In this work we present results on the influence of laser pulse duration and irradiating power density
on the conversion efficiency (CE) and the ion energy of gadolinium (Gd) laser produced plasmas.
Three lasers were used with 10 ns, 150 ps and 140 fs pulse durations. By varying the lasers output
energies, experiments could be carried out for a power density range of 1011 - 1015 W/cm2. A
maximum CE of 0.4% was achieved within a 0.6% bandwidth in 2π steradians using the picosecond
laser. A faraday cup was used to calculate ion yield and time of flight measurements of each laser.
The picosecond laser also showed a reduction in the ion time of flight measurements compared with
the nanosecond pulse.
We demonstrate a table-top strong band emission water window source based on laser-produced high-Z plasmas.
Resonance emission from multiply charged ions merges to produce intense unresolved transition arrays in the 2 to 4
nm region, extending below the carbon K edge (4.37 nm). Arrays resulting from n = 4-n = 4 transitions are overlaid
with n = 4-n = 5 emission and shift to shorter wavelength with increasing atomic number. Under spectral analysis a
guideline for microscope construction design for single-shot live cell imaging is proposed based on the use of a
bismuth plasma source, coupled with multilayer mirror optics.
We demonstrate an efficient extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source for operation at λ = 6.7 nm by optimizing the optical
thickness of gadolinium (Gd) plasmas. Using low initial density Gd targets and dual laser pulse irradiation, we
observed a maximum EUV conversion efficiency (CE) of 0.54% for 0.6% bandwidth (BW) (1.8% for 2%BW),
which is 1.6 times larger than the 0.33% (0.6%BW) CE produced from a solid density target. Enhancement of the
EUV CE by use of a low-density plasma is attributed to the reduction of self-absorption effects.
We have observed guiding of 1016-W/cm2 ultrashort laser pulses in a discharge-produced plasma channel in an
argon-gas-filled 1-cm long alumina (Al2O3) capillary. An optimum timing of the laser pulse injection was around
150 ns for the discharge with a peak current of 200 A at the discharge time 150 ns. One-dimensional
magnetrohydrodynamic (MHD) code was used to evaluate the average degree of ionization of Ar in the preformed
plasma channel. In the preformed plasma the averaged ion charge state of Ar3+ was obtained from the observed
visible emission spectra and from the MHD simulation. The spectrum of the laser pulse in the preformed by the
discharge argon plasma channel was not changed and was well reproduced in the particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation.
We characterize the emission spectra of a potassium plasma and its temporal behavior at 39 nm. To understanding
the potassium spectral behavior without contamination effect, we use a laser-produced plasma to control the plasma
parameters by changing the laser intensity and wavelength. Potassium ions produced strong broadband emission
around 40 nm ranging from K3+ to K5+ ions at a time-averaged electron temperature of about 12 eV. Emission at 39
nm is caused during the recombining phase and it was reproduced by hydrodynamic simulation, which accounted for
atomic processes. As the emission spectral behavior of the laser-produced potassium plasma XUV source is similar
to that of the hollow cathode-mode discharge-produced plasma spectrum, it indicates that the emission from the
discharge-produced plasma occurs in a region of high electron density close to 1020 cm-3.
We have demonstrated a laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source operating in the 6.5-6.7 nm region based
on rare-earth targets of Gd and Tb coupled with a Mo/B4C multilayer mirror. Multiply charged ions produce strong
resonance emission lines, which combine to yield an intense unresolved transition array. The spectra of these
resonant lines around 6.7 nm suggest that the in-band emission increases with increased plasma volume by
suppressing the plasma hydrodynamic expansion loss at an electron temperature of about 50 eV, resulting in
maximized emission. We also have investigated the dependence of the spectral behavior and conversion efficiencies
of rare-earth plasma extreme ultraviolet sources with peak emission at 6.7 nm on laser wavelength and the initial
target density. The maximum conversion efficiency was 1.3% at a laser intensity of 1.6 × 1012 W/cm2 at an operating
wavelength of 1064 nm, when self-absorption was reduced by use of a low initial density target.
An engineering prototype high average power 13.5-nm source has been shipped to semiconductor facilities to permit
the commencement of high volume production at a 100 W power level in 2011. In this source, UTA (unresolved
transition array) emission of highly ionized Sn is optimized for high conversion efficiency and full recovery of the
injected fuel is realized through ion deflection in a magnetic field. By use of a low-density target, satellite emission
is suppressed and full ionization attained with short pulse CO2 laser irradiation. The UTA is scalable to shorter
wavelengths, and Gd is shown to have similar conversion efficiency to Sn (13.5 nm) at a higher plasma temperature,
with a narrow spectrum centered at 6.7 nm, where a 70% reflectivity mirror is anticipated. Optimization of short
pulse CO2 laser irradiation is studied, and further extension of the same method is discussed, to realize 100 W
average power down to a wavelength of 3 nm.
When plasmas are instantaneously created around an electromagnetic wave, frequency of the wave up-converted to
the frequency, which depends on the plasma frequency. This phenomenon is called as the flash-ionization predicted
by S. C. Wilks et al [1]. The theory requires not only the plasma creation in time much shorter than an oscillation
period of the electromagnetic wave but also plasma length much longer than a wavelength of it. We have
demonstrated the proof of principle experiment using the interaction between a terahertz wave and plasmas created
by an ultra short laser pulse, which ensures the plasma creation time-scale much shorter than a period of
electromagnetic source wave and plasma length longer than a wavelength of the wave. We observed frequency upconversion
from 0.35 THz to 3.3 THz by the irradiance of the Ti:sapphire laser in ZnSe crystal.
Strong beams of coherent radiation are essential to induce nonlinear excitation phenomena in biology and material
sciences. Optical-field-induced ionization by an ultrashort laser pulse produces ultrabroadband bursts of radiation
with photon energies ranging from radio-wave at the microsecond timescale to x-ray at the attosecond timescale. As
the laser pulse drives an ultrafast-discharge with high current it induces nonlinear spectral conversion in a few
femtoseconds and generates terahertz electromagnetic waves. Broadband terahertz generation has been reported in
air and rare gases. If the radiation frequency depends on the electron plasma density, it should vary with the laser
pulse intensity, and the kind and density of the gas. However, the peak radiation frequencies reported are almost
independent of those parameters. From the laser-gas interaction point of view, the terahertz generation mechanism is
not enough understood. We demonstrate a frequency-tuning scheme that uses the laser pulse duration to control the
ultrafast-discharge current timescale, yielding a terahertz energy of 0.1 μJ and a conversion efficiency of 10-4 by use
of the homemade power supply with 60-A discharge current at 1 kHz. We also propose a simple physical model to
explain the generation of terahertz radiation with the laser propagation in an ultrafast-discharge.
We have reported a discharge-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source based on a pure potassium vapor.
Potassium ions produced strong broadband emission around 40 nm with a bandwidth of 8 nm [full width at halfmaximum
(FWHM)]. The current-voltage characteristics of discharge suggest that the source operates in a hollow
cathode mode. By comparison with atomic structure calculations, the broadband emission is found to be primarily
due to 3d-3p transitions in potassium ions ranging from K 2+ to K4+.
Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is a well-known quantum phenomena that electromagnetic wave
controls the refractive index of medium. It enables us to create a passband for low frequency electromagnetic wave
in a dense plasma even if the plasma is opaque for the electromagnetic wave. This technique can be used to prove the
ion acoustic wave because the ion acoustic frequency is lower than the plasma frequency. We have investigated a
feasibility of electromagnetic radiation at THz region corresponding to the ion acoustic frequency from a dense
plasma. We confirmed that the passband is created at about 7.5 THz corresponding to the ion acoustic frequency in
the plasma (1021 cm-3) with a Ti:Sapphire laser (800 nm, 1017 W/cm2). The estimated radiation power is around 1
MW, which is expected to be useful for nonlinear THz science and applications.
Pulse compression through filamentation in a free-space argon gas-filled cell has been demonstrated by use of the
high energy laser pulse. Compression and splitting of the optical laser pulse due to multiple filamentation in an argon
gas-filled cell were observed. A 130-fs pulse was compressed to less than 60 fs (full width at half-maximum) with
the output energy of 16 mJ at the argon gas pressure of 25 kPa.
We reported the production of a plasma channel in a capillary discharge-produced plasma. Plasma parameters of its
channel were observed by use of both a laser interferometer and a hydrogen plasma spectrum. A time-resolved
electron temperature was measured, and its maximum temperature of 3 eV with electron densities of the order of
1017 cm-3 was observed at a discharge time of 150 ns and a maximum discharge current of 400 A. Intense laser pulse
was guided over many vacuum Rayleigh lengths using its channel.
We report on the demonstration of a dc to ac radiation converter (DARC) source as a THz emitter. THz radiation is
generated through the spatiotemporal change in electron plasma density induced by a relativistic ionization front
propagating in a ZnSe crystal. The central emission frequency is 1.2 THz with a bandwidth of 0.7 THz [full width at
half-maximum (FWHM)]. The central frequency is attributed to production of the electron plasma density of the
order of 1015 cm-3 and is in good agreement with the expected theoretical value.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation at the wavelength of around 13nm waws observed from a laser-produced plasma using continuous water-jet. Strong dependence of the conversion efficiency (CE) on the laser focal spot size and jet diameter was observed. The EUV CE at a given laser spot size and jet diameter was further enhanced using double laser pulses, where a pre-pulse was used for initial heating of the plasma.
In this paper, the free-electron scattering by continuous or pulsed laser beams has been investigated in details. It is found that when Q equalsV eE >= 100 an electron can be captured and violently accelerated to GeV energy under proper conditions. From the quantum viewpoint, we can explain this effect on the basis of non-linear and stimulated Comptom scattering. This phenomenon provided us with a new far-field laser acceleration mechanism, whose practical feasibility and application possibility are also discussed.
A new photon accelerator utilizing the laser wakefield acceleration scheme and the vp X B mechanism is proposed. In the proton acceleration employing the vp X B mechanism, we have performed the simulation with the Runge Kutta method. The result show that the protons are accelerated by the laser field, when the proton beam is obliquely incident on the propagation axis of the laser traveling with the speed of light. The energy gain per one stage is not large enough but the acceleration gradient is several hundred times larger than the conventional proton acceleration scheme. In addition, we expect that the acceleration method by a radial wakefield excited by an intense laser has more advantage than the vp X B mechanism in lower injection energy. It will be possible to make the compact proton accelerator with these principles.
Temporal and spatial electron density oscillation in laser wakefield was measured by Frequency-domain interferometry technique. The period of the plasma oscillation was measured to be 2 THz in the electron density of 5 X 1016 cm-3. In the measurement of radial profiles of electron density oscillation, the expulsion of electrons from the laser axis was apparently observed. These measurement techniques will enables us to perform a coherent control of electron plasma oscillation.
The Vp X B acceleration scheme with use of a transverse electromagnetic wave is demonstrated experimentally. However, in order to couple particles with the transverse wave, a slow-wave structure has to be employed because of low electron beam velocity. When the electron beam propagated through the slow-wave structure composed of dielectric-loaded slab-symmetric waveguide in the present paper, an orbit of the beam because unstable. We have observed the electron beam instability to investigate its mechanisms. As a result, an electron beam in the dielectric-loaded waveguide is deflected to the opposite direction from the material on the waveguide wall. By adding the beam-generated plasma in the slow-wave structure the electron beam has been observe dot become stable.
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