A. Nishida

Inhibition of fast electron energy deposition due to preplasma filling of cone-attached targets

We present experimental and numerical results on the propagation and energy deposition of laser-generated fast electrons into conical targets. The first part reports on experimental measurements performed in various configurations in order to assess the predicted benefit of conical targets over standard planar ones. For the conditions investigated here, the fast electron-induced heating is found to be much weaker in cone-guided targets irradiated at a laser wavelength of 1.057μm, whereas frequency doubling of the laser pulse permits us to bridge the disparity between conical and planar targets. This result underscores the prejudicial role of the prepulse-generated plasma, whose confinement is enhanced in conical geometry. The second part is mostly devoted to the particle-in-cell modeling of the laser-cone interaction. In qualitative agreement with the experimental data, the calculations show that the presence of a large preplasma leads to a significant decrease in the fast electron density and energy flux...

Experimental observation of frequency up-conversion by flash ionization

We have demonstrated frequency up-conversion in the terahertz (THz) region by flash ionization, which occurs due a terahertz wave interacting with a plasma created by an ultrashort laser pulse. The upshift frequency is controlled by the plasma density. We performed a proof-of-principle experiment with a plasma creation time scale much shorter than the period of the electromagnetic wave and a plasma length longer than its wavelength. We upshifted the frequency from 0.35 to 3.5 THz by irradiating a ZnSe crystal with a Ti:sapphire laser pulse.

A tapered parallel plate waveguide for frequency up-conversion of terahertz radiation

A tapered parallel plate waveguide was developed for frequency up-conversion experiments in the terahertz (THz) region by flash ionization. The element at the plasma-source-wave interaction area determines the conversion efficiency. It causes THz pulses to converge to a narrow plate separation, which is smaller than the wavelength. The waveguide exhibited good performance for transmitting p-polarized THz pulses in a 50 μm separation, making it suitable for flash ionization experiments.

Terahertz wave frequency upconversion by rapidly plasma creation

Summary form only given. When plasmas are instantaneously created around an electromagnetic wave, frequency of the wave up-converted to the frequency, which depends on the plasma frequency. This phenomenon is called as the flash-ionization predicted by S. C. Wilks et. al. [1]. The theory requires not only the plasma creation in time much shorter than an oscillation period of the electromagnetic wave but also plasma length much longer than a wavelength of it. We have demonstrated the proof of principle experiment using the interaction between a terahertz wave and plasmas created by an ultra short laser pulse, which ensures the plasma creation time-scale much shorter than a period of electromagnetic source wave and plasma length longer than a wavelength of the wave. We observed frequency up-conversion from 0.35 THz to 3.3 THz by the irradiance of the Ti:S laser in ZnSe crystal.

Study of novel plasma devices generated by high power lasers coupled with a micro-pulse power technology

The authors have proposed introducing a micro pulse power technology in high power laser plasma experiments to boost up the return current, resulting in efficiently guiding of energetic electrons. High current pulse power generators with a pulse laser trigger system generate high-density plasma that is well conductor. To efficiently guiding by using a micro pulse power, we estimated parameter of a micro pulse power system that is voltage of rise time, current, charging voltage and capacitance.