High-order Harmonic Generation During Multiphoton Ionization of Gases

Abstract

We present theoretical work on high-order harmonic generation accompanying multiphoton ionization of atoms in intense laser fields. We first review some elements of the theory of harmonic generation, particularly the limitations imposed by perturbation theory and some aspects of phase-matching at high pump intensities. A new non-perturbative approach to the theory based on the direct numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger wave equation is described.

Selected results of this theory are presented, including: (a) evidence for a plateau of high-order harmonic peak intensities and a relatively abrupt cut-off of this plateau, closely similar to what has been reported experimentally in noble gas atoms, (b) specific predictions for harmonic production by H, He and Xe atoms, and (c) analytical and numerical evidence for the correlation of harmonic production spectra with above-threshold photoelectron spectra under certain circumstances.     

鞍型和环型线圈单元偏转磁场的高次空间谐波函数

推导出了用多极场空间谐波函数表示的磁矢位的通项表达式。研究了两种典型的偏转线圈单元———鞍型线圈和环型线圈的空间偏转磁场分布函数。利用计算机代数符号推导系统 ,得到了其高次空间谐波函数 (多极场旁轴展开函数 )的解析表达式 ,为电子光学有关磁偏转系统的理论研究工作提供了有效的解析计算模型     

Acoustic Harmonic Generation at Diffusion Bonds

The distortion of a sinusoidal acoustic wave at unbonded interfaces has been determined in terms of the first and second harmonic amplitudes. The results demonstrate for the first time that the second harmonic can reach the theoretically predicted maximum value. As also predicted, the harmonic generation efficiency at unbonded interfaces first increases and then decreases with an externally applied compressive load. The technique has been applied to diffusion bonded specimens in an attempt to quantify their achieved strength. As already demonstrated earlier, the energy reflected from such diffusion bonds is also useful to characterize their strength. Indications are that a combination of reflected energy and harmonic generation data could be a powerful tool to quantify the strength of diffusion bonds, particularly those of nearly perfect strength. A strength determination of diffusion bonds by nondestructive evaluation is a necessity for the qualification of such bonds in critical applications.     

Second Harmonic Generation in a Free Electron Laser

It is pointed out that in a free electron laser higher frequencies, which are very nearly equal to the harmonics, are generated. Second harmonic generation, in stimulated emission in a spatially periodic static magnetic field, is studied using the Feynman diagram technique. The ratio of gain for the second harmonic compared to that of the fundamental harmonic is of the order of 10 ^?9 for the conditions present in the free electron laser of Deacon et al. [1].     

Hyper-Raman Lines Produced During High Harmonic Generation

Abstract

The possibility of producing and detecting hyper-Raman lines in high-harmonic generation with short and strong laser pulses is discussed. It is shown that the strength and positions of the hyper-Raman lines depend very sensitively on the parameters of the laser pulse and the conditions which are required for an effective production are indicated. It is pointed out that the phenomenon of atomic stabilization can contribute to obtaining these conditions.     

Pulse-Echo Harmonic Generation Measurements for Non-destructive Evaluation

Ultrasonic harmonic generation measurements have shown great potential for detecting nonlinear changes in various materials. Despite this, the practical implementation of the technique in non-destructive evaluation (NDE) has typically been limited to the through transmission setup case, with which problems arise in certain situations. Recently, works in the fields of nonlinear fluids and biomedical imaging have reported different application of the harmonic generation theory by making use of reflective boundaries and beam focusing. It is thought that such techniques may be similarly applied in the field of NDE to enable single-sided nonlinear inspection of components. In this paper, we initially describe a numerical model which has been used to determine the effects of attenuation and acoustic beam diffraction on measurements of the nonlinear parameter β. We then extend the model to incorporate first the effects of multiple reflecting boundaries in the propagation medium, then of focused source excitation. Simulations, supported by experimental data, show that nonlinear pulse-echo measurements have the potential to provide a viable (and practical) alternative to the usual through-transmission type as a means of measuring β in solids. Furthermore, it is shown that such measurements may be optimised, both by adjusting the excitation frequency, and by focusing the acoustic source at a certain point relative to the specimen boundary.     

非线性常微分方程高阶谐波平衡法傅里叶展开的简化

简化了一种求取非线性常微分方程高阶谐波解的近似解析计算方法。对平方和立方非线性项的傅里叶展开过程进行改进和简化,使计算过程变为两次矩阵运算即可完成展开过程,且两次矩阵运算过程一致,易于编程。以Duffing方程为算例,计算结果与数值方法一致,运算效率有所提高。     

The Vortex Generation in Superfluid Helium and the Role of Neighbouring Vortices

The thermal activation or quantum tunneling is believed to be necessary for the vortex nucleated near a wall to escape from its vicinity, and for the vortex nucleated in the bulk to reach the critical size above which it can increase according to its own dynamics. This paper suggests the idea that there exists the possibility to understand these processes (without leaving the framework of hydrodynamics) as the result of the simultaneous presence of several vortices or the interaction between various sections of vortex lines.     

Imaging through Nonlinear Metalens Using Second Harmonic Generation

The abrupt phase change of light at metasurfaces provides high flexibility in wave manipulation without the need for accumulation of propagating phase through dispersive materials. In the linear optical regime, one important application field of metasurfaces is imaging by planar metalenses, which enables device miniaturization and aberration correction compared to conventional optical microlens systems. With the incorporation of nonlinear responses into passive metasurfaces, optical functionalities of metalenses are anticipated to be further enriched, leading to completely new application areas. Here, imaging with nonlinear metalenses that combine the function of an ultrathin planar lens with simultaneous frequency conversion is demonstrated. With such nonlinear metalenses, imaging of objects with near infrared light while the image appears in the second harmonic signal of visible frequency range is experimentally demonstrated. Furthermore, the functionality of these nonlinear metalenses can be modified by switching the handedness of the circularly polarized fundamental wave, leading to either real or virtual nonlinear image formation. Nonlinear metalenses not only enable infrared light imaging through a visible detector but also have the ability to modulate nonlinear optical responses through an ultrathin metasurface device while the fundamental wave remains unaffected, which offers the capability of nonlinear information processing with novel optoelectronic devices.     

Harmonic Generation by Strongly Driven Classical Anharmonic Oscillators

Abstract

We discuss, through classical simulations, some general properties of the response of anharmonic oscillators to an intense external oscillating force. We address in particular the question of the presence of hyper-Raman or ‘atomic’ components in the harmonic spectrum.     

Second Harmonic Generation in Ion Implanted Lithium Niobate Planar Waveguides

Abstract

We report the first demonstration of second harmonic generation (SHG) in ion implanted lithium niobate optical waveguides. For both ordinary and extraordinary index profiles a computer program was developed to simulate the positions of the modes within the optical well. With the help of this program the theoretical possibility of SHG using mode matching conditions within the guide was then studied as a function of the guide depth and temperature, and from these predictions, practical guides were constructed. Initially, SHG Cerenkov radiation was observed with leaky single implanted guides. Mode matched SHG from m = 0 to m = 2 was subsequently achieved by means of a multiple energy implant which was able to confine both fundamental and harmonic waves. Allowing for coupling and transmission losses, the corrected conversion efficiency is 0–018% W^?1 which compares favourably to a theoretical prediction for this guide of 0–020% W^?1. In this case a wide temperature tuning range was obtained.     

High Speed Imaging of Generation and Collapse of Multielectron Bubbles in Liquid Helium

We present experimental results on the generation and collapse of multielectron bubbles in liquid helium. By applying voltage pulses to a tungsten tip above the surface of the liquid, millimetre sized deformations were formed. Using high speed photography, we have imaged the disintegration of these deformations into bubbles of sizes ranging from ten to few hundred microns. At temperatures less than 2 K, the bubbles split into smaller bubbles and then disappeared in a time scale of few milliseconds. Smaller bubbles were formed at temperatures around 3 K, but were visible for more than hundreds of milliseconds. Although we have not been able to measure their charge directly, some of these bubbles responded to electric fields, implying these were indeed multielectron bubbles. With the existing theoretical picture, it is not possible to understand the strong dependence of the lifetime of multielectron bubbles on temperature.     

Gordon Method for the Generation of Nanowires and High-Temperature Processes in Superfluid Helium

High Temperature - The Gordon method for the generation of metal nanowires in superfluid helium as a result of the laser evaporation of a metal surface that is contiguous with superfluid helium has...     

Metrology of Multiphoton Microscopes Using Second Harmonic Generation Nanoprobes

In multiphoton microscopy, the ongoing trend toward the use of excitation wavelengths spanning the entire near‐infrared range calls for new standards in order to quantify and compare the performances of microscopes. This article describes a new method for characterizing the imaging properties of multiphoton microscopes over a broad range of excitation wavelengths in a straightforward and efficient manner. It demonstrates how second harmonic generation (SHG) nanoprobes can be used to map the spatial resolution, field curvature, and chromatic aberrations across the microscope field of view with a precision below the diffraction limit and with unique advantages over methods based on fluorescence. KTiOPO4 nanocrystals are used as SHG nanoprobes to measure and compare the performances over the 850–1100 nm wavelength range of several microscope objectives designed for multiphoton microscopy. Finally, this approach is extended to the post‐acquisition correction of chromatic aberrations in multicolor multiphoton imaging. Overall, the use of SHG nanoprobes appears as a uniquely suited method to standardize the metrology of multiphoton microscopes.     

二次谐波在二维材料结构表征中的应用

二次谐波作为非线性光学的重要分支,逐渐成为表征晶体结构的重要手段之一。在众多表征方法中,二次谐波因其无损检测、高稳定性、可调谐性、超快响应、偏振敏感性、通用性、操作简单等特点被广泛应用于二维材料结构表征,为二维材料的物性研究和功能应用提供了重要信息,大大推动了二维材料基础研究的快速发展。本文综述了近几年二次谐波在二维材料结构表征中的研究,简述了二次谐波产生原理,介绍了飞秒激光器接入共聚焦拉曼光谱仪产生二次谐波测试装置,分别讨论了二次谐波在二维材料的层间堆垛层数、层间堆垛角度、单层二维材料晶界及晶体取向表征方面的应用。同时,本文还介绍了采用二次谐波强度直接、灵敏地检测晶体中应变幅度以及通过二次谐波信号变化跟踪材料中的缺陷变化,接着讨论了二次谐波与拉曼光谱、光致发光的多维度关联分析在材料全面深度表征方面的重要性。最后展望了二次谐波未来在材料结构表征中的潜在研究方向。     

Laser Pulse Shape Effects in Harmonic Generation from a Two-level Atom

Abstract

The harmonic spectrum emitted by a two-level atom driven by a resonant laser field is calculated. The spectrum is seen to depend on the shape of the pulse. In the case of an asymmetric pulse profile, harmonic emission is present also at a relatively low intensity field.     

Quasicrystal Photonic Metasurfaces for Radiation Controlling of Second Harmonic Generation

Photonic metasurfaces, a kind of 2D structured medium, represent a novel platform to manipulate the propagation of light at subwavelength scale. In linear optical regime, many interesting topics such as planar meta‐lenses, metasurface optical holography, and so on have been widely investigated. Recently, metasurfaces have gone into the nonlinear optical regime. While it is recognized that the local symmetry of the meta‐atoms plays a vital role in determining the polarization, phase, and intensity of the nonlinear waves, much less attention has been paid to the global symmetry of the nonlinear metasurfaces. According to the Penrose tiling and the newly proposed hexagonal quasicrystalline tiling, nonlinear optical quasicrystal metasurfaces are designed and fabricated based on the geometric‐phase‐controlled plasmonic meta‐atoms with local rotational symmetry. It is found that the far‐field radiation behavior of second harmonic generation waves are determined by both the tiling schemes of quasicrystal metasurfaces and the local symmetry of meta‐atoms they consist of. The proposed concept may open new avenues for designing nonlinear optical sources with metasurface crystals.     

Acoustic Harmonic Generation Due to Thermal Embrittlement of Inconel 718

This paper describes an attempt to characterize the deterioration of a structural material's mechanical properties by nonlinear acoustics. In this particular case, the damage was caused by “thermal embrittlement” during which the material, here the nickel-based alloy Inconel 718, loses a significant fraction of its fracture toughness. Harmonic generation was the experimental method used to characterize the microstructural changes in the material as a function of exposure time at elevated temperatures. Tests were performed on two heats of Inconel 718 with slightly different chemistries, with one heat showing particular sensitivity of the fracture toughness to the elevated temperature exposure with corresponding higher changes in the nonlinearity parameter. As a mechanical measure of the fracture toughness deterioration, a small specimen punch test was used in which the ductility of a thin slice of material is determined. A clear difference between the two heats was noted in the metallographic examination, which is reflected in the harmonic generation as well as the punch test data. An explanation for the changes of the harmonic generation during the embrittlement process is speculative at the present time.     

氦制冷机和液化器中的纯化系统

主要介绍了氦制冷机和氦液化器中应用的几种典型的氦纯化器的工作原理，主要工作程序和优缺点，并介绍了讨论了几种氦纯化器的设计方案，吸附量和计算以及可用于氦纯化器的工程设计。