Development of miniaturized SAF-LIBS with high repetition rate acousto-optic gating for quantitative analysis

The self-absorption effect in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)reduces the accuracy of quantitative measurement results.The self-absorption-free LIBS(SAF-LIBS)has been proved to directly capture the optically thin plasma spectra by setting an appropriate exposure time.In this work,a novel SAF-LIBS technique with high repetition rate acousto-optic gating is developed,in which an acousto-optic modulator is used as the shutter to diffract the optically thin fluorescence,and a high repetition rate laser is used to produce quasi-continuous plasmas to enhance the integral spectral intensity,so that the CCD spectrometer can replace an intensified CCD(ICCD)and echelle spectrometer in SAF-LIBS.Experimental results show that the average absolute prediction error of aluminum is reduced to 0.18%,which is equivalent to that of traditional SAF-LIBS.This technique not only effectively shields continuous background radiation and broadened spectral lines in optically thick plasma,but also has advantages of miniaturization,low cost,convenience and reliability.

Erbium-Doped Zirconia-Alumina Silica Glass-Based Fiber as a Saturable Absorber for High Repetition Rate Q-Switched All-Fiber Laser Generation

We propose and demonstrate a Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） using an erbium-doped zirconia-alumina silica glass-based fiber （Zr-EDF） as a saturable absorber. As a 16-cm-long Zr-EDF is incorporated into a ring EDFL cavity, a stable Q-switching pulse train operating at 1565？nm wavelength is successfully obtained. The repetition rate is tunable from 33.97？kHz to 71.23？kHz by increasing the pump power from the threshold of 26？mW to the maximum of 74？mW. The highest pulse energy of 26.67？nJ is obtained at the maximum pump power.

Science Letters:Controllable high repetition rate gain-switchedNd:YVO_4 microchip laser

We demonstrated a monolithic, compact, diode-pumped gain-switched Nd:YVO4 laser at 1.064 μm wavelength with controllable repetition rate of 1 Hz to 25 kHz. Stable gain-switched pulse train with maximum repetition rate of 25 kHz and pulse width of 16 ns was obtained.

Development of a high-repetition-rate lumped-inductance kicker magnet prototype for the beam switchyard of SHINE

The Shanghai high-repetition-rate X-ray free-electron laser and extreme light facility(SHINE)operates at a maximum repetition rate of 1 MHz.Kicker magnets are key components that distribute electron bunches into three different undulator lines in a bunch-by-bunch mode.The kicker field width must be less than the time interval between bunches.A lumpedinductance kicker prototype was developed using a vacuum chamber with a single-turn coil.The full magnetic field strength was 0.005 T.This paper presents the requirements,design considerations,design parameters,magnetic field calculations,and measurements of the kicker magnets.The relevant experimental results are also presented.The pulse width of the magnetic field was approximately 600 ns,and the maximum operation repetition rate was 1 MHz.The developed kicker satisfies the requirements for the SHINE project.Finally,numerous recommendations for the future optimization of kicker magnets are provided.

Characteristics and suppression of beam distortion in a high repetition rate nanosecond stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugation mirror

The stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugation mirror (SBS-PCM) based on liquid media is widely used in high-power laser systems due to its robust thermal load capacity, high energy conversion efficiency and improved beam quality. Nevertheless, with an increase in the pump repetition rate, thermally-induced blooming and optical breakdown can emerge, leading to distortions in the Stokes beam. In this study, we delved into the thermal effects in liquid SBS-PCMs employing hydrodynamic analysis, establishing a relationship between beam profile distortion and the thermal convection field. We calculated the temperature and convection velocity distribution based on the pump light parameters and recorded the corresponding beam profiles. The intensities of the beam profiles were modulated in alignment with the convection directions, reaching a velocity peak of 2.85 mm/s at a pump pulse repetition rate of 250 Hz. The residual sum of squares (RSS) was employed to quantify the extent of beam profile distortion relative to a Gaussian distribution. The RSS escalated to 7.8, in contrast to 0.7 of the pump light at a pump pulse repetition rate of 500 Hz. By suppressing thermal convection using a high-viscosity medium, we effectively mitigated beam distortion. The RSS was reduced to 0.7 at a pump pulse repetition rate of 500 Hz, coinciding with a twentyfold increase in viscosity, thereby enhancing the beam quality. By integrating hydrodynamic analysis, we elucidated and mitigated distortion with targeted solutions. Our research offers an interdisciplinary perspective on studying thermal effects and contributes to the application of SBS-PCMs in high-repetition-rate laser systems by unveiling the mechanism of photothermal effects.

High repetition rate ultrafast laser-structured nickel electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Laser processing with high-power ultrashort pulses,which promises high precision and efficiency,is an emerging new tool for material structuring.High repetition rate ultrafast laser highlighting with a higher degree of freedom in its burst mode is believed to be able to create micro/nanostructures with even more variety,which is promising for electrochemical applications.We employ a homemade high repetition rate ultrafast fiber laser for structuring metal nickel(Ni)and thus preparing electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)for the first time,we believe.Different processing parameters are designed to create three groups of samples with different micro/nanostructures.The various micro/nanostructures not only increase the surface area of the Ni electrode but also regulate local electric field and help discharge hydrogen bubbles,which offer more favorable conditions for HER.All groups of the laser-structured Ni exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activity for HER in the alkaline solution.Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the overpotential at 10 mAcm−2 can be decreased as much as 182 mV compared with the overpotential of the untreated Ni(−457 mV versus RHE).

High efficiency,low threshold,high repetition rate H-βFraunhofer line light at 486.1 nm generation by an intracavity frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator

A high efficiency,low threshold,high repetition rate H-βFraunhofer line light at 486.1 nm was demonstrated.A high-efficiency KTP optical parametric oscillator was achieved by double-pass pumping with a high-maturity 5 kHz 532 nm laser.Thanks to the efficient intracavity frequency doubling of the circulating signal wave by a BIBO crystal,the threshold pump power of the 486.1 nm output was 0.9 W,and the maximum output power of 1.6 W was achieved under the pump power of7.5 W.The optical–optical conversion efficiency was 21.3%,with the pulse duration of 45.2 ns,linewidth of~0.12 nm,and beam quality factor M~2 of 2.83.

Key technologies implementation of high-repetition-rate satellite laser ranging

Satellite laser ranging （SLR） is one of the major space geodetic instruments, which has various applications in earth science. In this paper, we introduce several issues regarding the key technology implementation of high-repetition-rate SLR system. Compared with traditional technology, using kHz and 8ps pulse width laser component, the data quantity and quality of high-repetition-rate satellite laser ranging （SLR） can be significantly improved. The characteristics of high-repetition-rate laser ranging and the key technologies are presented, including the event timer with the precision of picosecond, the generation of range gate signal, and so on. All of them are based on the Field Programmable Gate Arrays （FPGA） and tested on China mobile SLR system-TROS1000. Finally, the observations of satellite Beacon-C are given.

A 2D scintillator-based proton detector for high repetition rate experiments

We present a scintillator-based detector able to measure the proton energy and the spatial distribution with a relatively simple design.It has been designed and built at the Spanish Center for Pulsed Lasers(CLPU)in Salamanca and tested in the proton accelerator at the Centro de Micro-Análisis de Materiales(CMAM)in Madrid.The detector is capable of being set in the high repetition rate(HRR)mode and reproduces the performance of the radiochromic film detector.It represents a new class of online detectors for laser-plasma physics experiments in the newly emerging high power laser laboratories working at HRR.

High repetition rate actively mode-locked Er:fiber laser with tunable pulse duration

An actively mode-locked fiber laser with controllable pulse repetition rate and tunable pulse duration is presented,in which an optical delay line(ODL)is used to adjust the cavity length precisely for regulating the repetition rate,and a semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA)is introduced for enabling the pulse duration control.Experimentally,continuous tuning of the repetition rate from 2 GHz to 6 GHz is realized,which is limited by the availability of an even higher repetition rate radiofrequency(RF)source.Specifically,when the repetition rate is fixed at 2.5 GHz,the pulse duration can be tuned from 4 ps to30 ps,which is,to the best of our knowledge,the widest tuning range of pulse duration ever achieved in a gigahertz(GHz)repetition rate actively mode-locked 1.5μm fiber laser oscillator.

Midinfrared optical frequency comb based on difference frequency generation using high repetition rate Er-doped fiber laser with single wall carbon nanotube film

We demonstrated stable midinfrared(MIR) optical frequency comb at the 3.0 μm region with difference frequency generation pumped by a high power, Er-doped, ultrashort pulse fiber laser system. A soliton mode-locked161 MHz high repetition rate fiber laser using a single wall carbon nanotube was fabricated. The output pulse was amplified in an Er-doped single mode fiber amplifier, and a 1.1–2.2 μm wideband supercontinuum(SC) with an average power of 205 m W was generated in highly nonlinear fiber. The spectrogram of the generated SC was examined both experimentally and numerically. The generated SC was focused into a nonlinear crystal, and stable generation of MIR comb around the 3 μm wavelength region was realized.

A compact Tirsapphire femtosecond pulse amplifier without stretcher at high repetition rate

We report a simple approach to amplify Ti:sapphire femtosecond pulses to moderate energy levels by a chirped regenerative amplifier. The seed pulses are broaden naturally because of the material dispersion of system components in regenerative cavity. The off-focusing Ti:sapphire crystal avoids effectively the optical damage. It sustains amplification over a wavelength range from 775 nm to more than 810 nm with a birefringent filter and an oscillation bandwidth of 7.7 nm, and produces 2.1 ps chirped output pulse energy of 100 uJ at 1.1-mJ pumping energy. This system shows good performances in stability and efficiency with the benefits of two thin-film polarizers and TEMoo mode pumping laser.

Harmonic-enhanced high-gain harmonic generation for a high repetition rate free-electron laser

High-gain harmonic generation(HGHG) is effective to produce fully coherent free-electron laser(FEL) pulses for various scientific applications. Due to the limitation of seed lasers, HGHG typically operates at a low repetition rate.In this paper, a harmonic-enhanced HGHG scheme is proposed to relax the peak power requirement for the seed laser,which can therefore operate at megahertz and a higher repetition rate. Moreover, the setup of the scheme is compact and can be adopted in an existing single-stage HGHG facility to extend the shortest achievable wavelength. Simulations show that FEL emission at 13.5 nm(20th harmonic) can be obtained with a 270 nm, 1 MW(peak power) seed laser.

High repetition rate exploration of the Biermann battery effect in laser produced plasmas over large spatial regions

In this paper we present a high repetition rate experimental platform for examining the spatial structure and evolution of Biermann-generated magnetic fields in laser-produced plasmas.We have extended the work of prior experiments,which spanned over millimeter scales,by spatially measuring magnetic fields in multiple planes on centimeter scales over thousands of laser shots.Measurements with magnetic fiux probes show azimuthally symmetric magnetic fields that range from 60 G at 0.7 cm from the target to 7 G at 4.2 cm from the target.The expansion rate of the magnetic fields and evolution of current density structures are also mapped and examined.Electron temperature and density of the laser-produced plasma are measured with optical Thomson scattering and used to directly calculate a magnetic Reynolds number of 1.4×10^(4),confirming that magnetic advection is dominant at≥1.5 cm from the target surface.The results are compared to FLASH simulations,which show qualitative agreement with the data.

A multi-shot target wheel assembly for high-repetition-rate, laser-driven proton acceleration

A multi-shot target assembly and automatic alignment procedure for laser–plasma proton acceleration at high repetition rate are introduced.The assembly is based on a multi-target rotating wheel capable of hosting more than 5000 targets,mounted on a 3D motorized stage to allow rapid replenishment and alignment of the target material between laser irradiations.The automatic alignment procedure consists of a detailed mapping of the impact positions at the target surface prior to the irradiation that ensures stable operation of the target,which alongside the purpose-built design of the target wheel,enables operation at rates up to 10 Hz.Stable and continuous laser-driven proton acceleration at 10 Hz is demonstrated,with observed cut-off energy stability about 15%.

Generation of 10 fs Ti:sapphire laser at repetition rate of 525 MHz and measurement of carrier-envelope phase frequency

This paper presents a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti：sapphire laser at the repetition rate of 525 MHz, stable laser pulse as short as 10 fs with average output power of 480 mW is obtained. By injecting the pulse into photonics crystal fibre, octave-spanning spectrum covered from 500 to 1050 nm is generated, carrier-envelope phase frequency with signal-to- noise ratio of 31dB is measured, which paves the way for the generation of a compact frequency comb.

High-repetition-rate seeded free-electron laser enhanced by self-modulation

The spectroscopic methods for the ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics of materials require fully coherent extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray radiation with high-average brightness.Seeded free-electron lasers(FELs)are ideal sources for delivering fully coherent soft X-ray pulses.However,due to state-of-theart laser system limitations,it is challenging to meet the ultraviolet seed laser’s requirements of sufficient energy modulation and high repetition rates simultaneously.The self-modulation scheme has been proposed and recently demonstrated in a seeded FEL to relax the seed laser requirements.Using numerical simulations,we show that the required seed laser intensity in the self-modulation is~3 orders of magnitude lower than that in the standard high-gain harmonic generation(HGHG).The harmonic self-modulation can launch a singlestage HGHG FEL lasing at the 30th harmonic of the seed laser.Moreover,the proof-of-principle experimental results confirm that the harmonic self-modulation can still amplify the laser-induced energy modulation.These achievements reveal that the self-modulation can not only remarkably reduce the requirements of the seed laser but also improve the harmonic upconversion efficiency,which paves the way for realizing high-repetitionrate and fully coherent soft X-ray FELs.

Spectral manipulation in a high-power ultrafast fiber laser system generating ultrashort pulses with GHz repetition rate

In this work,we demonstrate the spectral manipulation in an ultrafast fiber laser system that generates ultrashort pulses with a repetition rate of 1.2 GHz and two switchable modes—a 1064-nm fundamental laser mode with a maximum output power of 66.6 W,and a 1125-nm Raman laser mode with a maximum output power of 17.23 W.The pulse width,beam quality,and power stability are carefully characterized.We also investigate a method to switch between the two modes by manipulating the duty cycle of the modulation signal.It is anticipated that this bi-mode ultrafast fiber laser system can be a promising ultrafast laser source for frontier applications,such as micromachining,bioimaging,and spectroscopy.

P3: An installation for high-energy density plasma physics and ultra-high intensity laserematter interaction at ELI-Beamlines

ELI-Beamlines(ELI-BL),one of the three pillars of the Extreme Light Infrastructure endeavour,will be in a unique position to perform research in high-energy-density-physics(HEDP),plasma physics and ultra-high intensity(UHI)ð>10^(22) W=cm^(2)) lasereplasma interaction.Recently the need for HED laboratory physics was identified and the P3(plasma physics platform)installation under construction in ELI-BL will be an answer.The ELI-BL 10 PW laser makes possible fundamental research topics from high-field physics to new extreme states of matter such as radiation-dominated ones,high-pressure quantum ones,warm dense matter(WDM)and ultra-relativistic plasmas.HEDP is of fundamental importance for research in the field of laboratory astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion(ICF).Reaching such extreme states of matter now and in the future will depend on the use of plasma optics for amplifying and focusing laser pulses.This article will present the relevant technological infrastructure being built in ELI-BL for HEDP and UHI,and gives a brief overview of some research under way in the field of UHI,laboratory astrophysics,ICF,WDM,and plasma optics.

A 23.75-GHz frequency comb with two low-finesse filtering cavities in series for high resolution spectroscopy

A laser frequency comb with several tens GHz level is demonstrated,based on a Yb-doped femtosecond fiber laser and two low-finesse Fabry-Perot cavities（FPCs） in series.The original 250-MHz mode-line-spacing of the source comb is filtered to 4.75 GHz and 23.75 GHz,respectively.According to the multi-beam interferences theory of FPC,the side-mode suppression rate of FPC schemes is in good agreement with our own theoretical results from 27 dB of a single FPC to43 dB of paired FPCs.To maintain long-term stable operation and determine the absolute frequency mode number in the23.75-GHz comb,the Pound-Drever-Hall（PDH） locking technology is utilized.Such stable tens GHz frequency combs have important applications in calibrating astronomical spectrographs with high resolution.