Luis Roso

Beyond carbon K-edge harmonic emission using a spatial and temporal synthesized laser field.

We present numerical simulations of high-order harmonic generation in helium using a temporally synthesized and spatially nonhomogeneous strong laser field. The combination of temporal and spatial laser field synthesis results in a dramatic cutoff extension far beyond the usual semiclassical limit. Our predictions are based on the convergence of three complementary approaches: resolution of the three dimensional time dependent Schrödinger equation, time-frequency analysis of the resulting dipole moment, and classical trajectory extraction. A laser field synthesized both spatially and temporally has been proven capable of generating coherent extreme ultraviolet photons beyond the carbon K edge, an energy region of high interest as it can be used to initiate inner-shell dynamics and study time-resolved intramolecular attosecond spectroscopy.

Femtosecond laser written surface waveguides fabricated in Nd:YAG ceramics

Near surface channel waveguides have been fabricated in Neodymium doped YAG ceramics by using IR femtosecond laser irradiation at the low frequency regime. Single mode guidance has been demonstrated with propagation losses of ~1 dB/cm. Time resolved confocal micro-luminescence experiments have been used to determine the spectroscopic properties of the Nd(3+) laser ions in the channel waveguide as well as to elucidate the waveguide formation processes.

Transferring orbital and spin angular momenta of light to atoms

Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), such as Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams, give rise to the violation of the standard dipolar selection rules during interaction with matter, yielding, in general, an exchange of angular momentum larger than per absorbed photon. By means of ab initio three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations, we investigate in detail the interaction of a hydrogen atom with intense Gaussian and LG light pulses. We analyze the dependence of the angular momentum exchange with the polarization, the OAM and the carrier-envelope phase of light, as well as with the relative position between the atom and the light vortex. In addition, a quantum-trajectory approach based on the de Broglie–Bohm formulation of quantum mechanics is used to gain physical insight into the absorption of angular momentum by the hydrogen atom.

Spatiotemporal amplitude-and-phase reconstruction by Fourier-transform of interference spectra of high-complex-beams

We propose what we believe to be a novel method to reconstruct the spatiotemporal amplitude and phase of the electric field of ultrashort laser pulses using spatially resolved spectral interferometry. This method is based on a fiber-optic coupler interferometer that has certain advantages in comparison with standard interferometer systems, such as being alignment-free and selection of the reference beam at a single point. Our technique, which we refer to as the SpatioTemporal Amplitude-and-phase Reconstruction by Fourier-transform of Interference Spectra of High-complex-beams, offers compactness and simplicity. We report its application to the experimental characterization of chirped pulses and to spatiotemporal reconstructions of a convergent beam as well as plane-plane and spherical-plane waves interferences, which we check with our simulations.

Thermally resistant waveguides fabricated in Nd:YAG ceramics by crossing femtosecond damage filaments

We report on femtosecond laser writing of channel waveguides in Nd(3+) ion doped YAG ceramics by multiple inscriptions of damage filaments. Waveguiding between filaments was found to resist annealing temperatures as high as 1500 degrees C. Microluminescence imaging experiments have been carried out to elucidate the potential application of the obtained waveguides as integrated laser sources as well as to elucidate the waveguiding mechanisms.

Photoionization with Orbital Angular Momentum Beams

Intense laser ionization expands Einsteins photoelectric effect rules giving a wealth of phenomena widely studied over the last decades. In all cases, so far, photons were assumed to carry one unit of angular momentum. However it is now clear that photons can possess extra angular momentum, the orbital angular momentum (OAM), related to their spatial profile. We show a complete description of photoionization by OAM photons, including new selection rules involving more than one unit of angular momentum. We explore theoretically the interaction of a single electron atom located at the center of an intense ultraviolet beam bearing OAM, envisaging new scenarios for quantum optics.

Generation of attosecond pulse trains during the reflection of a very intense laser on a solid surface

The normal-incidence reflectivity of a plasma generated on a solid surface by a very intense laser field is studied. We demonstrate that the reflected field has the form of trains of subfemtosecond pulses under suitable conditions. Particle-in-cell computations are presented and compared with a naive moving-mirror model. The physical origin of this behavior is discussed in terms of the relativistic motion of the electron plasma.

Optical investigation of femtosecond laser induced microstress in neodymium doped lithium niobate crystals

The depth-resolved micromodification of single-crystalline femtosecond laser irradiated Nd3+ doped MgO:LiNbO3 crystals is investigated by means of micro-Raman and microluminescence experiments. We have found that a permanent tensile stress of the order of 2GPa is induced in the vicinity of ablated volume as a consequence of the pressure-wave propagation due to the thermoelastic relaxation of the laser irradiated material. Microluminescence experiments have revealed that, as a consequence of the permanent laser induced microstress, a localized redshift of the F3∕24→I9∕24 luminescence band of Nd3+ ions also takes place due to a crystal field modification. The analysis of Raman and fluorescence bandwidths indicates that a slight lattice disorder and densification is induced by femtosecond laser irradiation.

Harmonic generation beyond the Strong-Field Approximation: the physics behind the short-wave-infrared scaling laws

The physics of laser-mater interactions beyond the perturbative limit configures the field of extreme non-linear optics. Although most experiments have been done in the near infrared ( lambda <or= 1 microm), the situation is changing nowadays with the development of sources at longer wavelengths (<5 microm), opening new perspectives in the synthesis of shorter XUV attosecond pulses and higher frequencies. The theory of intense-field interactions is based either on the exact numerical integration of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation or in the development of models, mostly based on the strong-field approximation. Recent studies in the short-wave infrared show a divergence between the predictions of these models and the exact results. In this paper we will show that this discrepancy reveals the incompleteness of our present understanding of high-order harmonic generation. We discuss the physical grounds, provide a theoretical framework beyond the standard approximations and develop a compact approach that accounts for the correct scaling of the harmonic yield.

Anisotropic lattice changes in femtosecond laser inscribed Nd3+:MgO:LiNbO3 optical waveguides

We report on the fabrication and microspectroscopy imaging of femtosecond laser written double-filament based Nd3+:MgO:LiNbO3 optical waveguides. The waveguiding high refractive-index regions are identified by blueshifts of the Nd3+ ion fluorescence lines with no deterioration in the fluorescence efficiency, whereas filamentary low-index regions are identified by both a Nd3+ line redshift and a fluorescence efficiency reduction. The lattice structural micromodifications at the origin of both waveguide formation and Nd3+ fluorescence changes have been investigated by means of confocal micro-Raman experiments. We have found that the direct laser written filaments are mainly constituted by a large density of defects, together with a marked axial compression perpendicular to the filaments (along the optical c-axis). Conversely, the high-index waveguiding regions are characterized by a pronounced anisotropic dilatation of the LiNbO3 lattice xy-planes.