Spectra of secondary emission during generation of optical harmonics in globular photonic crystals

Abstract

Secondary emission spectra of globular silica photonic crystals when their surfaces were exposed to laser pulses 250 fs long at a power density to 1 TW/cm2 have been studied. Optical harmonics and plasma emission were detected in this case. For the opal matrix containing pores filled with air, in the reflection mode, the third optical harmonic with a conversion efficiency of ∼10% arises. The highest conversion efficiency for exciting radiation with wavelengths of 1026 or 513 nm is implemented when the frequencies of the exciting radiation or the second harmonic are near the stop band edge. In globular photonic crystals filled with sodium nitrite or barium titanate ferroelectrics, the second optical harmonic is observed. The exciting radiation conversion efficiency to the second optical harmonic was a few percent and depended on the frequency of exciting radiation and photonic crystal globule diameters. It is found that the plasma emission intensity increases with the exciting radiation power density. The dependences of the intensity of the second and third optical harmonics on the pump intensity are constructed for various photonic crystal globule diameters.