High-order Harmonic Generation in Laser Plasma Plumes


Book Description

This book represents the first comprehensive treatment of high-order harmonic generation in laser-produced plumes, covering the principles, past and present experimental status and important applications. It shows how this method of frequency conversion of laser radiation towards the extreme ultraviolet range matured over the course of multiple studies and demonstrated new approaches in the generation of strong coherent short-wavelength radiation for various applications. Significant discoveries and pioneering contributions of researchers in this field carried out in various laser scientific centers worldwide are included in this first attempt to describe the important findings in this area of nonlinear spectroscopy. High-Order Harmonic Generation in Laser Plasma Plumes is a self-contained and unified review of the most recent achievements in the field, such as the application of clusters (fullerenes, nanoparticles, nanotubes) for efficient harmonic generation of ultrashort laser pulses in cluster-containing plumes and resonance-induced enhancement of harmonic yield. It can be used as an advanced monograph for researchers and graduate students working in the field of nonlinear spectroscopy. It is also suitable for researchers in laser physics and nonlinear optics who wish to have an overview of the advanced achievements in laser ablation-induced high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy. The carefully presented details of this book will be of value to research devoted to the understanding and control frequency conversion of laser pulses in plasma plumes. The studies described in this book pave the way for the development of a new method of materials studies using the laser ablation-induced high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy, which can exploit the spectral and structural properties of various solid-state materials through their ablation and further propagation of short laser pulse through laser-produced plasma and generation of high-order harmonics.




High-order Harmonic Generation in Laser Plasma Plumes


Book Description

This book represents the first comprehensive treatment of high-order harmonic generation in laser-produced plumes, covering the principles, past and present experimental status and important applications. It shows how this method of frequency conversion of laser radiation towards the extreme ultraviolet range matured over the course of multiple studies and demonstrated new approaches in the generation of strong coherent short-wavelength radiation for various applications. Significant discoveries and pioneering contributions of researchers in this field carried out in various laser scientific centers worldwide are included in this first attempt to describe the important findings in this area of nonlinear spectroscopy.High-Order Harmonic Generation in Laser Plasma Plumes is a self-contained and unified review of the most recent achievements in the field, such as the application of clusters (fullerenes, nanoparticles, nanotubes) for efficient harmonic generation of ultrashort laser pulses in cluster-containing plumes and resonance-induced enhancement of harmonic yield. It can be used as an advanced monograph for researchers and graduate students working in the field of nonlinear spectroscopy. It is also suitable for researchers in laser physics and nonlinear optics who wish to have an overview of the advanced achievements in laser ablation-induced high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy. The carefully presented details of this book will be of value to research devoted to the understanding and control frequency conversion of laser pulses in plasma plumes.The studies described in this book pave the way for the development of a new method of materials studies using the laser ablation-induced high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy, which can exploit the spectral and structural properties of various solid-state materials through their ablation and further propagation of short laser pulse through laser-produced plasma and generation of high-order harmonics.




Plasma Harmonics


Book Description

Plasma harmonics is a new field of laser spectroscopy. The use of the solid elements of the periodic table, together with thousands of complex solid-state samples, largely extends the range of materials employed in plasma harmonics in contrast to the few light rare gases that are typically used. Thus the exploration of practically any available solid-state material through nonlinear spectroscopy comprising laser ablation and harmonic generation can be considered a new tool for materials science. Plasma harmonic spectroscopy exploits the spectral and structural properties of various ablated solid-state materials by propagating short laser pulses through laser-produced plasma and generating high-order harmonics of ultrashort laser pulses. The book describes the special features of plasma harmonics in laser-produced ablation plumes and discusses a wide range of nonlinear medium characteristics that can be produced by varying the conditions of laser plume production on the surface of a solid. This book compiles and details cutting-edge research in science and medicine from the interdisciplinary team of the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences, who are currently revolutionizing drug delivery techniques through the development of engineered nanodevices. Edited by Istvan J Majoros and James Baker, Jr., two prominent nanotechnology researchers, this book is designed for workers involved in nanotechnology, macromolecular science, cancer therapy, or drug delivery research.




Laser - Surface Interactions


Book Description

This book is about the interaction of laser radiation with various surfaces at variable parameters of radiation. As a basic principle of classification we chose the energetic or intensity level of interaction of laser radiation with the surfaces. These two characteristics of laser radiation are the most important parameters defining entire spectrum of the processes occurring on the surfaces during interaction with electromagnetic waves. This is a first book containing a whole spectrum of the laser-surface interactions distinguished by the ranges of used laser intensity. It combines the surface response starting from extremely weak laser intensities (~1 W cm-2) up to the relativistic intensities (~1020 W cm-2 and higher). The book provides the basic information about lasers and acquaints the reader with both common applications of laser-surface interactions (laser-related printers, scanners, barcode readers, discs, material processing, military, holography, medicine, etc) and unusual uses of the processes on the surfaces under the action of lasers (art conservation, rangefinders and velocimeters, space and earth explorations, surface engineering and ablation, and others). The scientific applications of laser-surfaces interactions (surface optical nonlinearities, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, surface nanostructuring, nanoripples and clusters formation, X-ray lasers and harmonic generation from the surfaces) are discussed from the point of view of the close relations between the properties of surface and matter, which is a cornerstone of most of studies of materials. The novelty of the approach developed in Laser - Surface Interactions is related with the interconnection of scientific studies with numerous applications of the laser-surface interactions separated in different chapters by the ranges of laser intensities. We present most recent achievements in this field. The book provides valuable information for different ranges of reader's preparedness to the laser-related topics (from unprepared readers, to students, engineers and researchers, professionals and academics).




High-Order Harmonics Generation in Plasmas


Book Description

This book comprises a detailed consideration of novel approaches developed in the field of frequency conversion of laser sources in laser-induced plasmas during the last few years. The aim of the book is to support researchers and other readers in their development in the area of high-order nonlinear spectroscopy. Particularly, the advanced studies of nanoparticles and quantum dots for the formation of new sources of radiation in different short-wavelength spectral ranges show the ways to further implement the specific features of small-sized species in a relatively new field of study—laser ablation induced high-order harmonics generation spectroscopy. Researchers involved in the development of new methods of frequency conversion will benefit from finding the most recent advances in this field. Undergraduate students will discover interesting information about recent findings in plasma harmonic research. Additionally, the usefulness of the book will be demonstrated by the potential applications of the new knowledge developed during recent years for ultrafast pulse generation using the proposed schemes of plasma-light interaction. Thus, the audience may also include those researchers involved in state-of-the-art developments in attophysics. Additionally, any professionals interested in the application of the advanced techniques for material science will also benefit from updating their knowledge of new methods of material studies using high-order nonlinear spectroscopy.




Frontiers of Laser Physics and Quantum Optics


Book Description

Since the advent of the laser about 40 years ago, the fields of laser physics and quantum optics have evolved into a major disciplines. The early studies included optical coherence theory and semiclassical and quantum mechanical theories of the laser. More recently many new and interesting effects have been predicted. These include the role of coherent atomic effects in lasing without inversion and electromagnetically induced transparency, atom optics, laser cooling and trapping, teleportation, the single-atom micromaser and its role in quantum measurement theory, to name a few. The International Conference on Laser Physics and Quantum Optics was held in Shanghai, China, from August 25 to August 28,1999, to discuss these and many other exciting developments in laser physics and quantum optics. The international character of the conference was manifested by the fact that scientists from over 13 countries participated and lectured at the conference. There were four keynote lectures delivered by Nobel laureate Willis Lamb, Jr., Profs. H. Walther, A.E. Siegman,and M.O. Scully. In addition, there were 34 invited lectures, 27 contributed oral presentations, and 59 poster papers. We are grateful to all the participants of the conference and the contributors of this volume.




Experimental Studies of Harmonic Generation from Solid-density Plasmas Produced by Picosecond Ultra-intense Laser Pulses


Book Description

In this thesis, an experimental investigation of harmonic generation from high-intensity laser-plasma interactions is presented. Harmonic experiments performed on the 1-terawatt FCM-CPA laser system at the University of Toronto, and on the 10-terawatt T3 laser system at the University of Michigan, are described. Using the FCM-CPA laser, various aspects of second harmonic generation were investigated systematically, with a focus on the effect of preformed plasma on harmonic generation. Experiments comparing harmonics generated by high-contrast pulses and by pulses containing weak prepulses show that the preformed plasma causes spatial and spectral breakup of harmonics and diffuses harmonic emission into large solid angles. On the T3 laser system, mid-order harmonic generation from various solid materials was studied and both odd and even harmonics up to the 7th were observed. Important features of harmonic generation, i.e., the laser-polarization dependence and the angular distribution of harmonic emission, were characterized. Pump-probe experiments were carried out as well on both laser systems by adding a controlled prepulse, which demonstrated a strong dependence of harmonic production efficiency on the gradient of preformed plasma. We also describe what we believe to be the first observation of regular satellite features accompanying the mid-order harmonics. Their dependence on target materials and on laser intensity was measured, and possible physical explanations are discussed. Besides, the development of the Toronto FCM-CPA laser system is summarized. Its original design and unique features are described in detail.




Frequency Conversion of Ultrashort Pulses in Extended Laser-Produced Plasmas


Book Description

This book offers a review of the use of extended ablation plasmas as nonlinear media for HHG of high-order harmonic generation (HHG). The book describes the different experimental approaches, shows the advantages and limitations regarding HHG efficiency and discusses the particular processes that take place at longer interaction lengths, including propagation and quasi-phase matching effects. It describes the most recent approaches to harmonic generation in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) range with the use of extended plasma plumes, and how these differ from more commonly-used gas-jet sources. The main focus is on studies using extended plasmas, but some new findings from HHG experiments in narrow plasma plumes are also discussed. It also describes how quasi-phase-matching in modulated plasmas, as demonstrated in recent studies, has revealed different means of tuning enhanced harmonic groups in the XUV region. After an introduction to the fundamental theoretical and experimental aspects of HHG, a review of the most important results of HHG in narrow plasmas is presented, including recent studies of small-sized plasma plumes as emitters of high-order harmonics. In Chapter 2, various findings in the application of extended plasmas for harmonic generation are analyzed. One of the most important applications of extended plasmas, the quasi-phase-matching of generated harmonics, is demonstrated in Chapter 3, including various approaches to the modification of perforated plasma plumes. Chapter 4 depicts the nonlinear optical features of extended plasmas produced on the surfaces of different non-metal materials. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the analysis of new opportunities for extended plasma induced HHG. The advantages of the application of long plasma plumes for HHG, such as resonance enhancement and double-pulse method, are discussed in Chapter 6. Finally, a summary section brings together all of these findings and discuss the perspectives of extended plasma formations for efficient HHG and nonlinear optical plasma spectroscopy. The book will be useful for students and scholars working in this highly multidisciplinary domain involving material science, nonlinear optics and laser spectroscopy. It brings the new researcher to the very frontier of the physics of the interaction between laser and extended plasma; for the expert it will serve as an essential guide and indicate directions for future research.




Photonics


Book Description

Deals with the fundamental properties of photon and light beams, both experimentally and theoretically. It covers the essentials of linear interactions and most of the nonlinear interactions between light and matter in both the transparent and absorbing cases. About 4000 references open access to original literature.