Characteristics of argon plasma waveguide produced by alumina capillary discharge for short wavelength laser application

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4712038· OSTI ID:22036870

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Yugami, Noboru ^[1]; Bobrova, Nadezhda; Sasorov, Pavel ^[2]; Sakai, Shohei ^[1]; Sentoku, Yasuhiko ^[3]; Kodama, Ryosuke ^[4]

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1. Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences, Center for Optical Research and Education (CORE), and Optical Technology Innovation Center (OpTIC), Utsunomiya University, Yoto 7-1-2, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 321-8585 (Japan)
2. Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, B. Cheremushkinskaya Str. 25, 117218 Moscow (Russian Federation)
3. Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Mail Stop 220, Reno, Nevada 89506 (United States)
4. Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kanagawa, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)

We have reported the argon (Ar) plasma waveguide produced in an alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) capillary discharge and used to guide ultrashort laser pulses at intensities of the order of 10{sup 16} W/cm{sup 2}. The electron density in the plasma waveguide was measured to be 1x10{sup 18} cm{sup -3}, in agreement with one-dimensional magnetrohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The MHD code was also used to evaluate the degree of ionization of argon (Ar) in the preformed plasma waveguide. The maximum ion charge state of Ar{sup 3+} in capillary discharge was measured and obtained in the MHD simulations. The spectrum of the propagated laser pulse in the Ar plasma waveguide was not modified and was well reproduced by a particle-in-cell simulations under initial ion charge state of Ar{sup 3+} in the preformed plasma waveguide. The optimum timing for the laser pulse injection was around 150 ns after initiation of a discharge with a peak current of 200 A.

• OSTI ID: 22036870
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 111; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
ARGON
ARGON IONS
CAPILLARIES
CHARGE STATES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
IONIZATION
LASER RADIATION
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA SIMULATION
PULSES
WAVEGUIDES