Sapphire Laser System Research Articles

A 110-TW multiple-beam laser system with a 5-TW wavelength-tunable auxiliary beam for versatile control of laser-plasma interaction

A Ti:sapphire laser system has been constructed with two synchronized main beams of 110 TW and 13 TW, and a 5-TW wavelength-tunable synchronized auxiliary beam for versatile control of laser-plasma interaction. The first main beam provides 3.3-J, 30-fs, 810-nm pulses, and the second 450-mJ, 34-fs, 805-nm pulses. The auxiliary beam comes from amplified spectral windows selected from a supercontinuum of high spatial coherence and provides 38-fs pulses with tunable wavelengths (870–920 nm). The two main beams can be focused down to M 2 = 1.2 and 1.1, with 77 and 81 % energy enclosed in the focal spots, respectively. The energy fluctuations are 1.1 and 1.8 %, and the pointing fluctuations are 4.5 and 4.8 μrad, respectively. By using a preamplifier and saturable absorber before the pulse stretcher to suppress amplified spontaneous emission, the temporal contrast of the 110-TW main beam reaches $$4 \times 10^{-10}$$ at the −100-ps timescale. Even though the auxiliary beam is generated from a highly nonlinear process, by confining the supercontinuum generation in a single self-trapping filament, a spatial coherence close to the main beams can be achieved. It can be focused down to M 2 = 1.3, with 72 % energy enclosed in the focal spot. The energy fluctuation is 2.6 %, and the pointing fluctuation is 4.7 μrad. The versatility of synchronized multiple-beams with tunable wavelengths, good energy and pointing stability, and the spatiotemporal quality of the laser system has been essential to our experiments in high-harmonic generation, extreme-UV lasers, and laser-wakefield accelerators in which precision control of laser-plasma interaction is facilitated by a concerted sequence of driving pulses.

Role of target material in proton acceleration from thin foils irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses.

We report on the proton acceleration studies from thin metallic foils of varying atomic number (Z) and thicknesses, investigated using a 45 fs, 10 TW Ti:sapphire laser system. An optimum foil thickness was observed for efficient proton acceleration for our laser conditions, dictated by the laser ASE prepulse and hot electron propagation behavior inside the material. The hydrodynamic simulations for ASE prepulse support the experimental observation. The observed maximum proton energy at different thicknesses for a given element is in good agreement with the reported scaling laws. The results with foils of different atomic number Z suggest that a judicious choice of the foil material can enhance the proton acceleration efficiency, resulting into higher proton energy.

Laser ionized preformed plasma at FACET

The Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Experimental Tests (FACET) at SLAC installed a 10-TW Ti : sapphire laser system for pre-ionized plasma wakefield acceleration experiments. High energy (500 mJ), short (50 fs) pulses of 800 nm laser light at 1 Hz are used at the FACET experimental area to produce a plasma column. The laser pulses are stretched to 250 fs before injection into a vapor cell, where the laser is focused by an axicon lens to form a plasma column that can be sustained over the desired radius and length. A 20 GeV electron bunch interacts with this preformed plasma to generate a non-linear wakefield, thus accelerating a trailing witness bunch with gradients on the order of several GV m−1. The experimental setup and the methods for producing the pre-ionized plasma for plasma wakefield acceleration experiments performed at FACET are described.

Study of 1–8 keV K-α x-ray emission from high intensity femtosecond laser produced plasma

We report an experimental study on the optimization of a laser plasma based x-ray source of ultra-short duration K-α line radiation. The interaction of pulses from a CPA based Ti:sapphire laser (10 TW, 45 fs, 10 Hz) system with magnesium, titanium, iron and copper solid target generates bright 1-8 keV K-α x-ray radiation. The x-ray yield was optimized with the laser pulse duration (at fixed fluence) which is varied in the range of 45 fs to 1.4 ps. It showed a maximum at laser pulse duration of ∼740 fs, 420 fs, 350 and 250 fs for Mg (1.3 keV), Ti (4.5 keV), Fe (6.4 keV) and Cu (8.05 keV) respectively. The x-ray yield is observed to be independent of the sign of the chirp. The scaling of the K-α yield (Ix ∝ ILβ) for 45 fs and optimized pulse duration were measured for laser intensities in the region of 3 × 1014 – 8 × 1017. The x-ray yield shows a much faster scaling exponent β = 1.5, 2.1, 2.4 and 2.6 for Mg, Ti, Fe and Cu respectively at optimized pulse duration compared to scaling exponent of 0.65, 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7 obtained for 45 fs duration laser pulses. The laser to x-ray energy conversion efficiencies obtained for different target materials are ηMg = 1.2 × 10−5, ηTi = 3.1 × 10−5, ηFe = 2.7 × 10−5, ηCu = 1.9 × 10−5. The results have been explained from the efficient generation of optimal energy hot electrons at longer laser pulse duration. The faster scaling observed at optimal pulse duration indicates that the x-ray source is generated at the target surface and saturation of x-ray emission would appear at larger laser fluence. An example of utilization of the source for measurement of shock-wave profiles in a silicon crystal by time resolved x-ray diffraction is also presented.

Response of dosemeters in the radiation field generated by a TW-class laser system

State-of-the-art laser systems are able to generate ionising radiation of significantly high energies by focusing ultra-short and intense pulses onto targets. Thus, measures ensuring the radiation protection of both working personnel and the general public are required. However, commercially available dosemeters are primarily designed for measurement in continuous fields. Therefore, it is important to explore their response to very short pulses. In this study, the responses of dosemeters in a radiation field generated by iodine high-power and Ti:Sapphire laser systems are examined in proton and electron acceleration experiments. Within these experiments, electron bunches of femtosecond pulse duration and 100-MeV energy and proton bunches with sub-nanosecond pulse duration and energy of several megaelectronvolts were generated in single-shot regimes. Responses of typical detectors (TLD, films and electronic personal dosemeter) were analysed and compared. Further, a first attempt was carried out to characterise the radiation field generated by TW-class laser systems.

2PE-STED Microscopy with a Single Ti: Sapphire Laser for Reduced Illumination

We reported a new effective approach to carry out two-photon excitation stimulated emission depletion (2PE-STED) microscopy using a single Ti:sapphire laser system. With an acoustic-optic Bragg cell, the modulated-CW 2PE STED microscope had the benefits of both CW and pulse approaches: lower input power, simple optical scheme and no complicated synchronization. Additionally, it also took advantages of fluorescence yield increasing. The sub-diffraction-limit resolution was demonstrated using ATTO 425-tagged clathrin-coated vesicles.

Femtosecond laser surface structuring of carbide tooling for modifying contact phenomena

The creation of textures and structures on contact surfaces is of importance for improving contact conditions for mating surfaces. Laser machining shows promise as a prospective technique in the fabrication of micro- and nanometre scale structures on difficult-to-cut materials. This study provides new information on manufacturing process operating variables for the use of femtosecond lasers in structuring the carbide tool rake face with a view to improving the tool–chip contact phenomena. Experiments were based on a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system with a wavelength of 800 nm, pulse duration of 100 fs and repetition rate of 1 kHz. The effect of laser fluence and scanning speeds on the geometry and quality of the structures was investigated. The research draws upon the requirements for cutting tools and defines the best laser process parameters to preserve the effectiveness of the carbide material in machining. This work is important for innovative development of cutting tools, alleviating critical contact conditions on the tool–chip flow faces and reducing energy demand in machining.

Insertable pulse cleaning module with a saturable absorber pair and a compensating amplifier for high-intensity ultrashort-pulse lasers

We demonstrate the performance of an efficient insertable pulse cleaning module (IPCM) that uses a saturable absorber (SA) pair with a compensating multi-pass amplifier. IPCM consists of a first SA, a grating compressor, a second SA, a stretcher and a compensating Ti:sapphire amplifier. It is implemented with a conventional chirped pulse amplification (CPA) Ti:sapphire laser system, resulting in a double CPA system architecture, and suppresses the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) level of the pulse pedestal by about three orders of magnitude while preserving the output pulse energy and repetition-rate of the overall laser system. The duration of recompressed cleaned pulses is comparable to that obtained without the cleaning module. The effectiveness of the cleaning module is confirmed in laser-driven proton acceleration experiments. At the 10(9) W/cm2 pedestal level, the surface structure and electrical resistivity of an insulator target (100 nm silicon nitride) are preserved prior to the arrival of the intense ultrashort pulse.

Characterization of a dual-etalon Ti:sapphire laser via resonance ionization spectroscopy of stable copper isotopes

Resonance ionization spectroscopy (RIS) inside a buffer gas-filled ion guide is a very sensitive tool for a first determination of nuclear moments and charge radii of radioactive isotopes produced using the IGISOL technique. Currently employed pulsed Ti:sapphire laser systems have a typical laser linewidth of 5 GHz in the fundamental, which in many cases is the dominant line broadening effect. We present results of RIS on stable 63,65Cu using a dual-etalon Ti:sapphire laser with a reduced linewidth of 1 GHz. Determination of hyperfine parameters of 63Cu revealed discrepancies when compared to existing higher resolution data. A study of systematic uncertainties is underway using a homemade scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). A real-time recording of the mode structure of the multi-longitudinal mode Ti:sapphire laser during a scan of the 244.238 nm atomic ground state transition in parallel with the readout from the commercial wavemeter has identified sources of uncertainty.

Multi-charged heavy ion acceleration from the ultra-intense short pulse laser system interacting with the metal target

Experimental demonstration of multi-charged heavy ion acceleration from the interaction between the ultra-intense short pulse laser system and the metal target is presented. Al ions are accelerated up to 12 MeV/u (324 MeV total energy). To our knowledge, this is far the highest energy ever reported for the case of acceleration of the heavy ions produced by the <10 J laser energy of 200 TW class Ti:sapphire laser system. Adding to that, thanks to the extraordinary high intensity laser field of ∼10(21) W cm(-2), the accelerated ions are almost fully stripped, having high charge to mass ratio (Q/M).

Synthesis and efficient three-photon excited green fluorescence of pyridine–triphenylamine conjugated dyes

Pyridine-end-capped triphenylamine derivatives (Py2-TPA)n (n = 1,2,4) were synthesized using palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS-MALDI-TOF. Three-photon absorption and three-photon excited fluorescence properties of chromophores (Py2-TPA)n were studied using a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser system. These chromophores exhibit efficient three-photon excited green fluorescence peaking at 540–590 nm. The three-photon absorption cross-section of σ3 = 6.99 × 10−79 cm6 s2 photon−2 in the femtosecond regime has been obtained from (Py2-TPA)4. The ratio of 3PA cross-sections in CH2Cl2 solution σ3 (Py2-TPA)4:σ3 (Py2-TPA)2:σ3 (Py2-TPA)1 is 6.0:4.2:1. The ratio of conjugated π-electron numbers in (Py2-TPA)n is 4.4(n = 4):2.6(n = 2):1(n = 1). The increasing the push–pull units of (Py2-TPA)n and π-electron conjugation length or increasing the extent of charge transfer from the ends to the middle aryl core results in an increase of the 3PA cross-section. The results indicate that large aromatic conjugated chromophores (Py2-TPA)n containing pyridine–triphenylamine D–A pairs and a conjugated aryl core provide a new opportunity for 3PA-materials and three-photon fluorophores for practical application.

Study of strain propagation in laser irradiated silicon crystal by time-resolved diffraction of K-α x-ray probe of different photon energies

An experimental study on the time resolved x-ray diffraction from laser shocked silicon crystal, carried out using a 10 TW Ti:sapphire laser system, is presented. The characteristic Kα x-ray line radiation generated by 45 fs laser produced plasmas of two different target materials (iron and copper) is used as the probe, whereas the stretched pulse of sub-nanosecond duration (pump), derived from the same laser, is used to compress the sample. The use of x-ray probe of different photon energies yields information about the strain over a greater crystal depth. The dynamics of the strain propagation is inferred by monitoring the evolution of rocking curve width of the shocked sample at different time delays between the pump and the probe pulse. The shock velocity deduced from these measurements is ∼106 cm/s, consistent with the sound velocity in bulk silicon. The maximum elastic compression observed is 0.4%, indicating a pressure of 0.8 GPa.

Data acquisition, remote control and equipment monitoring for ISOLDE RILIS

With a steadily increasing on-line operation time up to a record 3000h in the year 2012, the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) is one of the key components of the ISOLDE on-line isotope user facility at CERN. Ion beam production using the RILIS is essential for many experiments due to the unmatched combination of ionization efficiency and selectivity. To meet the reliability requirements the RILIS is currently operated in shift duty for continuous maintenance of crucial laser parameters such as wavelength, power, beam position and timing, as well as ensuring swift intervention in case of an equipment malfunction. A recent overhaul of the RILIS included the installation of new pump lasers, commercial dye lasers and a complementary, fully solid-state titanium:sapphire laser system. The framework of the upgrade also required the setup of a network-extended, LabVIEW-based system for data acquisition, remote control and equipment monitoring, to support RILIS operators as well as ISOLDE users. The system contributes to four key aspects of RILIS operation: equipment monitoring, machine protection, automated self-reliance, and collaborative data acquisition. The overall concept, technologies used, implementation status and recent applications during the 2012 on-line operation period will be presented along with a summary of future developments.

High-quality electron beam from laser wake-field acceleration in laser produced plasma plumes

Generation of highly collimated (θdiv ∼10 mrad), quasi-monoenergetic electron beam with peak energy 12 MeV and charge ∼50 pC has been experimentally demonstrated from self-guided laser wake-field acceleration (LWFA) in a plasma plume produced by laser ablation of solid nylon (C12H22N2O2)n target. A 7 TW, 45 fs Ti:sapphire laser system was used for LWFA, and the plasma plume forming pulse was derived from the Nd:YAG pump laser of the same system. The results show that a reproducible, high quality electron beam could be produced from this scheme which is simple, low cost and has the capability for high repetition rate operation.

Operation of a picosecond narrow-bandwidth Laser–Thomson-backscattering X-ray source

A tunable source of intense ultra-short hard X-ray pulses represents a novel tool for the structural analysis of complex systems with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. With the simultaneous availability of a high power short-pulse laser system this provides unique opportunities at the forefront of relativistic light–matter interactions. At Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) we demonstrated the principle of such a light source (PHOENIX – Photon Electron collider for Narrow bandwidth Intense X-Rays) by colliding picosecond electron bunches from the ELBE linear accelerator with counter-propagating femtosecond laser pulses from the 150TW Draco Ti:Sapphire laser system. The generated narrowband X-rays are highly collimated and can be reliably adjusted from 12keV to 20keV by tuning the electron energy (24–30MeV). Ensuring the spatial–temporal overlap at the interaction point and suppressing the Bremsstrahlung background a signal to noise ratio of greater than 300 was reached.

Surface Morphology of Highly Ordered Nanotube Formed and Laser Textured Beta Titanium Alloys

The aim of the present study is to produce and characterize a well-controlled surface texture on Ti-35Nb-xHf alloys to promote osseointegration. Ti-35Nb-xHf (x = 0, 3, 7 and 15 wt.%) alloys were prepared by arc melting and heat treated for 12 hr at 1000 degrees C in an argon atmosphere and then water quenching. For surface texturing, an amplified Ti: sapphire laser system was used for generating 184 femtosecond (FS, 10(-15) sec) laser pulses with the pulse energy over 30 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate with a central wavelength of 800 nm. The nanotube formation was achieved by anodizing a Ti-35Nb-xHf alloy in H3PO4 electrolytes containing 0.8 wt.% NaF at room temperature. The surface morphology of nano/micro structure will enhance osseointegration and cell adhesion.

Development of high resolution resonance ionization mass spectrometry for trace analysis of 93mNb

93Nb(n, n′)93mNb reaction allows retrospective estimation of integrated fast neutron dose in nuclear reactor. We proposed isomer-selective trace analysis of 93mNb by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry (RIMS) combined with a gas-jet atomic source and an injection locked Ti:Sapphire laser system operated at several kHz. Resonant ionization spectroscopy of Nb in gas-jet using Ti:Sapphire laser was demonstrated.

Investigation of laser-driven proton acceleration using ultra-short, ultra-intense laser pulses

We report optimization of laser-driven proton acceleration, for a range of experimental parameters available from a single ultrafast Ti:sapphire laser system. We have characterized laser-generated protons produced at the rear and front target surfaces of thin solid targets (15 nm to 90 μm thicknesses) irradiated with an ultra-intense laser pulse (up to 1020 W⋅cm−2, pulse duration 30 to 500 fs, and pulse energy 0.1 to 1.8 J). We find an almost symmetric behaviour for protons accelerated from rear and front sides, and a linear scaling of proton energy cut-off with increasing pulse energy. At constant laser intensity, we observe that the proton cut-off energy increases with increasing laser pulse duration, then roughly constant for pulses longer than 300 fs. Finally, we demonstrate that there is an optimum target thickness and pulse duration.

高エネルギー・高波数分解能二光子光電子分光：鏡像準位の純位相緩和測定

High energy-resolved (ΔE∼9.5 meV) two-photon photoemission was used to study the electron dynamics of the image potential states on the clean Cu(001) surface. We constructed a system consisting of a picosecond Ti:sapphire laser system and a hemispherical analyzer equipped with a two-dimensional electron detector to achieve high energy resolution. The image states of Cu(001) were clearly resolved up to n＝5, and the energy positions of these states were determined up to n＝7. Linewidth analysis yielded pure dephasing rate for the lowest image states.

Double pulse quasi-collinear high harmonic generation scheme as a tool for X-ray laser plasma gain probing

We have investigated high harmonic generation in an argon gas cell driven by two femtosecond laser pulses separated by a variable delay ranging from 500 fs to 100 ps. Experiments were performed at the LASERIX IR-EUV facility using an amplified 10 Hz CPA Ti:Sapphire laser system on a beamline delivering 50 fs pulses at 800 nm with energy up to 25 mJ. In the case of a non-zero time delay we studied the optimal conditions for equilibrated double pulse generation despite perturbation of the generating medium induced by the first pulse. We showed how high harmonic double pulse generation varies with the gas pressure, the excitation energy, the delay and the relative polarization between the two laser pulses.