Synchronized Laser Pulses Research Articles

Progress in Hybrid Plasma Wakefield Acceleration

Plasma wakefield accelerators can be driven either by intense laser pulses (LWFA) or by intense particle beams (PWFA). A third approach that combines the complementary advantages of both types of plasma wakefield accelerator has been established with increasing success over the last decade and is called hybrid LWFA→PWFA. Essentially, a compact LWFA is exploited to produce an energetic, high-current electron beam as a driver for a subsequent PWFA stage, which, in turn, is exploited for phase-constant, inherently laser-synchronized, quasi-static acceleration over extended acceleration lengths. The sum is greater than its parts: the approach not only provides a compact, cost-effective alternative to linac-driven PWFA for exploitation of PWFA and its advantages for acceleration and high-brightness beam generation, but extends the parameter range accessible for PWFA and, through the added benefit of co-location of inherently synchronized laser pulses, enables high-precision pump/probing, injection, seeding and unique experimental constellations, e.g., for beam coordination and collision experiments. We report on the accelerating progress of the approach achieved in a series of collaborative experiments and discuss future prospects and potential impact.

Treatment of neovascularization in the eye by photo-mediated ultrasound therapy

Neovascularization in the eye is a common disorder. Abnormal microvessels can develop in the cornea, retina, or choroid of the eye, leading to severe vision loss if left untreated. Current treatment methods carry disadvantages or side effects, such as drug-resistance or damage to the surrounding healthy tissues. By applying synchronized laser pulses and ultrasound bursts, we developed a technique, termed photo-mediated ultrasound therapy (PUT), as a localized antivascular method based on the enhanced cavitation mechanism. PUT takes advantage of the high native optical contrast between blood and surrounding tissues, and has the unique capability to self-target microvessels without damaging surrounding tissues. The technique utilizes nanosecond laser pulses, which is spatially and temporally synchronized with low duty-cycle ultrasound bursts of sub-MHz frequencies at the targeted microvessels. We have tested the feasibility of PUT on the removal of neovascularization in the cornea, retina and choroid in a rabbit eye model. We found that neovascularization in the eye could be greatly reduced after PUT, and the occlusion of microvessels could last up to 4 weeks. In conclusion, PUT holds significant promises as a non-invasive method to precisely remove microvessels in neurovascular eye diseases by more selectively treating vasculature with minimized side-effects.

Polaritonic molecular clock for all-optical ultrafast imaging of wavepacket dynamics without probe pulses

Conventional approaches to probing ultrafast molecular dynamics rely on the use of synchronized laser pulses with a well-defined time delay. Typically, a pump pulse excites a molecular wavepacket. A subsequent probe pulse can then dissociate or ionize the molecule, and measurement of the molecular fragments provides information about where the wavepacket was for each time delay. Here, we propose to exploit the ultrafast nuclear-position-dependent emission obtained due to large light–matter coupling in plasmonic nanocavities to image wavepacket dynamics using only a single pump pulse. We show that the time-resolved emission from the cavity provides information about when the wavepacket passes a given region in nuclear configuration space. This approach can image both cavity-modified dynamics on polaritonic (hybrid light–matter) potentials in the strong light–matter coupling regime and bare-molecule dynamics in the intermediate coupling regime of large Purcell enhancements, and provides a route towards ultrafast molecular spectroscopy with plasmonic nanocavities.

Generation and acceleration of electron bunches from a plasma photocathode

Plasma waves generated in the wake of intense, relativistic laser1,2 or particle beams3,4 can accelerate electron bunches to gigaelectronvolt energies in centimetre-scale distances. This allows the realization of compact accelerators with emerging applications ranging from modern light sources such as the free-electron laser to energy frontier lepton colliders. In a plasma wakefield accelerator, such multi-gigavolt-per-metre wakefields can accelerate witness electron bunches that are either externally injected5,6 or captured from the background plasma7,8. Here we demonstrate optically triggered injection9–11 and acceleration of electron bunches, generated in a multi-component hydrogen and helium plasma employing a spatially aligned and synchronized laser pulse. This ‘plasma photocathode’ decouples injection from wake excitation by liberating tunnel-ionized helium electrons directly inside the plasma cavity, where these cold electrons are then rapidly boosted to relativistic velocities. The injection regime can be accessed via optical11 density down-ramp injection12–16 and is an important step towards the generation of electron beams with unprecedented low transverse emittance, high current and 6D-brightness17. This experimental path opens numerous prospects for transformative plasma wakefield accelerator applications based on ultrahigh-brightness beams. Electron bunches are generated and accelerated to relativistic velocities by tunnel ionization of neutral gas species in a plasma. This represents a step towards ultra-bright, high-emittance beams in plasma wakefield accelerators. [This summary has been amended from ‘laser-plasma’ to ‘plasma wakefield’ accelerators.]

Transverse expansion of the electron sheath during laser acceleration of protons

The transverse expansion of the electrostatic sheath during target normal sheath acceleration of protons is investigated experimentally using a setup with two synchronized laser pulses. With the pulses spatially separated by less than three laser spot diameters, the resulting proton beam profiles become elliptical. By introducing a small intensity difference between the two pulses, the ellipses are rotated by a certain angle, except if the spatial separation of the two laser pulses is in the plane of incidence. The rotation angle is shown to depend on the relative intensity of the two pulses. The observed effects are found to require high temporal contrasts of the laser pulses. A simple model describing how the transverse shape of the electron sheath on the rear of the target depends on the relative intensity between the foci is presented. The model assumptions are verified, and the unknown dependence of the transverse extents of the sheaths are estimated self-consistently through a series of high resolution, two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The results predicted by the model are also shown to be consistent with those obtained from the experiment.

High Speed Pump-Probe Apparatus for Observation of Transitional Effects in Ultrafast Laser Micromachining Processes

A pump-probe experimental approach has been shown to be a very efficient tool for the observation and analysis of various laser matter interaction effects. In those setups, synchronized laser pulses are used to create an event (pump) and to simultaneously observe it (probe). In general, the physical effects that can be investigated with such an apparatus are restricted by the temporal resolution of the probe pulse and the observation window. The latter can be greatly extended by adjusting the pump-probe time delay under the assumption that the interaction process remains fairly reproducible. Unfortunately, this assumption becomes invalid in the case of high-repetition-rate ultrafast laser material processing, where the irradiation history strongly affects the ongoing interaction process. In this contribution, the authors present an extension of the pump-probe setup that allows to investigate transitional and dynamic effects present during ultrafast laser machining performed at high pulse repetition frequencies.

Alignment enhancement of molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets by multiple laser pulses

We show experimentally that field-free one-dimensional (1D) alignment of 1,4-diiodobenzene molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets, induced by a single, linearly polarized 200-fs laser pulse, can be significantly enhanced by using two or four optimally synchronized laser pulses. The strongest degree of 1D alignment is obtained with four pulses and gives $\ensuremath{\langle}{cos}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\rangle}>0.60$. Besides the immediate implications for molecular frame studies, our results pave the way for more general manipulation of rotational motion of molecules in He droplets.

Focus on photonics, biomedical optics, and microscopy

Focus on photonics, biomedical optics, and microscopy

Enhanced material purity and resolution via synchronized laser assisted electron beam induced deposition of platinum

We introduce a laser assisted electron beam induced deposition (LAEBID) process which is a nanoscale direct write synthesis method that integrates an electron beam induced deposition process with a synchronized pulsed laser step to induce thermal desorption of reaction by-products. Localized, spatially overlapping electron and photon pulses enable the thermal desorption of the reaction by-product while mitigating issues associated with bulk substrate heating, which can shorten the precursor residence time and distort pattern fidelity due to thermal drift. Current results demonstrate purification of platinum deposits (reduced carbon content by ~50%) with the addition of synchronized laser pulses as well as a significant reduction in deposit resistivity. Measured resistivities from platinum LAEBID structures (4 × 10(3)μΩ cm) are nearly 4 orders of magnitude lower than standard EBID platinum structures (2.2 × 10(7)μΩ cm) from the same precursor and are lower than the lowest reported EBID platinum resistivity with post-deposition annealing (1.4 × 10(4)μΩ cm). Finally the LAEBID process demonstrates improved deposit resolution by ~25% compared to EBID structures under the conditions investigated in this work.

Experimental investigation of a novel microchip laser producing synchronized dual-frequency laser pulse with an 85 GHz interval

A novel self-Q-switched microchip laser is introduced, which can produce synchronized dual-frequency laser pulse trains. By adopting a prepump mechanism, as well as shifting the gain curve and resonance wavelengths, the relative gains of π and σ polarization modes are adjusted, which offers an effective way to finely synchronize the laser pulses. By employing a 0.9 mm length monolithic cavity, a pair of synchronized pulse trains with a frequency separation of 85 GHz (0.32 nm) is achieved, which nearly approaches the gain bandwidth of the laser medium. Another separated cavity with a length of 2.8 mm operates in the same way for further investigation of microwave generation. A radiofrequency signal with frequency of 26.565 GHz is achieved by beat-noting of the synchronized laser pulse trains with 0.1 nm wavelength separation.

Two Synchronized Operating Modes of Femtosecond and Picosecond Pulses in a Dual-Wavelength Laser

Two synchronized operating modes of femtosecond and picosecond pulses, cross mode-locking and multi-pulse operating, are presented in a two-beam-pumped dual-wavelength Ti:sapphire laser. For the cross mode-locking mode, synchronized laser pulses of 37.5 fs and 0.891ps, with a timing jitter of 139 fs, are obtained in the femtosecond cavity and picosecond cavity, respectively. For the multi-pulse mode, pulses of 35 fs are obtained in the femtosecond cavity, whereas, multi-pulse mode appears in the picosecond cavity, with a pulse envelope width of 1.06 ps. The two operating modes can be switched from one to the other, dominated mainly by the mutual interaction between cross-phase modulation and self-amplitude modulation.

Stimulated Raman scattering microscope with shot noise limited sensitivity using subharmonically synchronized laser pulses

We propose and demonstrate the use of subharmonically synchronized laser pulses for low-noise lock-in detection in stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy. In the experiment, Yb-fiber laser pulses at a repetition rate of 38 MHz are successfully synchronized to Ti:sapphire laser pulses at a repetition rate of 76 MHz with a jitter of <8 fs by a two-photon detector and an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator. By using these pulses, high-frequency lock-in detection of SRS signal is accomplished without high-speed optical modulation. The noise level of the lock-in signal is found to be higher than the shot noise limit only by 1.6 dB. We also demonstrate high-contrast, 3D imaging of unlabeled living cells.

Fabry–Perot interferometer in pulsed illumination: a new approach and capabilities

An analysis of the spectral-time characteristics of a Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) in pulsed illumination is given. Processes that occur in the transit of light pulses of different widths through a FPI are considered in detail. A relationship between the baseline of a FPI and the width of the incident light pulse is established. The time structure of a pulse that has traversed a FPI is analyzed. The theoretical difference in the transit of a light pulse through a FPI and of a regular sequence of synchronized laser pulses is found. The maximum time resolution of a FPI is determined. A model that describes the transit of a regular sequence of synchronized laser pulses through a FPI functioning in the mode of an optical filter is determined.

Diffraction of pulsed laser radiation from an acoustic wave with frequency- and phase-shift keying

Bragg acoustooptic diffraction of nanosecond pulsed laser radiation from a frequency- and/or phase-keyed acoustic wave is studied experimentally and theoretically for exact synchronization of laser pulses and signal keying. It is shown that the diffraction field for short pulses is practically stationary and is determined by the positions of acoustic signal keying over signal aperture. The application of this type of signals for the formation of a multibeam diffraction pulsed radiation field is considered. A method is proposed for transforming the angular spectrum of laser radiation intensity from the initial Gaussian to a nearly rectangular spectrum. This may considerably increase the efficiency of high-power technological lasers used in material processing (laser cutting, welding, engraving, etc.), in which the action of radiation is of the thresh-old type in light intensity. The possibility of correcting the angular intensity distribution for a pulsed fiber laser, which increases the thermal efficiency of radiation from such a laser, is established experimentally.

Fabry-Perot interferometer in the world of pulses: New approaches and capabilities

The spectral-time characteristics of the Fabry-Perot interferometer (IFP) under pulse illumination are analyzed. Processes of the passing of light pulses of various lengths through IFP are considered in detail. The spectral and time characteristics of the interferometer under pulse irradiation are presented. The time structure of a pulse past through the IFP has been analyzed. The ultimate time resolution of the device is determined. The principal difference between the transmission through IFP of one pulse and a regular sequence of laser synchronized pulses is presented. The model of passing the regular sequence of synchronized laser pulses through IFP as an optical filter is presented.

High-power Yb-doped fiber amplification synchronized with a few-cycle Ti:sapphire laser

We demonstrated the synchronized high-power ytterbium-doped fiber amplification of the near-infrared spectral fraction of a few-cycle Ti:sapphire laser at 79.5-MHz repetition rate, which was experimentally realized with a two-stage ytterbium-doped fiber pre-amplifier and a two-stage double-clad fiber power amplifier in cascade. An overall power amplification up to 86.1 dB was achieved at 1030 nm with sufficient suppression of amplified spontaneous emission noises, achieving to the best of our knowledge the highest synchronized laser pulses of 262 W in average power. The amplified high-power pulses were demonstrated to maintain good temporal synchronization with the few-cycle signal pulses.

Genotype-inspired laser material processing: a new experimental approach and potential applications to protean materials

We have developed a new direct-write experimental technique that enables the delivery of preprogrammed laser pulse scripts to a substrate with high fidelity during patterning and motion sequences. The laser technique can be readily applied to fundamental investigations of complex laser–material interaction phenomena, and easily integrated into laser–material processing schemes for commercial and industrial applications. The laser direct-write technique has been crafted by association with the genome and genotype concepts, where predetermined and prescribed laser pulse scripts are synchronously linked with the tool path geometry, and each concatenated pulse sequence is intended to express a specific material attribute. This laser processing method is particularly well suited for protean or mutable materials that can be altered with extreme sensitivity by the application of high precision photon exposures. We envision that multifunctional materials can be altered on a localized scale to create integrated “devices” on a common substrate. The synchronized laser pulse amplitude modulation scheme and application to a candidate photosensitive glass ceramic are the focus of this paper.

Dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes-Raman scattering microscopy

We introduce dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes-Raman scattering (dual-CARS) microscopy. This new technique permits simultaneous imaging of two species characterized by different molecular vibrations, as well as the removal of nonresonant background. This is achieved by using three synchronized laser pulses probing two different vibrations. We demonstrate the virtues of the method by imaging a mixture of nondeuterated and deuterated lipids, clearly distinguishing the individual components and their organization in the mixed arrangement. Further, dual-CARS images of lipid stores in living Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes show that the suppression of the nonresonant background results in significantly enhanced image contrast.

Analysis of small droplets with a new detector for liquid chromatography based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The miniaturization of analytical techniques is a general trend in speciation analytics. We have developed a new analytical technique combining high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). This enables a molecule-specific separation followed by an element-specific analysis of smallest amounts of complex samples. The liquid flow coming from a HPLC pump is transformed into a continuous stream of small droplets (diameter 50–100 μm, volume 65–500 pl) using a piezoelectric pulsed nozzle. After the detection of single droplets with a droplet detector, a Q-switched Nd:YAG Laser is triggered to emit a synchronized laser pulse that irradiates a single droplet. The droplets are evaporated and transformed to the plasma state. The spectrum emitted from the plasma is collected by a spherical mirror and directed through the entrance slit of a Paschen–Runge spectrometer equipped with channel photomultipliers. The spectrometer detects 31 elements simultaneously covering a spectral range from 120 to 589 nm. Purging the measurement chamber with argon enables the detection of vacuum–UV lines. Since the sample is transferred to the plasma state without dilution, very low flow rates in the sub-μl/min range can be realised.

The LEAF picosecond pulse radiolysis facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory

The BNL Laser-Electron Accelerator Facility (LEAF) uses a laser-pulsed photocathode, radio-frequency electron gun to generate ⩾7 ps pulses of 8.7 MeV electrons for pulse radiolysis experiments. The compact and operationally simple accelerator system includes synchronized laser pulses that can be used to probe or excite the electron-pulsed samples to examine the dynamics and reactivity of chemical species on the picosecond time scale.