A new approach is presented to reveal the temporal structure of femtosecond laser pulses by recording the correspond- ing time-resolved shadowgraphs of the laser-induced air plasma. It is shown that the temporal struc...A new approach is presented to reveal the temporal structure of femtosecond laser pulses by recording the correspond- ing time-resolved shadowgraphs of the laser-induced air plasma. It is shown that the temporal structures of femtosecond laser pulses, normally not observable by the ordinary intensity autocorrelator, can be detected through intuitively analyz- ing the ultrafast evolution process of the air plasma induced by the femtosecond laser pulses under examination. With this method, existence of pre- and post-pulses has been clearly unveiled within the time window of 4-150 fs in reference with the main 50-fs laser pulses output from a commercial 1-kHz femtosecond laser amplifier. The unique advantage of the proposed method is that it can directly provide valuable information about the pulse temporal structures＇ effect on the laser-induced ionization or material ablation.展开更多
Propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses （60 fs, 800 nm, 120 m J, 6 × 10^17 W/cm^2 in vacuum） in supersonic （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets at different backing pressures was studied. Pump-probe interf...Propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses （60 fs, 800 nm, 120 m J, 6 × 10^17 W/cm^2 in vacuum） in supersonic （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets at different backing pressures was studied. Pump-probe interferometry is employed to investigate the propagation of laser beams in dense cluster jets by examining the electron density distribution of plasma chan- nels. It was found that propagation effects, including ionization-induced defocusing and laser attenuation of incident pulses, are very different in the （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets. Different ionization states of CD4 and D2 molecules were observed by analyzing the transverse electron density profiles of the plasma channels and should be considered as a major reason for the differences in the propagation effects. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets were performed, and the results indicated a good reproduction of the experimental data.展开更多
In this work we present experiments by focusing 42 femtosecond laser pulses in air using three differentfocal length lenses: f=100, 30 and 5 cm. For the longest focal length, only the filament, which is aweak plasma c...In this work we present experiments by focusing 42 femtosecond laser pulses in air using three differentfocal length lenses: f=100, 30 and 5 cm. For the longest focal length, only the filament, which is aweak plasma column,is observed. When the shorter focal length lens is used, a high density plasma isgenerated near the geometrical focus and coexists with a weak plasma channel of the filamemt. Under thetightest focusing condition, filamentation is prevented and only a strong plasma volume appears at tehgeometrical focus.展开更多
The filamentation characteristics of femtosecond laser pulses in ZK7 glass are in- vestigated experimentally as a function of initial negative chirps. It is found that the filament threshold power grows rapidly and th...The filamentation characteristics of femtosecond laser pulses in ZK7 glass are in- vestigated experimentally as a function of initial negative chirps. It is found that the filament threshold power grows rapidly and the filament length extends over a long distance with increasing initial temporal chirps. The measurement of supercon- tinuum reveals that the plasma generation process within filamentation becomes weaker as the initial negative chirp increases, leading to a self-guiding long light channel dominated by Kerr nonlinearity. The interference of transverse rings in multifilamentation of the chirped laser pulses is observed as well. Analyses and discussions give an interpretation of this chirp-induced ionization-free filamenta- tion. These results indicate that initial chirps will play a crucial role in the filament formation of ultrashort laser pulses in transparent media.展开更多
The generation of terahertz （THz） emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses is studied on the basis of a transient photocurrent model. While the gas is ionized by the two-color femtoseco...The generation of terahertz （THz） emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses is studied on the basis of a transient photocurrent model. While the gas is ionized by the two-color femtosecond laser-pulses com- posed of the fundamental and its second harmonic, a non-vanishing directional photoelectron current emerges, radiating a THz electromagnetic pulse. The gas ionization processes at three different laser-pulse energies are simulated, and the corresponding THz waveforms and spectra are plotted. The results demonstrate that, by keeping the laser-pulse width and the relative phase between two pulses invariant when the laser energy is at a moderate value, the emitted THz fields are significantly enhanced with a near-linear dependence on the optical energy.展开更多
Precise control of the discharge in space and time is of great significance for better applications of discharge plasma.Here,we used a femtosecond laser filament to trigger and guide a highvoltage DC pulse discharge t...Precise control of the discharge in space and time is of great significance for better applications of discharge plasma.Here,we used a femtosecond laser filament to trigger and guide a highvoltage DC pulse discharge to achieve spatiotemporal control of the discharge plasma.In space,the discharge plasma is distributed strictly along the channel generated by the femtosecond laser filament.The breakdown voltage threshold is reduced,and the discharge length is extended.In time,the electrical parameters such as the electrode voltage and the electrode gap affect discharge delay time and jitter.By optimizing the parameters,we can achieve sub-nanosecond jitter of the discharge.Based on the spatiotemporal control of the discharge,we applied filamenttriggered discharge for one-dimensional composition measurements of the gas flow field.Besides,the technique shows great potential in studying the spatiotemporal evolution of discharge plasma.展开更多
为研究飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化中等离子体压力时空演化规律,利用考虑电子态密度(DOS)效应的模型计算了电子热容和电声耦合系数随电子温度的演化规律,并与采用QEOS(quotidian equation of state)模型计算结果进行了对比;提出DOS飞秒脉冲激...为研究飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化中等离子体压力时空演化规律,利用考虑电子态密度(DOS)效应的模型计算了电子热容和电声耦合系数随电子温度的演化规律,并与采用QEOS(quotidian equation of state)模型计算结果进行了对比;提出DOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型,计算得到电子温度、晶格温度、等离子体羽位置时间演化规律和等离子体压力时空演化规律,并与QEOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型结果进行了对比。结果表明:DOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型计算得到的等离子体羽位置随时间的演化规律与实验结果吻合程度更好;增加激光能量或功率密度、考虑电子DOS效应会增加电子、晶格温度和等离子体压力。展开更多
The intensity of third harmonic emission in air filamentation disturbed by copper fibers and alcohol droplets has been investigated experimentally. Enhancement of the third harmonic emission up to more than one order ...The intensity of third harmonic emission in air filamentation disturbed by copper fibers and alcohol droplets has been investigated experimentally. Enhancement of the third harmonic emission up to more than one order of magnitude has been observed. The physical mechanism of third harmonic enhancement is attributed to suppression of the destructive interference by comparison of the experimental results and it is closely related to the type, size, and relative position of the obstacles.展开更多
The generation of terahertz(THz) waves by focusing a femtosecond pulsed laser beam at a distance is able to overcome the strong absorption properties of air and has rapidly attracted the attention of industry. However...The generation of terahertz(THz) waves by focusing a femtosecond pulsed laser beam at a distance is able to overcome the strong absorption properties of air and has rapidly attracted the attention of industry. However, the poor directionality of the THz wave radiation generated by this method is not conducive to THz wave applications. By controlling the morphology of the ultrafast laser-excited plasma filament and its electron density distribution through coherent beam combining technology, we achieve direct THz beam shaping and are able to obtain THz wave radiation of Gaussian or arbitrary transverse distribution. The novel experimental approach proposed in this paper opens up the research field of direct THz wave shaping using plasma. Moreover, it innovates multi-parameter convergence algorithms and, by doing so, has the potential to find beam patterns with higher energy conversion efficiency and break the energy limit of THz waves emitted by lasers at high power.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11004111 and 61137001)the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City,China (Grant No. 10JCZDGX35100)+1 种基金the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20100031120034)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China
文摘A new approach is presented to reveal the temporal structure of femtosecond laser pulses by recording the correspond- ing time-resolved shadowgraphs of the laser-induced air plasma. It is shown that the temporal structures of femtosecond laser pulses, normally not observable by the ordinary intensity autocorrelator, can be detected through intuitively analyz- ing the ultrafast evolution process of the air plasma induced by the femtosecond laser pulses under examination. With this method, existence of pre- and post-pulses has been clearly unveiled within the time window of 4-150 fs in reference with the main 50-fs laser pulses output from a commercial 1-kHz femtosecond laser amplifier. The unique advantage of the proposed method is that it can directly provide valuable information about the pulse temporal structures＇ effect on the laser-induced ionization or material ablation.
基金supported by the National Basic Pesearch Program of China (No. 2006CB806000)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 10674145, 60921004, 10974214)
文摘Propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses （60 fs, 800 nm, 120 m J, 6 × 10^17 W/cm^2 in vacuum） in supersonic （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets at different backing pressures was studied. Pump-probe interferometry is employed to investigate the propagation of laser beams in dense cluster jets by examining the electron density distribution of plasma chan- nels. It was found that propagation effects, including ionization-induced defocusing and laser attenuation of incident pulses, are very different in the （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets. Different ionization states of CD4 and D2 molecules were observed by analyzing the transverse electron density profiles of the plasma channels and should be considered as a major reason for the differences in the propagation effects. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in （CD4）N and （D2）N cluster jets were performed, and the results indicated a good reproduction of the experimental data.
文摘In this work we present experiments by focusing 42 femtosecond laser pulses in air using three differentfocal length lenses: f=100, 30 and 5 cm. For the longest focal length, only the filament, which is aweak plasma column,is observed. When the shorter focal length lens is used, a high density plasma isgenerated near the geometrical focus and coexists with a weak plasma channel of the filamemt. Under thetightest focusing condition, filamentation is prevented and only a strong plasma volume appears at tehgeometrical focus.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60637020)
文摘The filamentation characteristics of femtosecond laser pulses in ZK7 glass are in- vestigated experimentally as a function of initial negative chirps. It is found that the filament threshold power grows rapidly and the filament length extends over a long distance with increasing initial temporal chirps. The measurement of supercon- tinuum reveals that the plasma generation process within filamentation becomes weaker as the initial negative chirp increases, leading to a self-guiding long light channel dominated by Kerr nonlinearity. The interference of transverse rings in multifilamentation of the chirped laser pulses is observed as well. Analyses and discussions give an interpretation of this chirp-induced ionization-free filamenta- tion. These results indicate that initial chirps will play a crucial role in the filament formation of ultrashort laser pulses in transparent media.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.61177095)the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province,China(Grant No.2012FFA074)+1 种基金the Ph.D.Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No.20100142110042)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant Nos.2012QN094 and 2012QN097)
文摘The generation of terahertz （THz） emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses is studied on the basis of a transient photocurrent model. While the gas is ionized by the two-color femtosecond laser-pulses com- posed of the fundamental and its second harmonic, a non-vanishing directional photoelectron current emerges, radiating a THz electromagnetic pulse. The gas ionization processes at three different laser-pulse energies are simulated, and the corresponding THz waveforms and spectra are plotted. The results demonstrate that, by keeping the laser-pulse width and the relative phase between two pulses invariant when the laser energy is at a moderate value, the emitted THz fields are significantly enhanced with a near-linear dependence on the optical energy.
基金funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Nos.51806149,91741205)。
文摘Precise control of the discharge in space and time is of great significance for better applications of discharge plasma.Here,we used a femtosecond laser filament to trigger and guide a highvoltage DC pulse discharge to achieve spatiotemporal control of the discharge plasma.In space,the discharge plasma is distributed strictly along the channel generated by the femtosecond laser filament.The breakdown voltage threshold is reduced,and the discharge length is extended.In time,the electrical parameters such as the electrode voltage and the electrode gap affect discharge delay time and jitter.By optimizing the parameters,we can achieve sub-nanosecond jitter of the discharge.Based on the spatiotemporal control of the discharge,we applied filamenttriggered discharge for one-dimensional composition measurements of the gas flow field.Besides,the technique shows great potential in studying the spatiotemporal evolution of discharge plasma.
文摘为研究飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化中等离子体压力时空演化规律,利用考虑电子态密度(DOS)效应的模型计算了电子热容和电声耦合系数随电子温度的演化规律,并与采用QEOS(quotidian equation of state)模型计算结果进行了对比;提出DOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型,计算得到电子温度、晶格温度、等离子体羽位置时间演化规律和等离子体压力时空演化规律,并与QEOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型结果进行了对比。结果表明:DOS飞秒脉冲激光冲击强化模型计算得到的等离子体羽位置随时间的演化规律与实验结果吻合程度更好;增加激光能量或功率密度、考虑电子DOS效应会增加电子、晶格温度和等离子体压力。
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology,China(Grant No.2012BAC23B00)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.11404335)
文摘The intensity of third harmonic emission in air filamentation disturbed by copper fibers and alcohol droplets has been investigated experimentally. Enhancement of the third harmonic emission up to more than one order of magnitude has been observed. The physical mechanism of third harmonic enhancement is attributed to suppression of the destructive interference by comparison of the experimental results and it is closely related to the type, size, and relative position of the obstacles.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12074272 and 61905271)the National Defense Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone Project of China (Grant No. 20-163-02-ZT-008-009-01)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2020A1515011083)。
文摘The generation of terahertz(THz) waves by focusing a femtosecond pulsed laser beam at a distance is able to overcome the strong absorption properties of air and has rapidly attracted the attention of industry. However, the poor directionality of the THz wave radiation generated by this method is not conducive to THz wave applications. By controlling the morphology of the ultrafast laser-excited plasma filament and its electron density distribution through coherent beam combining technology, we achieve direct THz beam shaping and are able to obtain THz wave radiation of Gaussian or arbitrary transverse distribution. The novel experimental approach proposed in this paper opens up the research field of direct THz wave shaping using plasma. Moreover, it innovates multi-parameter convergence algorithms and, by doing so, has the potential to find beam patterns with higher energy conversion efficiency and break the energy limit of THz waves emitted by lasers at high power.
