E. S. Sunchugasheva

Filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses governed by variable wavefront distortions via a deformable mirror

Filamentation of focused UV and IR femtosecond laser pulses and plasma channel formation governed by variable wavefront distortions was experimentally and numerically studied. A deformable mirror was used to control the plasma channel length by introducing a spherical aberration into the initial transverse spatial distribution of a femtosecond laser pulse. An at least double increase of the plasma channel length was observed with increasing deformation of the mirror. Numerical calculations show that the hat-like phase shape of the aberration ensures that the energy of the initial laser pulse remains confined for a longer distance within the limited transverse size of the filament.

Fusion of regularized femtosecond filaments in air: far field on-axis emission

The fusion of several coherent 800 nm femtosecond filaments is induced experimentally and numerically by transmitting a beam through a mask with circular apertures followed by the focusing lens. The far-field image of the four-filament fusion region reveals bright on-axis maximum and differs drastically from the diffraction pattern of a low energy beam propagating through the mask in the linear regime. In 3D+time numerical simulations with the carrier wave resolved we show a factor-of-5 saturable growth in the peak plasma density with successive increase in the number of mask openings. An overall spectral blueshift of the fundamental and the third harmonics follows the plasma density increase. The simulated far-field on-axis emission agrees with the experiment and serves as the indication of nonlinear interaction in the fusion region.

Features of focused propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses in air under low pressure

The results of theoretical and experimental investigations of the influence of air pressure on the dimensional and power parameters of preliminary focused GW femtosecond laser radiation are presented. A nonlinear region of the focus of a laser beam is examined. It is established that in rarefied air the achievement of higher values of laser radiation intensity in the focal waist is possible due to a decrease in the plasma blocking action.

Spectroscopy based on target luminescence caused by interaction with UV filaments

We proposed remote spectroscopy approach consisted in luminescence light utilization. During interaction with different targets ultrashort UV laser pulse generates broadband spectrum light, which can be applied for remote spectroscopy purposes. We selected appropriate target materials to cover required spectral range from 300 to 600 nm and provided an example of spectrum reconstruction of known material. Obtained spectra are in a good correlation with calculated ones.We proposed remote spectroscopy approach consisted in luminescence light utilization. During interaction with different targets ultrashort UV laser pulse generates broadband spectrum light, which can be applied for remote spectroscopy purposes. We selected appropriate target materials to cover required spectral range from 300 to 600 nm and provided an example of spectrum reconstruction of known material. Obtained spectra are in a good correlation with calculated ones.

Fifteen meter long uninterrupted filaments from sub-terawatt ultraviolet pulse in air

A technique is presented to create uninterrupted long ultraviolet filaments in air using appropriately structured transmission mesh. The mesh with different cell sizes was inserted into 10-cm parallel beam of 0.2-J, 248-nm, and 870-fs pulse propagating along ~100-m corridor. Transverse positions of multiple filaments formed by the optimum size cells were reproducible within at least 15 m along the propagation path. 3D+time simulations confirmed uninterrupted plasma channels with fixed positions in the transverse space similar to the experiment. Unoptimized cell size resulted in filaments shifting towards the cell center and destruction of uninterrupted filaments.

Plasma channels under filamentation of infrared and ultraviolet double femtosecond laser pulses

The influence of a plasma channel, created by a filament of focused UV or IR femtosecond laser pulse (λ = 248 or 740 nm), on the characteristics of another plasma channel formed by a femtosecond pulse at the same wavelength following the first one with varied nanosecond time delays was experimentally studied. The dependence of the optical transparency of the first channel and the plasma density of the second channel on the time delay was demonstrated to be quite different for such double UV and IR femtosecond pulses.An influence of plasma channel created by a filament of focused UV or IR femtosecond laser pulse ({\lambda}=248 nm or 740 nm) on characteristics of other plasma channel formed by a femtosecond pulse at the same wavelength following the first one with varied nanosecond time delay was experimentally studied. A dependence of optical transparency of the first channel and plasma density of the second channel on the time delay was demonstrated to be quite different for such a double UV and IR femtosecond pulses.

Experimental capabilities of the GARPUN MTW Ti : sapphire – KrF laser facility for investigating the interaction of subpicosecond UV pulses with targets*

This paper describes the first experiments carried out on the GARPUN MTW Ti : sapphire – KrF hybrid laser facility and aimed at gaining insight into the interaction of subpicosecond UV pulses with solid and structured low-density carbon nanotube targets at peak intensities of ~1016 W cm−2 in a focal spot ~70 μm in size. Using X-ray absorbers, the plasma electron temperature has been measured to be ~850 eV. In our experiments, we used an optimal configuration: direct double-pass ultrashort-pulse (USP) amplification in KrF amplifier stages, with multiple laser beam filamentation suppression in a xenon-filled cell. The highest energy on a target was 0.25 J at a USP contrast relative to amplified spontaneous emission of ~3 × 1010 for intensities and ~3 × 105 for fluences. Owing to two-photon resonance in the UV spectral region, the use of xenon, with a negative nonlinear refractive index, allowed us to make the cross-sectional fluence distribution more uniform and reduce the beam divergence to 0.14 mrad (at the 10 % intensity level). Reducing the USP duration via negatively chirped pulse amplification and filamentation suppression and reducing the focal spot size on a target by using parabolic short-focus optics are expected to ensure an increase in the intensity incident on the target by one to two orders of magnitude.

Parameters of intense light channels during the postfilamentation stage of ultrashort laser radiation evolution

Results of laboratory and numerical experiments on the multiple filamentation of high-power pulse Ti:Sapphire laser radiation (740 nm) in air are presented. The postfilamentation stage of pulse propagation in the form of intensive spatially localized light structures is investigated. The angular divergence of postfilamentation channels is studied under variation in the initial laser beam focusing. The threshold distance for the refilamentation of postfilamentation channels in a glass plate is measured.

Major pathway for multiphoton air ionization at 248 nm laser wavelength

Multiphoton ionization mechanisms and ionization rates of atmospheric air and constituent gases are studied at the 248-nm KrF laser wavelength within a laser pulse intensity range of 108–1013 W/cm2 using both long 25-ns and short 160-fs pulses. We have experimentally shown that it is the photoionization of water vapor naturally contained in atmospheric air that acts as the dominant process of air ionization. (2 + 1) Resonance-Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) occurs through 2-photon resonant excitation of water molecules, which results in a quadratic dependence of electron density on laser intensity at lower laser intensities of 108–1010 W/cm2 in the long pulse and in a cubic dependence at higher intensities of 1010–1013 W/cm2 in the short pulse. Direct 3-photon ionization and (3 + 1) REMPI take place in pure O2 and N2, respectively, and their contributions to air ionization are in the ratio of 5:3. The total ionization rate of O2 and N2 in atmospheric air is about an order of magnitude less than th...

Kerr self-defocusing of multiple filaments in TW peak power UV laser beam

An effective suppression of multiple filamentation of the sub-TW peak power supercritical laser beam in xenon gas was demonstrated in direct amplification of subpicosecond UV pulses at Ti:sapphire/KrF laser facility GARPUN-MTW. A large negative nonlinear refractive index due to a two-photon resonance of KrF laser radiation with Xe state ensured Kerr self-defocusing of a few hundred filaments with a local peak intensity of ~0.2 TW cm−2, 200-fold higher than the average one over the beam cross section, and thus homogenized the laser beam. UV filaments in Xe produced a narrow-angle monochromatic coherent cone emission at 828 nm wavelength due to stimulated hyper-Raman scattering and amplified spontaneous emission at the transition .