A study of pulsed high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through synchronous optical trigger

In this study,a pulsed,high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through an optical trigger is designed with characteristics of simple structure,low cost,and easy triggering.To validate the new design,the characteristics of hollow-cathode discharge and electron beam characterization under pulsed high voltage drive are studied experimentally and discussed by discharge characteristics and analyses of waveform details,respectively.The validation experiments indicate that the pulsed high voltage supply significantly improves the frequency and stability of the discharge,which provides a new solution for the realization of a high-frequency,high-energy electron beam source.The peak current amplitude in the high-energy electron beam increases from 6.2 A to 79.6 A,which indicates the pulsed power mode significantly improves the electron beam performance.Besides,increasing the capacitance significantly affects the highcurrent,lower-energy electron beam more than the high-energy electron beam.

Laser shaping and optical power limiting of pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beams of high-order radial modes in fullerene C60

We study the strong nonlinear optical dynamics of nanosecond pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beams of high-order radial modes with zero orbital angular momentum propagating in the fullerene C60molecular medium. It is found that the spatiotemporal profile of the incident pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beam is strongly reshaped during its propagation in the C60molecular medium. The centrosymmetric temporal profile of the incident pulse gradually evolves into a noncentrosymmetric meniscus shape, and the on-axis pulse duration is clearly depressed. Furthermore, the field intensity is distinctly attenuated due to the field-intensity-dependent reverse saturable absorption, and clear optical power limiting behavior is observed for different orders of the input pulsed Laguerre–Gaussian laser beams before the takeover of the saturation effect;the lower the order of the Laguerre–Gaussian beam, the lower the energy transmittance.

Generation of time-dependent ultra-short optical pulse trains in the presence of self-steepening effect

Starting from the extended nonlinear Schrodinger equation in which the self-steepening effect is included, the evolution and the splitting processes of continuous optical wave whose amplitude is perturbed into time related ultra-short optical pulse trains in an optical fibre are numerically simulated by adopting the split-step Fourier algorithm. The results show that the self-steepening effect can cause the characteristic of the pulse trains to vary with time, which is different from the self-steepening-free case where the generated pulse trains consist of single pulses which are identical in width, intensity, and interval, namely when pulses move a certain distance, they turn into the pulse trains within a certain time range. Moreover, each single pulse may split into several sub-pulses. And as time goes on, the number of the sub-pulses will decrease gradually and the pulse width and the pulse intensity will change too. With the increase of the self-steepening parameter, the distance needed to generate time-dependent pulse trains will shorten. In addition, for a large self-steepening parameter and at the distance where more sub-pulses appear, the corresponding frequency spectra of pulse trains are also wider.

Optical power limiting of ultrashort hyper-Gaussian pulses in cascade three-level system

Propagation of strong femtosecond hyper-Gaussian pulses in a cascade three-level molecular system is studied by solving numerically the Maxwell–Bloch equations by the iterative predictor-corrector finite-difference time-domain method.Optical power limiting behavior induced by strong nonlinear two-photon absorption is observed for different orders of the femtosecond hyper-Gaussian pulses. Pulses of a higher order temporal profile are found to have a wider power range of optical limiting but a larger output saturation intensity. Both the output saturation value and the damage threshold of optical power limiting decrease with pulse duration increasing. The decrease of the pulse area along the pulse propagation is much slower than that obtained from the two-photon area theorem due to invalidity of the slowly varying amplitude approximation and the monochromatic field hypothesis.

Propagation of bright femtosecond pulses in a nonlinear optical fibre with the third-and fourth-order dispersions

We solve the generalized nonlinear Schr6dinger equation describing the propagation of femtosecond pulses in a nonlinear optical fibre with higher-order dispersions by using the direct approach to perturbation for bright solitons, and discuss the combined effects of the third- and fourth-order dispersions on velocity, temporal intensity distribution and peak intensity of femtosecond pulses. It is noticeable that the combined effects of the third- and fourth-order dispersions on an initial propagated soliton can partially compensate each other, which seems to be significant for the stability controlling of soliton propagation features.

Trends in ultrashort and ultrahigh power laser pulses based on optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

Since the proof-of-principle demonstration of optical parametric amplification to efficiently amplify chirped laser pulses in 1992, optical parametric chirped pulse amplification（OPCPA） became the most promising method for the amplification of broadband optical pulses. In the meantime, we are witnessing an exciting progress in the development of powerful and ultrashort pulse laser systems that employ chirped pulse parametric amplifiers. The output power and pulse duration of these systems have ranged from a few gigawatts to hundreds of terawatts with a potential of tens of petawatts power level. Meanwhile, the output pulse duration based on optical parametric amplification has entered the range of fewoptical-cycle field. In this paper, we overview the basic principles, trends in development, and current state of the ultrashort and laser systems based on OPCPA, respectively.

Effects of initial frequency chirp on the linear propagation characteristics of the exponential optical pulse

In this paper, the linear propagation characteristics of the exponential optical pulse with initial linear and nonlinear frequency chirp are numerically studied in a single mode fibre for β2 〈 0. It can be found that the temporal full width at half maximum and time-bandwidth product of exponential pulse monotonically increase with the increase of propagation distance and decrease with the increase of linear chirp C for C 〈 0.5, go through an initial decreasing stage near ζ= 1, then increase with the increase of propagation distance and linear chirp C for C 〉 0.5. The broadening of pulses with negative chirp is faster than that with positive chirp. The exponential pulse with linear chirp gradually evolves into a near-Gaussian pulse. The effect of nonlinear chirp on waveform of the pulse is much greater than that of linear chirp. The temporal waveform breaking of exponential pulse with nonlinear chirp is first observed in linear propagation. Furthermore, the expressions of the spectral width and time-bandwidth product of the exponential optical pulse with the frequency chirp are given by use of the numerical analysis method.

Digital coherent detection research on Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry with simplex pulse codes

The digital coherent detection technique has been investigated without any frequency-scanning device in the Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry （BOTDR）, where the simplex pulse codes are applied in the sensing system. The time domain signal of every code sequence is collected by the data acquisition card （DAQ）. A shift-averaging technique is applied in the frequency domain for the reason that the local oscillator （LO） in the coherent detection is fix-frequency deviated from the primary source. With the 31-bit simplex code, the signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） has 3.5-dB enhancement with the same single pulse traces, accordant with the theoretical analysis. The frequency fluctuation for simplex codes is 14.01 MHz less than that for a single pulse as to 4-m spatial resolution. The results are believed to be beneficial for the BOTDR performance improvement.

Efficient combination and enhancement of high-power mid-infrared pulses in plasmas

High-power intense optical sources in the mid-to-long wavelength infrared region are very attractive for a wide range of fields from fundamental research to materials science and biology applications.However,there are still significant challenges in extending long-wavelength infrared pulses into the relativistic regime using conventional optical techniques.Here,based upon a new type of plasma-based optical method,we present an efficient scheme capable of combining several high-power long-wavelength infrared laser pulses into one single,more intense pulse,thus bringing the intensity of the output pulse to the relativistic regime.Such intense infrared pulses will open up new possibilities for strong-field physics and ultrafast applications.Furthermore,this is beneficial to understand the underlying physics and nonlinear processes of modulation,propagation and energy transfer of high-power intense laser pulses in plasmas.

Control of period-one oscillation for all-optical clock division and clock recovery by optical pulse injection driven semiconductor laser

The period-one oscillation produced by an external optical pulse injection driven semiconductor laser is applied to clock recovery and frequency division. By adjusting the repetition rate or injection power of the external injection optical pulses to lock the different harmonic frequencies of the period-one state, the clock recovery and the frequency division （the second and third frequency divisions） are achieved experimentally. In addition, in frequency locking ranges of 2 GHz and 1.9 GHz, the second and third frequency divisions are obtained with the phase noise lower than 100 dBc/Hz, respectively. Our experimental results are consistent well with the numerical simulations.

Investigation on plasma characteristics in a laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster by optical emission spectroscopy

In order to further improve the propulsion performance of pulsed plasma thrusters for space micro propulsion,a novel laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster is proposed,which separated the laser ablation and electromagnetic acceleration.Optical emission spectroscopy is utilized to investigate the plasma characteristics in the thruster.The spectral lines at different times,positions and discharge intensities are experimentally recorded,and the plasma characteristics in the discharge channel are concluded through analyzing the variation of spectral lines.With the discharge energy of 24 J,laser energy of 0.6 J and the use of aluminum propellant,the specific impulse and thrust efficiency reach 6808 s and 70.6%,respectively.

Wavelength tunable ultra-short pulses based on a flat broadband spectrum generated in a nonlinear ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier

We present a nonlinear ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier based on enhanced nonlinear effects that can produce a flat broadband spectrum ranging from 1050–1225 nm with a maximum average output power of 7.8 W at 14 W pump power.Its repetition rate is 89 MHz. Using a pair of gratings and two knife edges as a filter, wavelength tunable picosecond pulses of tens to hundreds of milliwatts can be obtained in the broadband spectrum range. The output power, pulse width, and spectrum（center wavelength and linewidth） are adjusted by tuning the distance of the grating pair and/or the knife edges.Fixing the distance between the two gratings at 15 mm and keeping the output spectrum linewidth at approximately 20 nm,the shortest pulse width obtained is less than 1 ps centered at 1080 nm. The longest wavelength of the short pulses is around1200 nm, and its output power and pulse width are 40 m W and 5.79 ps, respectively. The generation of a flat broadband spectrum is also discussed in this paper.

A review on glass welding by ultra-short laser pulses

Glass welding by ultra-short pulsed(USP)lasers is a piece of technology that offers high strength joints with hermetic sealing.The joints are typically formed in glass that is transparent to the laser by exploiting nonlinear absorption effects that occur under extreme conditions.Though the temperature reached during the process is on the order of a few 1000°C,the heat affected zone(HAZ)is confined to only tens of micrometers.It is this controlled confinement of the HAZ during the joining process that makes this technology so appealing to a multitude of applications because it allows the foregoing of a subsequent tempering step that is typically essential in other glass joining techniques,thus making it possible to effectively join highly heat sensitive components.In this work,we give an overview on the process,development and applications of glass welding by USP lasers.

Dynamic of the Dielectric Nano-Particle in Optical Tweezer Using Counter-Propagating Pulsed Laser Beams

In this article, the dynamical process of the dielectric particle in the optical tweezer using the counter-propagating Gaussian pulses is investigated by the Langevin equation concerning the Brownian motion. The temporal stabilities of particle is simulated. The influence of the duration, repetition period and delay time between pulses on stability is discussed.

High-Stability High-Energy Picosecond Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplifier as a Preamplifier in Nd：Glass Petawatt System for Contrast Enhancement

We demonstrate a novel picosecond optical parametric preamplification to generate high-stability, high-energy and high-contrast seed pulses. The 5ps seed pulse is amplified from 60pJ to 300μJ with an 8.6ps/ 3mJ pump laser in a signal stage of short pulse non-collinear optical parametric chirped pulse amplification. The total gain is more than 106 and the rms energy stability is under 1.35%. The contrast ratio is higher than 10s within a scale of 20ps before the main pulse. Consequently, the improvement factor of the signal contrast is approximately equal to the gain 106 outside the pump window.

A comparative study on the spectral characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharges in atmospheric He and a He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture

Nanosecond pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure in a pin-to-pin electrode configuration are well reproducible in time and space, which is beneficial to the fundamentals and applications of low-temperature plasmas. In this experiment, the discharges in helium(He) and He with 2.3%water vapor(H_(2)O) are driven by a series of 10 ns overvoltage pulses(~13 k V). Special attention is paid to the spectral characteristics obtained in the center of discharges by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. It is found that in helium, the emission of atomic and molecular helium during the afterglow is more intense than that in the active discharge, while in the He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture, helium emission is only observed during the discharge pulse and the molecular helium emission disappears. In addition, the emissions of OH(A-X) and Hα present similar behavior that increases sharply during the falling edge of the voltage pulse as the electrons cool down rapidly. The gas temperature is set to remain low at 540 K by fitting the OH(A-X) band. A comparative study on the emission of radiative species(He, He_(2), OH and H)is performed between these two discharge cases to derive their main production mechanisms. In both cases, the dominant primary ion is He^(+) at the onset of discharges, but their He^(+) charge transfer processes are quite different. Based on these experimental data and a qualitative discussion on the discharge kinetics, with regard to the present discharge conditions, it is shown that the electron-assisted three-body recombination processes appear to be the significant sources of radiative OH and H species in high-density plasmas.

Adjusting the properties of the photon generated via an optical parametric oscillator by using a pulse pumped laser

The cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion far below threshold can be used to generate a narrow-band photon pair efficiently. Previous experiments on the cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down- conversion almost always utilize continuous wave pump light, but the pulse pumped case is rarely reported. One disadvantage of the continuous wave case is that the photon pair is produced randomly within the coherence time of the pump, which limits its application in the quantum information realm. However, a pulse pump can help to solve this problem. In this paper, we theoretically analyze pulse pumped cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down- conversion in detail and show how the pump pulse affects the multi-photon interference visibility, two-photon waveform, joint spectrum and spectral brightness.

On-chip optical pulse shaper for arbitrary waveform generation

We propose and demonstrate a silicon-on-insulator （SOI） on-chip optical pulse shaper based on four-tap finite impulse response. Due to different width designs in phase region of each tap, the phase differences for all taps are controlled by an external thermal source, resulting in an optical pulse shaper. We further demonstrate optical arbitrary waveform generation based on the optical pulse shaper assisted by an optical frequency comb injection. Four different optical waveforms are generated when setting the central wavelengths at 1533.78 nm and 1547.1 nm and setting the thermal source temperatures at 23 ℃ and 33 ℃, respectively. Our scheme has distinct advantages of compactness, capability for integrating with electronics since the integrated silicon waveguide is employed.

Optical pulse shaper with integrated slab waveguide for arbitrary waveform generation using optical gradient force

Integrated optical pulse shaper opens up possibilities for realizing the ultra high-speed and ultra wide-band linear signal processing with compact size and low power consumption. We propose a silicon monolithic integrated optical pulse shaper using optical gradient force, which is based on the eight-path finite impulse response. A cantilever structure is fabricated in one arm of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer（MZI） to act as an amplitude modulator. The phase shift feature of waveguide is analyzed with the optical pump power, and five typical waveforms are demonstrated with the manipulation of optical force. Unlike other pulse shaper schemes based on thermo–optic effect or electro–optic effect, our scheme is based on a new degree of freedom manipulation, i.e., optical force, so no microelectrodes are required on the silicon chip,which can reduce the complexity of fabrication. Besides, the chip structure is suitable for commercial silicon on an insulator（SOI） wafer, which has a top silicon layer of about 220 nm in thickness.

Wavelength-dependence of double optical gating for attosecond pulse generation

Both polarization gating （PG） and double optical gating （DOG） are productive methods to generate single attosecond （as） pulses. In this paper, considering the ground-state depletion effect, we investigate the wavelength-dependence of the DOG method in order to optimize the generation of single attosecond pulses for the future application. By calculating the ionization probabilities of the leading edge of the pulse at different driving laser wavelengths, we obtain the upper limit of duration for the driving laser pulse for the DOG setup. We find that the upper limit duration increases with the increase of laser wavelength. We further describe the technical method of choosing and calculating the thickness values of optical components for the DOG setup.