Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser Research Articles

Development and Testing of an Autocorrelator for Measuring the Duration of Picosecond Pulses of Near-infrared Radiation

A scheme of an autocorrelator developed for measuring the duration of picosecond pulses of infrared radiation from the 3rd Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser is presented, as well as the results of approbation of the autocorrelator when measuring the duration of picosecond pulses in the visible range.

Discharge in a Nonhomogeneous Gas Flow Sustained by Powerful Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser Emission as a Point-Like Source of Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation

Discharge in a Nonhomogeneous Gas Flow Sustained by Powerful Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser Emission as a Point-Like Source of Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation

Comparative Study of Single Crystal and Polymeric Pyroelectric Detectors in the 0.9-2.0 THz Range Using Monochromatic Laser Radiation of the NovoFEL.

The development of efficient and reliable sensors operating at room temperature is essential to advance the application of terahertz (THz) science and technology. Pyroelectric THz detectors are among the best candidates, taking into account their variety, outstanding performance, ease of fabrication, and robustness. In this work, we compare the performance of six different detectors, based on either LaTiO3 crystal or different polymeric films, using monochromatic radiation of the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser facility (NovoFEL) in the frequency range of 0.9-2.0 THz. The main characteristics, including noise equivalent power and frequency response, were determined for all of them. Possible reasons for the differences in the obtained characteristics are discussed on the basis of the main physicochemical characteristics and optical properties of the sensitive area. At least three detectors showed sufficient sensitivity to monitor the shape and duration of the THz macropulses utilizing only a small fraction of the THz radiation from the primary beam. This capability is crucial for accurate characterization of THz radiation during the main experiment at various specialized endstations at synchrotrons and free electron lasers. As an example of such characterization, the typical stability of the average NovoFEL radiation power at the beamline of the electron paramagnetic resonance endstation was investigated.

Obtaining the Effective Dielectric Permittivity of a Conducting Surface in the Terahertz Range via the Characteristics of Surface Plasmon Polaritons

With the intensive development of data transmitting and processing devices in the terahertz (THz) frequency range, an important part of which are integrated plasmonic components and communication lines, it becomes necessary to measure correctly the optical constants of their conductive surfaces. In this paper, we describe a reliable method for determining the effective permittivity εm of a metal surface from the measured characteristics (refractive and absorption indices) of THz surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The novelty of the method is the conduction of measurements on a metal surface with a dielectric layer of subwavelength thickness, suppressing the radiative losses of SPPs, which are not taken into account by the SPP dispersion equation. The method is tested on a number of flat “gold sputtering–zinc sulfide layer–air” structures with the use of the THz radiation (λ0 = 141 μm) from the Novosibirsk free electron laser (NovoFEL). The SPP characteristics are determined from interferograms measured with a plasmon Michelson interferometer. It is found that the method allows a significant increase in the accuracy of the εm in comparison with measurements on the same metal surface without a dielectric layer.

First Experimental Demonstration of the Wide-Field Amplitude Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy in the Terahertz Range

We have demonstrated the wide-field amplitude surface plasmon resonance (SPR) microscopy technique in the terahertz (THz) range. A Zeonex polymer prism was utilized to excite surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) through attenuated total reflection (ATR) in an Otto configuration. Coherent quasimonochromatic radiation with a wavelength of approximately 197 μm, generated by the Novosibirsk free electron laser, was employed. Our results indicate that the SPR microscopy method is applicable for investigating the planar surfaces of semiconductors at THz frequencies, provided that the SPPs’ cutoff frequency is close to the probing radiation frequency. This condition ensures that the propagation length of the SPPs is comparable to the radiation wavelength. By varying the air gap between the prism and the surface under examination, we acquired images of a polypropylene coating 20 µm thick and a graphene coating 35 nm thick on a flat indium antimonide substrate. The boundary between the coated and uncoated regions can be precisely localized through determination of the kink in the reflection coefficient of the THz radiation beam that illuminates the boundary between the regions if the optimal conditions for the generation of the SPPs in the uncoated region are met.

Terahertz Bessel Beams Formed by Binary and Holographic Axicons

The characteristics of high-power vortex Bessel beams in the terahertz range (λ=141 μm) obtained with the use of diffractive axicons (DAs) illuminated by a Gaussian beam of the Novosibirsk free-electron laser were studied. Two of the three possible types of DA recently described in our previous paper, namely, binary spiral silicon axicons (BAs), forming beams with a topological charge l equal to 0–4 and 9, and a diamond “holographic” axicon (HA), forming a beam with l=9, were used in the experiments. These axicons formed beams whose cross sections in the region of inner Bessel rings were close to those of ideal Bessel beams, but their intensities varied in azimuth with a frequency of l and 2l for the BAs and HA, respectively. However, in the case of the BAs, the beams had a pronounced helical structure at the periphery, whereas for the HA, the beam was axisymmetric. By focusing these beams with a lens, we studied the structure of the so-called “perfect” beams (PBs). While an ideal Bessel beam exhibits a PB as a thin ring, in the case of the BAs, we observed a broadened ring structure consisting of 2l short spirals, and for the HA, we observed a narrow ring with 2l maxima in azimuth. A comparison of the numerical calculations and experiments showed that the observed azimuthal intensity variations can be attributed to inaccuracies in the preparation of the axicon relief and/or discrepancies between the calculated and actual wavelengths, within a few percent. The results of this work enable the establishment of quality requirements for axicon manufacture and the appropriate selection of the axicon type in accordance with the requirements for the beam.

Point-like plasma-limited high-temperature terahertz laser discharge

Various methods for limiting the plasma volume made it possible to produce a continuous point-like high-temperature terahertz discharge at the Novosibirsk free-electron laser (NovoFEL). When a krypton-nitrogen jet was injected into the focus of the NovoFEL radiation, as compressed as possible and having an average power of about 200 W, a spherical plasma with a diameter of 1 mm, temperature of 4–4.5 eV (46 000–52 000 K), and density of 3.5 × 1017 cm−3 was obtained. The ion composition of the plasma is represented mainly by triply and doubly ionized krypton atoms (Kr IV and Kr III). The absolute stability of the plasma, which tends to self-oscillate, is achieved through the use of a special negative optical feedback.

Subwavelength Diffractive Optical Elements for Generation of Terahertz Coherent Beams with Pre-Given Polarization State.

Coherent terahertz beams with radial polarization of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd orders have been generated with the use of silicon subwavelength diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Silicon elements were fabricated by a technology similar to the technology used before for the fabrication of DOEs forming laser terahertz beams with pre-given mode content. The beam of the terahertz Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser was used as the illuminating beam. The experimental results are in good agreement with the results of the computer simulation.

Особенности пробоя тяжелых инертных газов в сфокусированном пучке излучения Новосибирского лазера на свободных электронах

The results of experimental studies on the breakdown of noble gases (argon and krypton) by terahertz radiation from the Novosibirsk free electron laser (NovoFEL) are presented. For the first time, the breakdown thresholds of noble gases by terahertz radiation were measured in a wide pressure range (0.2 – 1.5 bar). Previous experiments to measure breakdown thresholds in the THz range in various gases were carried out for hundreds of GHz or at atmospheric pressure. Experimental breakdown thresholds are compared with calculated data using various simplified models.

Features of the breakdown in heavy noble gases under the action of Novosibirsk free electron laser radiation

The results of experimental studies on the breakdown of noble gases (argon and krypton) by terahertz radiation from the Novosibirsk free electron laser (NovoFEL) are presented. For the first time, the breakdown thresholds of noble gases by terahertz radiation were measured in a wide pressure range (0.2-1.5 bar). Previous experiments to measure breakdown thresholds in the THz range in various gases were carried out for hundreds of GHz or at atmospheric pressure. Experimental breakdown thresholds are compared with calculated data using various simplified models. Keywords: THz radiation, gas breakdown, THz laser discharge.

A New Station for Measuring Undulator and Laser Radiation Parameters of the 3rd Laser of the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser

A New Station for Measuring Undulator and Laser Radiation Parameters of the 3rd Laser of the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser

Holography with high-power CW coherent terahertz source: optical components, imaging, and applications

This paper presents the results of 15 years of studies in the field of terahertz holography at the Novosibirsk free electron laser. They cover two areas: research on obtaining holographic images in the terahertz range and the use of diffractive optical elements to form high-power terahertz radiation fields with specified characteristics (intensity, phase, and polarization), using well-studied and widely applied in the optical range methods of optical (analog), digital, and computer-generated holography. All experiments were performed with the application of high-power coherent monochromatic frequency-tunable radiation from the Novosibirsk free electron laser. The features of hologram registration in the terahertz range are described. Methods, technologies, and optical materials for terahertz holographic elements are discussed. A wide range of promising applications of high-power terahertz fields with a given spatial structure is considered. The results of the study of terahertz holograms recorded as digital holograms, as well as radiation-resistive optical elements realized as computer-synthesized holograms, are presented.

Broadband multimodal THz waveguides for efficient transfer of high-power radiation in space-confined conditions

Terahertz (THz) range, which lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, presents a new frontier containing an abundance of technical applications and fundamental research problems. There are several challenges limiting the progress in the THz science and technology. One of them is the limited range ofthe guided-wave propagation of THz radiation, owing to the high loss from the finite conductivity of metals and the high absorption coefficient of dielectric materials in the THz range. In this work, we discuss the design and fabrication of multimodal hollow THz waveguides used at the X-band Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) endstation located at the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser facility (NovoFEL). Experiments carried out at the EPR endstation are aimed to investigate the impact of THz and far infrared radiation on the spin system of different inorganic complexes and organic radicals. The EPR probehead and cryostat impose strict constraints on the possible ways of transferring the THz radiation to the sample, requiring the development, manufacturing, and characterization of specific waveguides. The proposed waveguides for X-band EPR measurements under THz radiation resemble hollow metal/dielectric waveguides. They have the shape of ahollow cylinder, tapering towards the end, with a silver-coated inner surface, and allow THz radiation to be transmitted over a distance of about 60 cm in a wide frequency range from THz to middle infrared. The waveguides performance was characterized at different frequencies of NovoFEL radiation and compared with numerical simulations. Following the requirements ofpolarization-sensitive EPR experiments, the waveguides were further modified by a miniature attachment, consisting of a polarizer, a semiconductor mirror, and a quarter-wave plate. The attachment allows preserving the initial polarization properties of THz radiation, turns its propagation vector, and creates the circular-polarized light irradiating the sample – all inside the limited volume of the EPR probehead.

Silicon diffractive optical element with piecewise continuous profile to focus high-power terahertz radiation into a square area

A technique of high-frequency laser ablation using a 2D beam scanner has been designed and applied to creation of a silicon diffractive optical element (DOE) with a continuous profile to focus a terahertz Gaussian beam into a square region. The microrelief of the resulting silicon DOE has been analyzed with a white-light interferometer and a scanning electron microscope. The distribution of radiation behind the DOE illuminated by a high-power beam of the Novosibirsk free-electron laser at a wavelength of 130 µm, recorded with a pyroelectric camera, has been demonstrated. The measured diffraction efficiency of the DOE is equal to 97 ± 2 % .

Resonance Fabry–Perot interferometer as instrument for investigation of fine and hyperfine mode structure of free electron lasers

Free electron lasers usually emit periodic sequences of short pulses, which are parts of pulses circulating inside an optical cavity. Due to the laser nature of the radiation, the output pulses generated by the same intra-cavity pulse are a priori coherent with each other. Under certain technical conditions, different intra-cavity pulses can be coherent too. The coherence of intra-cavity pulses gives rise to a fine structure of the laser emission spectrum, and the coherence of output pulses from one intra-cavity pulse gives rise to a hyperfine mode structure. The article describes a special device, the resonance Fabry–Perot interferometer, and methods for panoramic frequency measurements of the mode composition of radiation with a resolution of up to 5⋅ 10−8 and for practically unlimited-resolution time-domain measurements of the monochromaticity of lines of hyperfine structure. With this device, it was shown that there is no fine structure in the Novosibirsk free electron laser (NovoFEL), and its hyperfine structure was measured in detail. The measurement of hyperfine structure of an FEL was carried out for the first time. It is shown that under certain conditions, NovoFEL operates either in the generation regime of one Laguerre-Gaussian supermode or in the regime of several transverse supermodes. The measured relative linewidth of the NovoFEL hyperfine mode structure, defined by technical factors, is 2.2 × 10−8, which is about two orders of magnitude larger than its absolute physical quantum limit.

Study of a gas breakdown in a focused beam of terahertz radiation at the NovoFEL user station

The paper describes the features of the design of an experimental bench for studying a discharge in a highly inhomogeneous gas stream, supported by focused radiation in the terahertz range. The setup was created at the user station of the Novosibirsk free-electron laser. The optical scheme that allows one to achieve electric field strength in the wave of up to 1 MV/cm is described. The results of the first experiments on the study of a breakdown in a focused radiation beam with a frequency of 2.3 THz are described.

The Radiation Beamline of Novosibirsk Free-Electron Laser Facility Operating in Terahertz, Far-Infrared, and Mid-Infrared Ranges

Unlike synchrotrons with multiple beamlines, free-electron lasers (FELs) are single-beam facilities, which nevertheless have a number of endstations. The latter requires development of complex radiation transport line, which should be efficient enough to avoid scaling down the FEL capabilities. Keeping the beam shape and radiation power level along the beamline is a challenge because the total length of the FEL radiation transport line can exceed a hundred meters. The FELs around the world differ from each other in both radiation parameters and endstations’ layout requiring individual design of their radiation transport lines. In this work, we describe the 120-m beamline for transporting the radiation of the Novosibirsk FEL facility, consisting of three FELs of the terahertz (THz), far-infrared, and mid-infrared ranges. The radiation of these three FELs is directed to the same beam transport channel, which is able to deliver the radiation to any of 14 endstations already commissioned. To compare the expected beam parameters with the actual ones, the radiation intensity distribution was measured in a number of places of the beamline that are THz radiation outputs for some endstations. Possible causes of the parameters’ mismatching observed for distant endstations are discussed. The problem of radiation absorption by water vapor is considered in detail.

TERAHERTZ PHOTONICS AND SPECTROSCOPY ON NOVOSIBIRSK FREE ELECTRON LASER

A review of experiments in the field of photonics and plasmonics, recently performed with the Novosibirsk free electron laser (NovoFEL) is given. Parameters of NovoFEL radiation and user workstations are described. Considerable attention was paid to the development and testing of quasi-optical elements designed for this range and to methods for the formation of powerful beams of terahertz radiation with a given mode composition. The use of terahertz radiation in the spectroscopy of gases and semiconductors, in generation and study of surface plasmon polaritons, as well as the use of the latter for the study of surfaces and in communication applications is described.

Development and application of electron beam optical diagnostics for the multi-turn ERL of the Novosibirsk FEL facility

The optical diagnostics system is under development for the multi-turn energy recovery linac (ERL), which is used as a source of electrons for the Novosibirsk free electron laser (FEL) facility. Part of the diagnostic system has already been installed on the last track of the ERL. Its full configuration includes stations for measurement of the transversal and longitudinal electron beam profiles upstream and downstream of the FEL undulators. The stations for measurement of the electron beam energy spread and undulator radiation spectrum are at the stage of installation and commissioning. A radiation power sensor will also be set in the special output radiation line, mounted at an angle to the optical axis of the FEL. The new optical diagnostics is mostly required for fine tuning of the magnet system for electron outcoupling experiments. This paper presents a detailed overview of the new diagnostics and discusses the first results of the transverse beam profile measurements and experiments planned for the near future.

Diffraction of bessel beams on 2D amplitude gratings—a new branch in the talbot effect study

In this paper, an analytical theory for the diffraction of a Bessel beam of arbitrary order Jl(κr) on a 2D amplitude grating is presented. The diffraction pattern behind the grating turned out to be more complicated in comparison with the classical Talbot effect observed under illumination by a plane wave. In particular, the patterns in the main and fractional Talbot planes under certain conditions that are found in the article, are lattices of ring microbeams, the diameters of which depend on the period of the grating, the diameter of the illuminating beam, the number of the Talbot plane, and the topological charge l. For the rings near the optical axis, the latter reproduces l of the illuminating beam. The diffraction patterns observed in experiments on the Novosibirsk free electron laser behind gratings with periods of 1 to 6 mm, illuminated by zero- to second-order Bessel beams at a radiation wavelength λ = 141 µm, are in good agreement with both theoretical predictions and numerical calculations. We emphasize that an analytical theory based on the scalar theory of diffraction perfectly describes resulting diffraction patterns with hole diameters down to 0.25 mm, which are less than 2λ, when, formally speaking, the scalar theory becomes incorrect. Since the Laguerre–Gaussian beams can be represented as a superposition of Bessel beams, results of this paper can be applied to analysis of the Talbot effect with the Laguerre–Gaussian beams. A regular lattice of ring-like vortex microbeams, which can be formed in the Talbot planes, can be applied, for example, to creation of a lattice of optical traps, transmission of orbital angular momentum to elements of micromechanical devices, and to launching surface plasmon polaritons on an array of metal wires by ‘the end-fire coupling technique’.