tracking attosecond dynamics in real time. As a proof-of-principle, photoelectron streaking experiments are performed and experimental techniques for their realization are summarized. Finally we highlight the potential of the presented beamline system for future experiments in comparison with previously demonstrated attosecond beamlines.     

Absolute calorimeter for measuring low-energy outputs from CO2 lasers

This paper describes the construction of a calibrated energy measuring device for pulsed CO(2) lasers of low output energy. An aluminium disk of low thermal capacity has been used for the detection of laser radiation. An Al(2)O(3) layer has been electrolytically deposited on the aluminium disks. It is used as a highly absorbing surface (> 95% for wavelengths between 8.5 and 11.0 microm), thus eliminating the need for calibration. The laser output energy is calculated from the measured increase of temperature of a calorimeter disk of known thermal capacity. Calculations and measurements have shown that this device is capable of measuring the energy of a single pulse of the order of 1 mJ, and in a set of 10 pulses even to 0.1 mJ, for pulses as short as 1 ps.     

Repetitive vacuum ultraviolet xenon excimer laser

A repetitive, tunable, high-power vacuum ultraviolet laser operating on the 172-nm bound-free transition in xenon has been developed for use in photochemistry, selective excitation spectroscopy, and in the generation of coherent radiation in the XUV spectral region. A compact high-voltage generator is employed in conjunction with a coaxial cold-cathode diode to pump high-pressure xenon at a repetition rate of up to 10 Hz, though at present gas heating limits the operation of the laser to 0.5 Hz. The apparatus has been designed for compatibility with fluorine, and is consequently a suitable pumping source for the rare gas halide exciplex lasers. The gas handling techniques which enabled reliable, reproducible laser action to be achieved in xenon for several hundred pulses are described.     

Novel diode-pumped infrared tunable laser system for multi-photon microscopy

We report on a novel laser source, emitting high energy (20 nanoJoule) femtosecond pulses, in a broad spectrum (250 nm). This source is easily tuned from 950 to 1200 nm, without any laser adjustment, and delivers sub-300 femtosecond pulses with a 10-nm spectral width.     

A Pulse Two-Channel Nd:YAG Laser for Recording and Development of Photothermoplastic Holograms

A Nd:YAG laser with intracavity polarization decoupling of channels is designed to be used in devices for the recording and development of holograms on photothermoplastic materials. The device ensures the obtainment of nanosecond radiation pulses (30 ns, 0.01 J) of the second harmonic for exposure of photothermoplastic media and millisecond (4 ms, 0.5 J) IR radiation pulses at the fundamental frequency for proximate development of relief-phase holograms on photothermoplastic materials.     

A nanosecond laser fluorimeter

A method for determining the fluorescence decay times in the range 1–10 ns using a nanosecond laser fluorimeter is described. The fluorimeter has the following performance characteristics: a width of exciting pulses of 10 ns, a width of gate pulses of 10 ns, and a step of gate-pulse displacement of 2.5 ns. It is shown that this instrument allows determination of fluorescence decay times with an accuracy of 1–1.5 ns.     

双色激光产生太赫兹辐射的调控机理研究

采用双色激光在气体介质中诱导产生太赫兹波的数值模拟方法,深入分析了各种激光参数对双色激光场产生太赫兹波的影响,目的是优化参数以实现太赫兹波辐射能量的最大化。模拟计算表明,双色激光的波长、相对相位、激光脉冲宽度等对瞬态电流和太赫兹能量都有调控作用,并且具有不同的规律性。此外,还通过分析激光电场、电子密度、光电流等相关因素,对双色激光场产生太赫兹波的物理机理进行了解释。该研究为在不同激光激发条件下提高太赫兹波辐射强度,提供了详尽的参数优化分析和理论支持,对后续大幅增强太赫兹辐射效率具有重要意义。     

紫外飞秒激光泵浦氮气离子相干辐射

氮气分子在不同波长（中红外、近红外、紫外）强场飞秒激光的泵浦下,其分子离子在传播前向能够发出具有良好相干性的可见光波段的窄带辐射。在400 nm紫外飞秒激光的激发下,波长为428 nm和423 nm的相干辐射受到的关注较少,物理性质尚不明确。本研究对该辐射的偏振性质、气压和泵浦激光能量依赖关系进行了系统的测量。实验发现,该辐射的偏振与线偏振泵浦激光的偏振态保持一致,辐射强度随着气压和泵浦激光能量呈现出非线性的增加。利用基于密度矩阵的强场电离和能级耦合模型,对氮气分子在强场中的电离和相关离子能级在强场作用下的耦合进行了数值模拟研究。结果表明,在较大的激光强度范围内,氮气离子上能级$ {\mathrm{B}}^{2}{\mathrm{\Sigma }}_{\mathrm{u}}^{+} $和其离子基态$ {\mathrm{X}}^{2}{\mathrm{\Sigma }}_{\mathrm{g}}^{+} $之间,对应428 nm和423 nm的振动态之间总是能够形成粒子数反转,而且该反转对于激光参数具有鲁棒性,与实验观测结果一致。     

Monte Carlo simulations of microchannel plate detectors. II. Pulsed voltage results

This paper is the second part of a continuing study of straight-channel microchannel plate (MCP)-based x-ray detectors. Such detectors are a useful diagnostic tool for two-dimensional, time-resolved imaging and time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy. To interpret the data from such detectors, it is critical to develop a better understanding of the behavior of MCPs biased with subnanosecond voltage pulses. The subject of this paper is a Monte Carlo computer code that simulates the electron cascade in a MCP channel under an arbitrary pulsed voltage, particularly those pulses with widths comparable to the transit time of the electron cascade in the MCP under DC voltage bias. We use this code to study the gain as a function of time (also called the gate profile or optical gate) for various voltage pulse shapes, including pulses measured along the MCP. In addition, experimental data of MCP behavior in pulsed mode are obtained with a short-pulse UV laser. Comparisons between the simulations and experimental data show excellent agreement for both the gate profile and the peak relative sensitivity along the MCP strips. We report that the dependence of relative gain on peak voltage is larger in pulsed mode when the width of the high-voltage waveform is smaller than the transit time of cascading electrons in the MCP.     

双色激光场下太赫兹辐射能量的调控研究

提升太赫兹(THz)脉冲产生能量一直是近些年超快光学的研究热点之一。基于双色激光在空气中拉丝产生THz波的数值模型,在隧穿电离范围内,详细分析了双色激光场产生THz波的最佳参数组合以及其产生变化的物理机理,用于得到最强的THz波辐射能量。双色激光场组合的电场具有不对称性,其引起的快速振荡有利于电子的加速过程,进而产生更大电子数密度以及在沿拉丝距离形成了更强的累积净电流。当电子密度和净电流增加时,使得单点THz辐射更强,拉丝各点辐射的THz波相干叠加,于是在远场得到了更强的THz波能量。这些研究结果为不同激光产生条件下增强THz波辐射能量提供了详尽的参数分析及理论依据,重点研究了不同寻常波长组合及不同相对相位对激光拉丝产生太赫兹波的影响,对后续大幅增强THz辐射效率具有重要意义。     

An experimental setup for exciting semiconductors and dielectrics with picosecond electron-beam and electric-field pulses

An experimental facility for forming high-voltage pulses with amplitudes of 30–250 kV and durations of 100–500 ps and electron beams with a current density of up to 1000 A/cm² is described. The facility was built using the principle of energy compression of a pulse from a nanosecond high-voltage generator accompanied by the subsequent pulse sharpening and cutting. The setup is equipped with two test coaxial chambers for exciting radiation in semiconductor crystals by an electron beam or an electric field in air at atmospheric pressure and T = 300 K. Generation of laser radiation in the visible range under field and electron pumping was attained in ZnSSe, ZnSe, ZnCdS, and CdS (462, 480, 515, and 525 nm, respectively). Under the exposure to an electric field (up to 10⁶ V cm^?1), the lasing region was as large as 300–500μm. The radiation divergence was within 5°. The maximum integral radiation power (6 kW at λ = 480 nm) was obtained under field pumping of a zinc selenide sample with a single dielectric mirror.     

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%.     

Pulse-burst laser systems for fast Thomson scattering (invited)

Two standard commercial flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG (YAG denotes yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers have been upgraded to "pulse-burst" capability. Each laser produces a burst of up to 15 2 J Q-switched pulses (1064 nm) at repetition rates of 1-12.5 kHz. Variable pulse-width drive (0.15-0.39 ms) of the flashlamps is accomplished by insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switching of electrolytic capacitor banks. Direct control of the laser Pockels cell drive enables optimal pulse energy extraction, and up to four 2 J laser pulses during one flashlamp pulse. These lasers are used in the Thomson scattering plasma diagnostic system on the MST reversed-field pinch to record the dynamic evolution of the electron temperature profile and temperature fluctuations. To further these investigations, a custom pulse-burst laser system with a maximum pulse repetition rate of 250 kHz is now being commissioned.     

XUV laser-plasma source based on solid Ar filament

We present a laser driven soft x-ray source based on a novel solid argon filament. The continuously flowing micron-sized filament (diameter approximately 56 microm, flow speed approximately 5 mms) was used as a laser target in order to generate a plasma source of high brightness in the "water window" (2.2-4.4 nm) spectral range. The emission properties of the source were characterized in detail with respect to crucial parameters such as positional and energy stability using an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sensitive pinhole camera and an XUV spectrometer. The results are compared with an argon plasma based on a gas puff target operated under the same experimental conditions showing an increase of the brilliance by a factor of 84. By changing the capillary geometry from a constant diameter to a convergent shape the flow speed of the filament was significantly increased up to 250 mms, facilitating the operation at higher repetition rates.     

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.     

Three-temperature modeling of carrier-phonon interactions in thin GaAs film structures irradiated by picosecond pulse lasers

This article investigates numerically the carrier-phonon interactions in thin gallium arsenide (GaAs) film structures irradiated by subpicosecond laser pulses to figure out the role of several recombination processes on the energy transport during laser pulses and to examine the effects of laser fluences and pulses on non-equilibrium energy transfer characteristics in thin film structures. The self-consistent hydrodynamic equations derived from the Boltzmann transport equations are established for carriers and two different types of phonons, i.e., acoustic phonons and longitudinal optical (LO) phonons. From the results, it is found that the two-peak structure of carrier temperatures depends mainly on the pulse durations, laser fluences, and nonradiative recombination processes, two different phonons are in nonequilibrium state within such lagging times, and this lagging effect can be neglected for longer pulses. Finally, at the initial stage of laser irradiation, SRH recombination rates increases sufficiently because the abrupt increase in carrier number density no longer permits Auger recombination to be activated. For thin GaAs film structures, it is thus seen that Auger recombination is negligible even at high temperature during laser irradiation.     

Registration of picosecond CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser pulses by means of two-stage parametric transformation in nonlinear crystals

A technique for registering the temporal structure of picosecond pulses of CO₂ laser radiation with an energy of 1.5–4.5 μJ at a wavelength of 10.27 μm using two-stage parametric transformation of IR radiation frequency into visible light under pumping of nonlinear crystals by Nd:YAG-laser radiation in a Q-switched mode is described. A GaSe nonlinear crystal was used at the first stage of transformation (10.27 μm + 1.064 μm → 0.964 μm). Radiation was further transformed (1.064 μm + 0.960 μm → 0.506 μm) by using the same pumping in an α-HIO₃ nonlinear crystal. For the first time, no additional optical elements were present between the stages of the frequency transformer in the proposed optical scheme. The transformed radiation was registered with a Hamamatsu Temporal Disperser C1587 streak camera in a region of the photocathode maximum spectral sensitivity of ～0.5 μm with a temporal resolution of up to 2 ps. The minimum recorded pulse duration of the CO₂ laser was ～45 ps.     

同步辐射与XUV光学

同步辐射的研究已大大促进了同步辐射光学领域中各个方面的发展,这些方面包括光学系统的设计理论、材料科学、光学仪器以及光学元件的测试和制造技术等。描述同步辐射和其光束线的概念,并介绍同步辐射光学相关的课题。