Emerging Laser Technologies for High-power and Ultrafast Science


Book Description

Emerging Laser Technologies for High-Power and Ultrafast Science includes chapters from leading experts devoted to the most recent achievements in the field. Including cutting-edge topics such as high energy/high average power laser systems, the most current developments for high repetition rate high average power infrared fiber laser systems, breakthroughs of the development of CPA based on chromium doped zinc selenide gain material, infrared/mid-infrared laser systems based on high average power Ytterbium pumped OPCPA, and generation of ultrashort laser pulses in the UV spectral range. This book will serve as an important reference for students, researchers, scientists, and engineers interested in the development of next generation of ultrafast laser technologies.




High-power and Femtosecond Lasers


Book Description

There has been a remarkable upsurge in the importance of high power lasers in the past decade. This book presents an overall survey of recent advances in high peak power solid lasers and reviews recent results in the interaction of high power laser pulses with various dielectric materials containing metal nanoparticles. This book also presents the basics as well as the theory of a single crystal photo-elastic modulator and a consideration of modern approaches to the synthesis of diffractive optical elements for technological IR-laser beams focusing. During ultrafast laser interaction with metal, the electrons and lattices are not in equilibrium. This book presents various two-temperature models that can be used to describe the non-equilibrium heat transfer as well as the results of techniques in high power femtosecond laser machining of metals. This book presents an overview of the current state of the art in the field of femtosecond technology with a special emphasis on the research of high-intensity laser-matter interactions. An investigation of non-linear excitation imaging technique including two-photon autofluorescence and second harmonic generated signal imaging is presented to investigate the microstructures of whole-mount corneal, retinal, and scleral tissues in their native environment. Finally, included is a review of recent semi-classical excited-state dynamics simulation results of some complex molecular systems and a report of the dynamics of confined excitons when several exciton states are excited.




High Energy and Short Pulse Lasers


Book Description

This book gives the readers an introduction to experimental and theoretical knowledge acquired by large-scale laser laboratories that are dealing with extra-high peak power and ultrashort laser pulses for research of terawatt (TW), petawatt (PW), or near-future exawatt (EW) laser interactions, for soft X-ray sources, for acceleration of particles, or for generation of hot dense thermal plasma for the laser fusion. The other part of this book is dealing with the small-scale laser laboratories that are using for its research on commercial sources of laser radiation, nanosecond (ns), picosecond (ps), or femtosecond (fs) laser pulses, either for basic research or for more advanced applications. This book is divided into six main sections dealing with short and ultrashort laser pulses, laser-produced soft X-ray sources, large-scale high-power laser systems, free-electron lasers, fiber-based sources of short optical pulse, and applications of short pulse lasers. In each chapter readers can find fascinating topics related to the high energy and/or short pulse laser technique. Individual chapters should serve the broad spectrum of readers of different expertise, layman, undergraduate and postgraduate students, scientists, and engineers, who may in this book find easily explained fundamentals as well as advanced principles of particular subjects related to these phenomena.




Femtosecond Technology for Technical and Medical Applications


Book Description

A comprehensive overview of the principles and applications of femtosecond lasers, especially applied to medicine and to production technology. The advantages and problems of ultrashort laser pulses are discussed in more detail in the context of applications in the micro-machining of technical materials such as drilling, surface structuring and cutting, in medical use like dental, ophthalmologic, neurological and otolaryngological applications, in metrology, and in the generation of x-rays. Safety aspects are also considered.




High Power Laser Systems


Book Description

Laser is one of the most applicable sources of energy and it can be used in a large variety of applications such as defense, industries and medicine. The special characteristics of this source of energy make it very interesting for different applications. This book includes an interesting and recent collection of relevant research on the development of high-powered laser systems. It includes topics such as using a variety of methods to generate laser pulses in the femtosecond and attosecond range with different wavelengths. This book includes 10 chapters. This book is a very relevant source for researchers as well as engineers working with high-powered laser systems around the world.




Third-Generation Femtosecond Technology


Book Description

This thesis offers a thorough and informative study of high-power, high-energy optical parametric chirped pulse amplifications systems, the foundation of the next generation of femtosecond laser technology. Starting from the basics of the linear processes involved and the essential design considerations, the author clearly and systematically describes the various prerequisites of the nonlinear optical systems expected to drive attosecond physics in the coming decade. In this context, he gives an overview of methods for generating the broadband and carrier-envelope-phase stable seed pulses necessary for producing controlled electric-field waveforms in the final system; provides a guide to handling the high-power, high-energy pump lasers required to boost the pulse energy to the desired operating range; describes the design of the nonlinear optical system used to perform the amplification, including modes of operation for ultra-broadband infrared-visible pulses or narrowband (yet still ultrafast) pulses tunable over multiple octaves; and finally presents a prospective high-energy field synthesizer based upon these techniques. As such, this work is essential reading for all scientists interested in utilizing the newest generation of ultrafast systems.










High-Power Laser-Plasma Interaction


Book Description

The field of high-power laser-plasma interaction has grown in the last few decades, with applications ranging from laser-driven fusion and laser acceleration of charged particles to laser ablation of materials. This comprehensive text covers fundamental concepts including electromagnetics and electrostatic waves, parameter instabilities, laser driven fusion,charged particle acceleration and gamma rays. Two important techniques of laser proton interactions including target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) and radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) are discussed in detail, along with their applications in the field of medicine. An analytical framework is developed for laser beat-wave and wakefield excitation of plasma waves and subsequent acceleration of electrons. The book covers parametric oscillator model and studies the coupling of laser light with collective modes.




Femtosecond Laser Pulses


Book Description

This smooth introduction for advanced undergraduates starts with the fundamentals of lasers and pulsed optics. Thus prepared, the student is introduced to short and ultrashort laser pulses, and learns how to generate, manipulate, and measure them. Spectroscopic implications are also discussed. The second edition has been completely revised and includes two new chapters on some of the most promising and fast-developing applications in ultrafast phenomena: coherent control and attosecond pulses.