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Title: Generation of intense ultrashort midinfrared pulses by laser-plasma interaction in the bubble regime

Abstract

As an intense laser pulse propagates through an underdense plasma, the strong ponderomotive force pushes away the electrons and produces a trailing plasma bubble. In the meantime the pulse itself undergoes extreme nonlinear evolution that results in strong spectral broadening toward the long-wavelength side. By experiment we demonstrate that this process can be utilized to generate ultrashort midinfrared pulses with an energy three orders of magnitude larger than that produced by crystal-based nonlinear optics. The infrared pulse is encapsulated in the bubble before exiting the plasma, hence is not absorbed by the plasma. The process is analyzed experimentally with laser-plasma tomographic measurements and numerically with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. Good agreement is found between theoretical estimation, numerical simulation, and experimental results.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;  [1]; ;  [1];  [1];  [2]; ;  [3];  [4]
  1. Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)
  2. Department of Mathematics, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan (China)
  3. Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan (China)
  4. Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan (China)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21528964
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 82; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.82.063804; (c) 2010 The American Physical Society; Journal ID: ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; BUBBLES; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; CRYSTALS; ELECTRONS; INTERACTIONS; LASER RADIATION; LINE BROADENING; NONLINEAR OPTICS; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; PARTICLES; PLASMA; PONDEROMOTIVE FORCE; PULSES; THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; WAVELENGTHS; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; FERMIONS; LEPTONS; OPTICS; RADIATIONS; SIMULATION

Citation Formats

Pai, C -H, Chang, Y -Y, Ha, L -C, Xie, Z -H, Chen, Y -M, Wang, J, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Lin, M -W, Chen, S -Y, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Lin, J -M, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan, Tsaur, G, Chu, H -H, Chen, S -H, and Lin, J -Y. Generation of intense ultrashort midinfrared pulses by laser-plasma interaction in the bubble regime. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.063804.
Pai, C -H, Chang, Y -Y, Ha, L -C, Xie, Z -H, Chen, Y -M, Wang, J, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Lin, M -W, Chen, S -Y, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Lin, J -M, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan, Tsaur, G, Chu, H -H, Chen, S -H, & Lin, J -Y. Generation of intense ultrashort midinfrared pulses by laser-plasma interaction in the bubble regime. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.063804
Pai, C -H, Chang, Y -Y, Ha, L -C, Xie, Z -H, Chen, Y -M, Wang, J, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Lin, M -W, Chen, S -Y, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Lin, J -M, Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan, Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan, Tsaur, G, Chu, H -H, Chen, S -H, and Lin, J -Y. 2010. "Generation of intense ultrashort midinfrared pulses by laser-plasma interaction in the bubble regime". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.063804.
@article{osti_21528964,
title = {Generation of intense ultrashort midinfrared pulses by laser-plasma interaction in the bubble regime},
author = {Pai, C -H and Chang, Y -Y and Ha, L -C and Xie, Z -H and Chen, Y -M and Wang, J and Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan and Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan and Lin, M -W and Chen, S -Y and Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan and Lin, J -M and Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan and Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan and Tsaur, G and Chu, H -H and Chen, S -H and Lin, J -Y},
abstractNote = {As an intense laser pulse propagates through an underdense plasma, the strong ponderomotive force pushes away the electrons and produces a trailing plasma bubble. In the meantime the pulse itself undergoes extreme nonlinear evolution that results in strong spectral broadening toward the long-wavelength side. By experiment we demonstrate that this process can be utilized to generate ultrashort midinfrared pulses with an energy three orders of magnitude larger than that produced by crystal-based nonlinear optics. The infrared pulse is encapsulated in the bubble before exiting the plasma, hence is not absorbed by the plasma. The process is analyzed experimentally with laser-plasma tomographic measurements and numerically with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. Good agreement is found between theoretical estimation, numerical simulation, and experimental results.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.063804},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21528964}, journal = {Physical Review. A},
issn = {1050-2947},
number = 6,
volume = 82,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2010},
month = {Wed Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2010}
}