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Azamoum Y, Becker GA, Keppler S, Duchateau G, Skupin S, Grech M, Catoire F, Hell S, Tamer I, Hornung M, Hellwing M, Kessler A, Schorcht F, Kaluza MC. Optical probing of ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-overdense-plasma transitions. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2024; 13:109. [PMID: 38719813 PMCID: PMC11079011 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-024-01444-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the solid target dynamics resulting from the interaction with an ultrashort laser pulse is a challenging fundamental multi-physics problem involving atomic and solid-state physics, plasma physics, and laser physics. Knowledge of the initial interplay of the underlying processes is essential to many applications ranging from low-power laser regimes like laser-induced ablation to high-power laser regimes like laser-driven ion acceleration. Accessing the properties of the so-called pre-plasma formed as the laser pulse's rising edge ionizes the target is complicated from the theoretical and experimental point of view, and many aspects of this laser-induced transition from solid to overdense plasma over picosecond timescales are still open questions. On the one hand, laser-driven ion acceleration requires precise control of the pre-plasma because the efficiency of the acceleration process crucially depends on the target properties at the arrival of the relativistic intensity peak of the pulse. On the other hand, efficient laser ablation requires, for example, preventing the so-called "plasma shielding". By capturing the dynamics of the initial stage of the interaction, we report on a detailed visualization of the pre-plasma formation and evolution. Nanometer-thin diamond-like carbon foils are shown to transition from solid to plasma during the laser rising edge with intensities < 1016 W/cm². Single-shot near-infrared probe transmission measurements evidence sub-picosecond dynamics of an expanding plasma with densities above 1023 cm-3 (about 100 times the critical plasma density). The complementarity of a solid-state interaction model and kinetic plasma description provides deep insight into the interplay of initial ionization, collisions, and expansion.
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Grants
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- 03Z1H531, 05K16SJC,05K19SJC, 05P15SJFA1, 05P19SJFA1, 03VNE2068D Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
- LASERLAB-EUROPE (Grant Agreement No. 871124, European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program)
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmina Azamoum
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany.
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
| | - Georg Alexander Becker
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Sebastian Keppler
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Skupin
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306 - CNRS, Université de Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mickael Grech
- LULI, CNRS, CEA, Sorbonne Université, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
| | - Fabrice Catoire
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, CELIA, UMR 5107, Talence, France
| | - Sebastian Hell
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Issa Tamer
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Marco Hornung
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Marco Hellwing
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander Kessler
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Franck Schorcht
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Malte Christoph Kaluza
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
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2
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Li Q, Xu X, Wu Y, Zou D, Yin Y, Yu T. Generation of single circularly polarized attosecond pulses from near-critical density plasma irradiated by a two-color co-rotating circularly polarized laser. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:40063-40074. [PMID: 36298945 DOI: 10.1364/oe.472982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, a new method is proposed to efficiently generate a single intense attosecond pulse with circular polarization (CP) through the interaction of an intense driving laser with a near-critical density plasma target. The driving laser is composed of two co-rotating CP lasers with similar frequencies but different pulse widths. When the matching condition is satisfied, the combined field is modulated to a short intense pulse followed by a weak tail. The resulting laser falling edge becomes steeper than the initial sub-pulses, which induces a quick one-time oscillation of the target surface. Meanwhile, the tail guarantees the energy to be compressed simultaneously in both polarization directions to the same extent, so that a single CP attosecond pulse can be produced efficiently and robustly via our method, which has been confirmed through extensive numerical simulations. In addition, our method makes it possible to generate a single CP attosecond pulse even for multi-cycle pulses that are already available for existing laser systems. This provides a novel way to advance the investigation of chiral-sensitive light-matter interactions in attosecond scales.
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3
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Sundström A, Grech M, Pusztai I, Riconda C. Stimulated-Raman-scattering amplification of attosecond XUV pulses with pulse-train pumps and application to local in-depth plasma-density measurement. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:045208. [PMID: 36397490 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.045208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We present a scheme for amplifying an extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) seed isolated attosecond pulse via stimulated Raman scattering of a pulse-train pump. At sufficient seed and pump intensity, the amplification is nonlinear, and the amplitude of the seed pulse can reach that of the pump, one order of magnitude higher than the initial seed amplitude. In the linear amplification regime, we find that the spectral signature of the pump pulse train is imprinted on the spectrum of the amplified seed pulse. Since the spectral signature is imprinted with its frequency downshifted by the plasma frequency, it is possible to deduce the electron density in the region of interaction. This region can be of micrometer length scale longitudinally. By varying the delay between the seed and the pump, this scheme provides a local electron-density measurement inside solid-density plasmas that cannot be probed with optical frequencies, with micrometer resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréas Sundström
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mickael Grech
- LULI, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, CEA, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - István Pusztai
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Caterina Riconda
- LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, CEA, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-75252 Paris, France
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4
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Glek PB, Zheltikov AM. Enhanced coherent transition radiation from midinfrared-laser-driven microplasmas. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7660. [PMID: 35538111 PMCID: PMC9090813 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10614-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a particle-in-cell (PIC) analysis of terahertz (THz) radiation by ultrafast plasma currents driven by relativistic-intensity laser pulses. We show that, while the I0 [Formula: see text] product of the laser intensity I0 and the laser wavelength λ0 plays the key role in the energy scaling of strong-field laser-plasma THz generation, the THz output energy, WTHz, does not follow the I0 [Formula: see text] scaling. Its behavior as a function of I0 and λ0 is instead much more complex. Our two- and three-dimensional PIC analysis shows that, for moderate, subrelativistic and weakly relativistic fields, WTHz(I0 [Formula: see text]) can be approximated as (I0λ02)α, with a suitable exponent α, as a clear signature of vacuum electron acceleration as a predominant physical mechanism whereby the energy of the laser driver is transferred to THz radiation. For strongly relativistic laser fields, on the other hand, WTHz(I0 [Formula: see text]) closely follows the scaling dictated by the relativistic electron laser ponderomotive potential [Formula: see text], converging to WTHz ∝ [Formula: see text] for very high I0, thus indicating the decisive role of relativistic ponderomotive charge acceleration as a mechanism behind laser-to-THz energy conversion. Analysis of the electron distribution function shows that the temperature Te of hot laser-driven electrons bouncing back and forth between the plasma boundaries displays the same behavior as a function of I0 and λ0, altering its scaling from (I0λ02)α to that of [Formula: see text], converging to WTHz ∝ [Formula: see text] for very high I0. These findings provide a clear physical picture of THz generation in relativistic and subrelativistic laser plasmas, suggesting the THz yield WTHz resolved as a function of I0 and λ0 as a meaningful measurable that can serve as a probe for the temperature Te of hot electrons in a vast class of laser-plasma interactions. Specifically, the α exponent of the best (I0λ02)α fit of the THz yield suggests a meaningful probe that can help identify the dominant physical mechanisms whereby the energy of the laser field is converted to the energy of plasma electrons.
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Affiliation(s)
- P B Glek
- Physics Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - A M Zheltikov
- Physics Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.
- Russian Quantum Center, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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5
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Lv QZ, Raicher E, Keitel CH, Hatsagortsyan KZ. High-Brilliance Ultranarrow-Band X Rays via Electron Radiation in Colliding Laser Pulses. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:024801. [PMID: 35089763 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.024801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A setup of a unique x-ray source is put forward employing a relativistic electron beam interacting with two counterpropagating laser pulses in the nonlinear few-photon regime. In contrast to Compton scattering sources, the envisaged x-ray source exhibits an extremely narrow relative bandwidth of the order of 10^{-4}, comparable with an x-ray free-electron laser. The brilliance of the x rays can be an order of magnitude higher than that of a state-of-the-art Compton source. By tuning the laser intensities and the electron energy, one can realize either a single peak or a comblike x-ray source of around keV energy. The laser intensity and the electron energy in the suggested setup are rather moderate, rendering this scheme compact and tabletop size, as opposed to x-ray free-electron laser and synchrotron infrastructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Z Lv
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - E Raicher
- Soreq Nuclear Research Center, 81800 Yavne, Israel
| | - C H Keitel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - K Z Hatsagortsyan
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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6
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Zhang YX, Rykovanov S, Shi M, Zhong CL, He XT, Qiao B, Zepf M. Giant Isolated Attosecond Pulses from Two-Color Laser-Plasma Interactions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 124:114802. [PMID: 32242678 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.124.114802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A new regime in the interaction of a two-color (ω,2ω) laser with a nanometer-scale foil is identified, resulting in the emission of extremely intense, isolated attosecond pulses-even in the case of multicycle lasers. For foils irradiated by lasers exceeding the blow-out field strength (i.e., capable of fully separating electrons from the ion background), the addition of a second harmonic field results in the stabilization of the foil up to the blow-out intensity. This is then followed by a sharp transition to transparency that essentially occurs in a single optical cycle. During the transition cycle, a dense, nanometer-scale electron bunch is accelerated to relativistic velocities and emits a single, strong attosecond pulse with a peak intensity approaching that of the laser field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y X Zhang
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, SKLNPT, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - S Rykovanov
- Center for Computational and Data-Intensive Science and Engineering, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 121205, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - C L Zhong
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, SKLNPT, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - X T He
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, SKLNPT, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China
| | - B Qiao
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, SKLNPT, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - M Zepf
- Helmholtz Institute Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
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7
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Wodzinski T, Künzel S, Koliyadu JCP, Hussain M, Keitel B, Williams GO, Zeitoun P, Plönjes E, Fajardo M. High-harmonic generation wave front dependence on a driving infrared wave front. APPLIED OPTICS 2020; 59:1363-1370. [PMID: 32225398 DOI: 10.1364/ao.59.001363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
With high-harmonic generation (HHG), spatially and temporally coherent XUV to soft x-ray (100 nm to 10 nm) table-top sources can be realized by focusing a driving infrared (IR) laser on a gas target. For applications such as coherent diffraction imaging, holography, plasma diagnostics, or pump-probe experiments, it is desirable to have control over the wave front (WF) of the HHs to maximize the number of XUV photons on target or to tailor the WF. Here, we demonstrate control of the XUV WF by tailoring the driving IR WF with a deformable mirror. The WFs of both IR and XUV beams are monitored with WF sensors. We present a systematic study of the dependence of the aberrations of the HHs on the aberrations of the driving IR laser and explain the observations with propagation simulations. We show that we can control the astigmatism of the HHs by changing the astigmatism of the driving IR laser without compromising the HH generation efficiency with a WF quality from λ/8 to λ/13.3. This allows us to shape the XUV beam without changing any XUV optical element.
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8
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Optimization and Characterization of High-Harmonic Generation for Probing Solid Density Plasmas. PHOTONICS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/photonics4020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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9
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Chen ZY, Li XY, Chen LM, Li YT, Zhu WJ. Intense isolated few-cycle attosecond XUV pulses from overdense plasmas driven by tailored laser pulses. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:14803-14811. [PMID: 24977575 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.014803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A new scheme to generate an intense isolated few-cycle attosecond XUV pulse is demonstrated using particle-in-cell simulations. By use of unipolarlike or subcycle laser pulses irradiating a thin foil target, a strong transverse net current can be excited, which emits a few-cycle XUV pulse from the target rear side. The isolated pulse is ultrashort in the time domain with duration of several hundred attoseconds. The pulse also has a narrow bandwidth in the spectral domain compared to other XUV sources of high-order harmonics. It has most energy confined around the plasma frequency and no low-harmonic orders below the plasma frequency. It is also shown that XUV pulse of peak field strength up to 8 × 10(12) Vm(-1) can be produced. Without the need for pulse selecting and spectral filtering, such an intense few-cycle XUV pulse is better suited to a number of applications.
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10
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Ceccotti T, Floquet V, Sgattoni A, Bigongiari A, Klimo O, Raynaud M, Riconda C, Heron A, Baffigi F, Labate L, Gizzi LA, Vassura L, Fuchs J, Passoni M, Květon M, Novotny F, Possolt M, Prokůpek J, Proška J, Pšikal J, Štolcová L, Velyhan A, Bougeard M, D'Oliveira P, Tcherbakoff O, Réau F, Martin P, Macchi A. Evidence of resonant surface-wave excitation in the relativistic regime through measurements of proton acceleration from grating targets. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 111:185001. [PMID: 24237527 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.185001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The interaction of laser pulses with thin grating targets, having a periodic groove at the irradiated surface, is experimentally investigated. Ultrahigh contrast (~10(12)) pulses allow us to demonstrate an enhanced laser-target coupling for the first time in the relativistic regime of ultrahigh intensity >10(19) W/cm(2). A maximum increase by a factor of 2.5 of the cutoff energy of protons produced by target normal sheath acceleration is observed with respect to plane targets, around the incidence angle expected for the resonant excitation of surface waves. A significant enhancement is also observed for small angles of incidence, out of resonance.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Ceccotti
- CEA/IRAMIS/SPAM, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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11
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Dao LV, Hall C, Vu HL, Dinh KB, Balaur E, Hannaford P, Smith TA. Phase-matched generation of highly coherent radiation in water window region. APPLIED OPTICS 2012; 51:4240-4245. [PMID: 22722304 DOI: 10.1364/ao.51.004240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Highly coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation around the water window region (~4.4 nm) is generated in a semi-infinitive helium gas cell using infrared pulses of wavelength 1300 nm, energy 2.5 mJ, duration 40 fs, and repetition rate 1 kHz. The pressure-squared dependence of the intensity and the almost-perfect Gaussian profile and low divergence of the high harmonic source indicate a phase-matched generation process. The spatial coherence of the source is studied using Young's double-slit measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lap V Dao
- Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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12
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Faubel M, Siefermann KR, Liu Y, Abel B. Ultrafast soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at liquid water microjets. Acc Chem Res 2012; 45:120-30. [PMID: 22075058 DOI: 10.1021/ar200154w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Since the pioneering work of Kai Siegbahn, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) has been developed into an indispensable analytical technique for surface science. The value of this powerful method of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES, also termed photoemission spectroscopy) and Siegbahn's contributions were recognized in the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics. The need for high vacuum, however, originally prohibited PES of volatile liquids, and only allowed for investigation of low-vapor-pressure molecules attached to a surface (or close to a surface) or liquid films of low volatility. Only with the invention of liquid beams of volatile liquids compatible with high-vacuum conditions was PES from liquid surfaces under vacuum made feasible. Because of the ubiquity of water interfaces in nature, the liquid water-vacuum interface became a most attractive research topic, particularly over the past 10 years. PES studies of these important aqueous interfaces remained significantly challenging because of the need to develop high-pressure PES methods. For decades, ESCA or PES (termed XPS, for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in the case of soft X-ray photons) was restricted to conventional laboratory X-ray sources or beamlines in synchrotron facilities. This approach enabled frequency domain measurements, but with poor time resolution. Indirect access to time-resolved processes in the condensed phase was only achieved if line-widths could be analyzed or if processes could be related to a fast clock, that is, reference processes that are fast enough and are also well understood in the condensed phase. Just recently, the emergence of high harmonic light sources, providing short-wavelength radiation in ultrashort light pulses, added the dimension of time to the classical ESCA or XPS technique and opened the door to (soft) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with ultrahigh time resolution. The combination of high harmonic light sources (providing radiation with laserlike beam qualities) and liquid microjet technology recently enabled the first liquid interface PES experiments in the IR/UV-pump and extreme ultraviolet-probe (EUV-probe) configuration. In this Account, we highlight features of the technology and a number of recent applications, including extreme states of matter and the discovery and detection of short-lived transients of the solvated electron in water. Properties of the EUV radiation, such as its controllable polarization and features of the liquid microjet, will enable unique experiments in the near future. PES measures electron binding energies and angular distributions of photoelectrons, which comprise unique information about electron orbitals and their involvement in chemical bonding. One of the future goals is to use this information to trace molecular orbitals, over time, in chemical reactions or biological transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Faubel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation, Bunsenstrasse 10, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - K. R. Siefermann
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road 2-306, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Y. Liu
- Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University Leipzig, Linnéstrasse 2, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - B. Abel
- Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University Leipzig, Linnéstrasse 2, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Bergh M, Tîmneanu N, Hau-Riege SP, Scott HA. Interaction of ultrashort x-ray pulses with B4C , SiC, and Si. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2008; 77:026404. [PMID: 18352130 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.77.026404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2007] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The interaction of 32.5 and 6 nm ultrashort x-ray pulses with the solid materials B4C , SiC, and Si is simulated with a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiation transfer code. We study the ionization dynamics as a function of depth in the material and modifications of the opacity during irradiation, and estimate the crater depth. Furthermore, we compare the estimated crater depth with experimental data, for fluences up to 2.2 J/cm2. Our results show that, at 32.5 nm irradiation, the opacity changes by less than a factor of 2 for B4C and Si and by a factor of 3 for SiC, for fluences up to 200 J/cm2. At a laser wavelength of 6 nm, the model predicts a dramatic decrease in opacity due to the weak inverse bremsstrahlung, increasing the crater depth for high fluences.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bergh
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, SE-75124, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Osterholz J, Brandl F, Fischer T, Hemmers D, Cerchez M, Pretzler G, Willi O, Rose SJ. Production of dense plasmas with sub-10-fs laser pulses. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2006; 96:085002. [PMID: 16606192 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.96.085002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2005] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Close to solid state density plasmas with peak electron temperatures of about 190 eV have been generated with sub-10-fs laser pulses incident on solid targets. Extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy is used to investigate the K shell emission from the plasma. In the spectra, a series limit for the H- and He-like resonance lines becomes evident which is explained by pressure ionization in the dense plasma. The spectra are consistent with computer simulations calculating the XUV emission and the expansion of the plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Osterholz
- Institute of Laser and Plasmaphysics, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
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