John A. Nees

Ultra-high intensity- 300-TW laser at 0.1 Hz repetition rate.

We demonstrate the highest intensity - 300 TW laser by developing booster amplifying stage to the 50-TW-Ti:sapphire laser (HERCULES). To our knowledge this is the first multi-100TW-scale laser at 0.1 Hz repetition rate.

Diode-pumped Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:KY(WO 4 ) 2 laser

A self-starting Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:KY(WO(4))(2) laser directly end pumped by two 1.6-W diodes is demonstrated for what is to our knowledge the first time. Pulses as short as 71 fs with 120-mW average output power, at a center wavelength of 1057 nm, were obtained at a repetition rate of 110 MHz. A 10-nm tuning range was achieved with longer pulses and higher average output power.

Multiple Colliding Electromagnetic Pulses: A Way to Lower the Threshold of e+e- Pair Production from Vacuum

The scheme of a simultaneous multiple pulse focusing on one spot naturally arises from the structural features of projected new laser systems, such as the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and High Power laser Energy Research (HiPER). It is shown that the multiple pulse configuration is beneficial for observing e+ e- pair production from a vacuum under the action of sufficiently strong electromagnetic fields. The field of focused pulses is described using a realistic three-dimensional model based on an exact solution of the Maxwell equations. The e+ e- pair production threshold in terms of electromagnetic field energy can be substantially lowered if, instead of one or even two colliding pulses, multiple pulses are focused on one spot. The multiple pulse interaction geometry gives rise to subwavelength field features in the focal region. These features result in the production of extremely short e+ e- bunches.

Wave-front correction of femtosecond terawatt lasers by deformable mirrors

Wave-front correction and focal spot improvement of femtosecond laser beams have been achieved, for the first time to our knowledge, with a deformable mirror with an on-line single-shot three-wave lateral shearing interferometer diagnostic. Wave-front distortions of a 100-fs laser that are due to third-order nonlinear effects have been compensated for. This technique, which permits correction in a straightforward process that requires no feedback loop, is also used on a 10-TW Ti:sapphire-Nd:phosphate glass laser in the subpicosecond regime. We also demonstrate that having a focal spot close to the diffraction limit does not constitute a good criterion for the quality of the laser in terms of peak intensity.

Epitaxial SnO2 thin films grown on (1̄012) sapphire by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition

An ultrafast (100 fs) Ti sapphire laser (780 nm) was used for the deposition of SnO2 thin films. The laser-induced plasma generated from the SnO2 target was characterized by optical emission spectroscopy and electrostatic energy analysis. It was found that the ionic versus excited-neutral component ratio in the plasma plume depends strongly on the amount of background oxygen introduced to the deposition chamber. Epitaxial SnO2 films with high quality and a very smooth surface were deposited on the (1012) sapphire substrate fabricated at 700 °C with an oxygen background pressure of ∼0.1 mTorr. The films are single crystalline with the rutile structure, resulting from the high similarity in oxygen octahedral configurations between the sapphire (1012) surface and the SnO2 (101) surface. Hall effect measurements showed that the electron mobility of the SnO2 film is lower than that of bulk single crystal SnO2, which is caused by the scattering of conduction electrons at the film surface, substrate/film inter...

Table-Top Laser-Based Source of Femtosecond, Collimated, Ultrarelativistic Positron Beams

The generation of ultrarelativistic positron beams with short duration (τ(e+) ≃ 30  fs), small divergence (θ(e+) ≃ 3  mrad), and high density (n(e+) ≃ 10(14)-10(15)  cm(-3)) from a fully optical setup is reported. The detected positron beam propagates with a high-density electron beam and γ rays of similar spectral shape and peak energy, thus closely resembling the structure of an astrophysical leptonic jet. It is envisaged that this experimental evidence, besides the intrinsic relevance to laser-driven particle acceleration, may open the pathway for the small-scale study of astrophysical leptonic jets in the laboratory.

Pair Creation in QED-Strong Pulsed Laser Fields Interacting with Electron Beams

QED effects are known to occur in a strong laser pulse interaction with a counterpropagating electron beam, among these effects being electron-positron pair creation. We discuss the range of laser pulse intensities of J≥5×10(22) W/cm2 combined with electron beam energies of tens of GeV. In this regime multiple pairs may be generated from a single beam electron, some of the newborn particles being capable of further pair production. Radiation backreaction prevents avalanche development and limits pair creation. The system of integro-differential kinetic equations for electrons, positrons and γ photons is derived and solved numerically.

Photoconductive sampling probe with 2.3‐ps temporal resolution and 4‐μV sensitivity

We report on a novel probe technology which is applied to the measurement of high‐speed guided electrical signals. The probe consists of a high‐impedance gate fabricated using an interdigitated electrode structure on semi‐insulating, low‐temperature‐grown GaAs, and its operation is based on the optoelectronic technique of photoconductive sampling. The probe has a dynamic range of ≳106, permitting the linear measurement of short‐duration signals with amplitudes ranging from microvolts up to several volts. Its resistance is 100 MΩ, and its capacitance is less than 0.1 fF, making this probe attractive for noninvasive, external circuit testing of ultrahigh‐speed devices and circuits.

Dynamics of emitting electrons in strong laser fields

A new derivation of the motion of a radiating electron is given, leading to a formulation that differs from the Lorentz–Abraham–Dirac equation and its published modifications. It satisfies the proper conservation laws. Particularly, it conserves the generalized momentum, eliminating the symmetry-breaking runaway solution. The equation allows a consistent calculation of the electron current, the radiation effect on the electron momentum, and the radiation itself, for a single electron or plasma electrons in strong electromagnetic fields. The equation is then applied to a simulation of a strong laser pulse interaction with a plasma target. Some analytical solutions are also provided.

1.4 ps rise‐time high‐voltage photoconductive switching

We report on the generation of 825 V electrical pulses with 1.4 ps rise time and 4.0 ps duration using a pulse‐biased low‐temperature‐grown GaAs photoconductive switch triggered by an amplified femtosecond dye laser. Dependence of the pulse shape on both electric field and optical energy is observed and discussed.