A. A. Afanas’ev

Interaction of interference laser field with an ensemble of particles in liquid

Abstract The dependence of the spatial redistribution of microparticles in a suspension under the action of an interference laser field on the particle parameters and field characteristics is theoretically analyzed. The experimental results illustrating the optical trapping of an ensemble of polymeric balls and other microparticles in liquid by interference fringes of the He–Ne laser radiation ( λ =632.8 nm) are presented. The interferometric trapping of microparticles was observed at a light power as low as ∼2 mW. It was also found that regular crystal-like structures of particles are formed as a result of interaction of the particle ensemble with the gradient light field produced by a softly focused single He–Ne laser beam.

Nonresonance Mechanisms of Biological Effects of Coherent and Incoherent Light

Two mechanisms of the nonresonance action of light on biological systems are considered. The first of them is caused by gradient effects arising upon interaction of a biological system with spatially inhomogeneous radiation. The second mechanism is determined by light-induced dipole-dipole interactions between biological particles. The first mechanism is characteristic of coherent radiation. A speckle structure arising upon interaction of coherent light with a biological system gives rise to gradient forces, which depend on the intensity of the incident light and the properties of an object. It is shown that the action of the gradient forces on microparticles causes a selective increase in the kinetic energy of the particles. Due to random pulsations of speckles in living tissue, this effect is equivalent to an increase in the “partial” temperature of the particles, which depends on their size and properties. The second mechanism manifests itself both upon coherent and upon incoherent irradiation of a biological object. This mechanism is determined by interactions between oscillating dipole moments of neighboring particles (cells, organelles, biomolecules) induced by incident radiation. The second mechanism is shown to be observed for linearly polarized radiation only. For each mechanism, the forces acting on biological particles are calculated.

Effect of the local field on transient processes in a dense ensemble of two-level atoms

Transient processes are analyzed based on modified Bloch equations describing the interaction of optical radiation with dense resonant media with allowance for dipole-dipole interaction between atoms (the local-field effect). An analytical solution to the equation for the population difference of resonant atomic levels, taking into account the up-conversion processes, is obtained for a rectangular pulse in the quasi-stationary approximation. Computer simulation is performed for the kinetics of the population difference of resonant atomic levels in the field of a long sine-shaped pulse. It is shown that the time dynamics of the population difference of resonant atomic levels manifests characteristic features inherent in the intrinsic optical bistability effect under an adiabatically slow variation of the acting field.

Optical solitons in dense resonant media

Exact single-soliton solutions of the modified system of Maxwell-Bloch equations, in which the dipole-dipole interactions of the atoms of a dense resonant medium are taken into account, are obtained. Two propagation regimes are analyzed: “coherent,” where the pulse duration is much shorter than both relaxation times (Tp ≪ T1, T2), and “incoherent,” where the pulse duration falls between the relaxation times (T2 ≪ Tp ≪ T1). It is predicted, for the first time, that soliton propagation of an ultrashort pulse is possible in a dense resonant absorbing medium in an incoherent interaction regime. The differences between the amplitude and phase characteristics of the solitons considered and the corresponding characteristics of the solitons for McCall-Hahn self-induced transparency are noted.

Theory of stimulated concentration scattering of light in a liquid suspension of transparent microspheres

A theory of stimulated light scattering in a nonlinear liquid suspension of transparent microspheres—an artificially created medium whose nonlinearity is caused by modulation of the concentration of microspheres by gradient forces in a field of spatially inhomogeneous laser radiation—is constructed. The threshold, angular, and spectral characteristics of the scattering are studied in the diffusion-limit approximation based on the solution of the system of wave equations in combination with the Planck-Nernst two-dimensional equation for the concentration of microspheres. The transient regime of scattering in the field of a specified step-like pump pulse is considered. A sharp angular dependence of the scattering efficiency on the microsphere radius is predicted and proposed for use in optical diagnostics of liquid suspensions of dielectric microspheres—highly efficient wideband nonlinear media.

Four-wave mixing in a liquid suspension of transparent dielectric microspheres

The process of four-wave mixing in an artificial heterogeneous nonlinear medium—a liquid suspension of transparent dielectric microspheres—is considered. The dynamics of the concentration response to gradient forces that act on microspheres in the interference field of interacting waves are investigated on the basis of the Smolukhovskii equation. Kinetic equations for the amplitudes of light-induced concentration gratings that take part in the four-wave mixing are obtained with the use of the Fourier series expansion of the distribution function of microspheres. The ratios of the microsphere radius to the grating periods are obtained under which the resultant gradient force vanishes and, hence, a suspension of dielectric microspheres does not exhibit nonlinear properties irrespective of the intensities of the interacting waves. The kinetics of the process of four-wave mixing is investigated under efficient energy exchange between reference, signal, and reversed waves. It is shown that a liquid suspension of transparent dielectric spheres is a highly effective wideband nonlinear medium for reversing the wave front of low-intensity radiation of continuous-wave lasers.

Transport of a spherical transparent nanoparticle by radiation forces in the field of a Gaussian laser beam

The motion of a spherical transparent nanoparticle under the influence of radiation forces in the field of a Gaussian laser beam is investigated based on solution of Langevin equation. Expressions governing transverse and longitudinal velocities of the nanoparticle under the action of gradient and scattering forces are derived and analyzed. The possibility of spatial separation of nanoparticles having different sizes and optical properties is discussed.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Concentration Response of Spherical Particles in the Field of Interfering Laser Waves

A theory of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the concentration response of transparent spherical particles in a liquid in a confined region under the action of a gradient force in the field of interfering laser waves is developed in the Rayleigh-Gans approximation. For the case of a relatively small variation in the concentration of particles, an analytical solution of the Smoluchowski equation is obtained, on the basis of which the kinetics of the formation of spatial concentration structures induced by the gradient force is investigated. The process of the concentration response relaxation is studied.

Free polarization decay in media with a short-range dipole-dipole interatomic interaction

The effect that may be exerted by an interatomic dipole-dipole interaction upon optical transient processes in dense resonance media, in particular, free polarization decay, is analyzed. The behavior of the macroscopic polarization after a single-pulse excitation of a dense ensemble of two-level atoms is considered. It is shown that the free polarization signal is of oscillatory nature, with the oscillation frequency varying in time and being dependent on the dipole-dipole interaction constant, the intensity and duration of the exciting pulse, and the detuning of its carrier frequency from the resonance. The free polarization signal decay, which depends on the magnitude and sign of the sum of the detuning of the exciting pulse carrier frequency from the resonance and the Lorentz frequency, may obey either a power or an exponential law. The signal decay rate is determined not only by the inhomogeneous broadening, but also by the ratio of the above parameters.

Influence of the effect of librations on energy exchange between ultrashort light counterpulses in a medium with Kerr nonlinearity

The influence of the effect of molecular librations on the interaction of high-power ultrashort counterpulses in Kerr liquids with anisotropic molecules is investigated. Molecular librations are shown to substantially affect the shape of the output pulses. A narrow peak with an intensity fourfold to fivefold higher than the input-pulse intensity develops on the leading edge. This peak is followed by a series of narrow damped spikes, the duration of which correlates with the libration time.