Evaluation of cytogenetic effects of very short laser pulsed radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guedeney, G.; Courant, D.; Malarbet, J.-L.; Dolloy, M.-T.; Court, L.

1992-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of a laser, delivering very short pulses in the near infrared spectrum with a high pulse ratio frequency, to induce genetic modification on biological tissues. Chromatid exchanges and chromosomal aberrations studies are used to test potential effect on human lymphocytes. The laser irradiation induces a significant increase of acentric fragments but the absence of dicentric suggests that a repetitive very short pulses irradiation has a relatively low capacity to induce genetic abnormalities. (author)

Non-invasive characterization and quality assurance of silicon micro-strip detectors using pulsed infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, P.

2016-01-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations consisting of roughly 1300 double sided silicon micro-strip detectors of 3 different dimensions. For the quality assurance of prototype micro-strip detectors a non-invasive detector charaterization is developed. The test system is using a pulsed infrared laser for charge injection and characterization, called Laser Test System (LTS). The system is aimed to develop a set of characterization procedures which are non-invasive (non-destructive) in nature and could be used for quality assurances of several silicon micro-strip detectors in an efficient, reliable and reproducible way. The procedures developed (as reported here) uses the LTS to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The prototype detector modules which are tested with the LTS so far have 1024 strips with a pitch of 58 μm on each side. They are read-out using a self-triggering prototype read-out electronic ASIC called n-XYTER. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infra-red laser light (spot size ≈ 12 μm, wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with a duration of ≈ 10 ns and power ≈ 5 mW of the laser pulse is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensor produces ≈ 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. The laser scans different prototype sensors and various non-invasive techniques to determine characteristics of the detector modules for the quality assurance is reported.

Femtosecond laser irradiation-induced infrared absorption on silicon surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghua Zhu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The near-infrared (NIR absorption below band gap energy of crystalline silicon is significantly increased after the silicon is irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses at a simple experimental condition. The absorption increase in the NIR range primarily depends on the femtosecond laser pulse energy, pulse number, and pulse duration. The Raman spectroscopy analysis shows that after the laser irradiation, the silicon surface consists of silicon nanostructure and amorphous silicon. The femtosecond laser irradiation leads to the formation of a composite of nanocrystalline, amorphous, and the crystal silicon substrate surface with microstructures. The composite has an optical absorption enhancement at visible wavelengths as well as at NIR wavelength. The composite may be useful for an NIR detector, for example, for gas sensing because of its large surface area.

Photoacoustic determination of glucose concentration in whole blood by a near-infrared laser diode

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zuomin; Myllylae, Risto A.

2001-06-01

The near-infrared photoacoustic technique is recognized as a potential method for the non-invasive determination of human glucose, because near-infrared light can incident a few millimeters into human tissue, where it produces an acoustic wave capable of carrying information about the composition of the tissue. This paper demonstrates a photoacoustic glucose measurement in a blood sample as a step toward a non-invasive measurement. The experimental apparatus consists of a near-infrared laser diode operating with 4 micro joules pulse energy at 905 nm, a roller pump connected to a silicon plastic tube and a cuvette for circulating the blood sample. In addition, the apparatus comprises a PZT piezoelectric transducer integrated with a battery-powered preamplifier to receive the photoacoustic signal. During the experiment, a glucose solution is mixed into a human blood sample to change its concentration. Although the absorption coefficient of glucose is much smaller than that of blood in the near-infrared region, the osmotic and hydrophilic properties of glucose decrease the reduced scattering coefficient of blood caused by the dissolved glucose surrounding the blood cells. This changes the distribution of the absorbed optical energy in blood, which, in turn, produces a change in the photoacoustic signal. Our experiment demonstrates that signal amplitudes in fresh and stored blood samples in crease about 7% and 10%, respectively, when the glucose concentration reaches the upper limit of the physiological region (500 mg/dl).

Selective treatment of carious dentin using a mid-infrared tunable pulsed laser at 6 μm wavelength range

Science.gov (United States)

Saiki, Masayuki; Ishii, Katsunori; Yoshikawa, Kazushi; Yasuo, Kenzo; Yamamoto, Kazuyo; Awazu, Kunio

2011-03-01

Optical technologies have good potential for caries detection, prevention, excavation, and the realization of minimal intervention dentistry. This study aimed to develop a selective excavation technique of carious tissue using the specific absorption in 6 μm wavelength range. Bovine dentin demineralized with lactic acid solution was used as a carious dentin model. A mid-infrared tunable pulsed laser was obtained by difference-frequency generation technique. The wavelength was tuned to 6.02 and 6.42 μm which correspond to absorption bands called amide I and amide II, respectively. The laser delivers 5 ns pulse width at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The morphological change after irradiation was observed with a scanning electron microscope, and the measurement of ablation depth was performed with a confocal laser microscope. At λ = 6.02 μm and the average power density of 15 W/cm2, demineralized dentin was removed selectively with less-invasive effect on sound dentin. The wavelength of 6.42 μm also showed the possibility of selective removal. High ablation efficiency and low thermal side effect were observed using the nanosecond pulsed laser with λ = 6.02 μm. In the near future, development of compact laser device will open the minimal invasive laser treatment to the dental clinic.

3D features of modified photostructurable glass-ceramic with infrared femtosecond laser pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez-Pradas, J.M., E-mail: jmfernandez@ub.edu [Universitat de Barcelona, Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Serrano, D.; Bosch, S.; Morenza, J.L.; Serra, P. [Universitat de Barcelona, Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2011-04-01

The exclusive ability of laser radiation to be focused inside transparent materials makes lasers a unique tool to process inner parts of them unreachable with other techniques. Hence, laser direct-write can be used to create 3D structures inside bulk materials. Infrared femtosecond lasers are especially indicated for this purpose because a multiphoton process is usually required for absorption and high resolution can be attained. This work studies the modifications produced by 450 fs laser pulses at 1027 nm wavelength focused inside a photostructurable glass-ceramic (Foturan) at different depths. Irradiated samples were submitted to standard thermal treatment and subsequent soaking in HF solution to form the buried microchannels and thus unveil the modified material. The voxel dimensions of modified material depend on the laser pulse energy and the depth at which the laser is focused. Spherical aberration and self-focusing phenomena are required to explain the observed results.

Generation of ultra short pulses by auto injection in the Nd: YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faria, I.C. de.

1986-01-01

Yhe work presented here, was concerned to the construction of a coherent light source in the near infrared region with pulses of 10 -10 seconds. The auto-injection technique was employed for generating these short pulses with posterior extraction of the pulse applied to a Nd=YAG-pulsed laser. (author) [pt

Opto-injection into single living cells by femtosecond near-infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Cheng

This dissertation presents a novel technique to deliver membrane impermeable molecules into single living cells with the assistance of femtosecond (fs) near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses. This approach merges ultrafast laser technology with key biological, biomedical, and medical applications, such as gene transfection, gene therapy and drug delivery. This technique promises several major advantages, namely, very high transfection efficiency, high cell survival rate (≈100%) and fully preserved cell viabilities. It is also a promising method to deliver molecules into cells that are difficult or even completely resistant to established physical methods, such as microinjection by glass pipettes, electroporation, and biolistics. In this work, the system for fs NIR opto-injection was designed and built. Successful fs NIR opto-injection has been performed on several cell systems including single mammalian cells (bovine aortic endothelial cells), marine animal eggs (Spisula solidissima oocytes), and human cancer cells (fibrosarcoma HT1080) cultured in a tissue-like environment. The connections between laser parameters and cell responses were explored through further experiments and in-depth analyses, especially the relationship between dye uptake rate and incident laser intensity, and the relationship between pore size created on cell membranes and incident laser intensity. Dye uptake rate of the target cells was observed to depend on incident laser intensity. Pore size was found dependent on incident laser intensity. The conclusion was made that laser-induced breakdown and plasma-induced ablation in cell membrane are the physical principles that govern the process of fs NIR opto-injection.

Detection of tumor-like inclusions embedded within human liver tissue using a short-pulsed near-infrared laser beam: Parallel simulations with radiative transfer equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asllanaj, Fatmir; Addoum, Ahmad; Contassot-Vivier, Sylvain

2015-01-01

An efficient solution to detect tumor-like inclusions embedded within a human liver tissue model is presented, using illumination by a short-pulsed laser beam. Light propagation was accurately solved using the time-dependent radiative transfer equation, with multithreaded parallel computing. A modified finite volume method based on unstructured grids and the fourth-order Runge–Kutta approach was employed to solve the equation in the (2-D/3-D) spatial and time domains. The normalization technique applied to the Henyey–Greenstein phase function was adopted to ensure numerical stability for values of the anisotropy factor that were close to unity. The presence of one or two circular/spherical inclusions was analyzed from the time and spatially resolved reflectance on the medium bounding surface. The results allowed a minimal size and a maximum distance for the detection of the inclusion to be highlighted. - Highlights: • We detect tumor-like inclusions embedded within a (2D/3D) human liver tissue model. • The technique is based on a short-pulsed near-infrared laser beam. • We solve the (2D/3D) time-dependent RTE, with multithreaded parallel computing. • The presence of one or two circular/spherical inclusions is analyzed. • The results allows a minimal size and a maximum distance for the detection

Single bead near-infrared random laser based on silica-gel infiltrated with Rhodamine 640

Science.gov (United States)

Moura, André L.; Barbosa-Silva, Renato; Dominguez, Christian T.; Pecoraro, Édison; Gomes, Anderson S. L.; de Araújo, Cid B.

2018-04-01

Photoluminescence properties of single bead silica-gel (SG) embedded with a laser-dye were studied aiming at the operation of near-infrared (NIR) Random Lasers (RLs). The operation of RLs in the NIR spectral region is especially important for biological applications since the optical radiation has deep tissue penetration with negligible damage. Since laser-dyes operating in the NIR have poor stability and are poor emitters, ethanol solutions of Rhodamine 640 (Rh640) infiltrated in SG beads were used. The Rh640 concentrations in ethanol varied from 10-5 to 10-2 M and the excitation at 532 nm was made by using a 7 ns pulsed laser. The proof-of-principle RL scheme herein presented was adopted in order to protect the dye-molecules from the environment and to favor formation of aggregates. The RL emission from ≈650 nm to 720 nm, beyond the typical Rh640 monomer and dimer wavelengths emissions range, was attributed to the trade-off between reabsorption and reemission processes along the light pathways inside the SG bead and the contribution of Rh640 aggregates.

Highly transparent conductive AZO/Zr50Cu50/AZO films in wide range of visible and near infrared wavelength grown by pulsed laser deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingyun Cheng

Full Text Available Novel AZO/Zr50Cu50/AZO tri-layer transparent conductive films with excellent transmittance in both visible and near infrared region were successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition on glass substrates. The electrical and optical properties were investigated at various Zr50Cu50 thicknesses. As the AZO thickness was fixed at 50 nm and Zr50Cu50 thickness was varied between 1 and 18 nm, it was found that AZO (50 nm/Zr50Cu50/AZO (50 nm tri-layer films exhibited good conductivity and high transmittance in both visible and near infrared wavelength. Additionally, both the electrical and optical properties of AZO (50 nm/Zr50Cu50 (2 nm/AZO (50 nm tri-layer films were found to be sensitive to the growth temperature. In this work, the lowest sheet resistance (43 Ω/□ and relatively high transmittance (∼80% in the range of 400–2000 nm were achieved while the growth temperature was 350 °C. Furthermore, the AZO (50 nm/Zr50Cu50 (2 nm/AZO (50 nm thin film deposited at 350 °C exhibits the highest figure of merit of 1.42 × 10−3 Ω−1, indicating that the multilayer is promising for coated glasses and thin film solar cells. Keywords: Transparent conductive oxide, AZO, Zr50Cu50, Electrical and optical properties, Visible and near infrared transmittance

Laser-induced filaments in the mid-infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheltikov, A M

2017-01-01

Laser-induced filamentation in the mid-infrared gives rise to unique regimes of nonlinear wave dynamics and reveals in many ways unusual nonlinear-optical properties of materials in this frequency range. The λ 2 scaling of the self-focusing threshold P cr , with radiation wavelength λ , allows the laser powers transmitted by single mid-IR filaments to be drastically increased without the loss of beam continuity and spatial coherence. When extended to the mid-infrared, laser filamentation enables new methods of pulse compression. Often working around the universal physical limitations, it helps generate few-cycle and subcycle field waveforms within an extraordinarily broad range of peak powers, from just a few up to hundreds of P cr . As a part of a bigger picture, laser-induced filamentation in the mid-infrared offers important physical insights into the general properties of the nonlinear-optical response of matter as a function of the wavelength. Unlike their near-infrared counterparts, which can be accurately described within the framework of perturbative nonlinear optics, mid-infrared filaments often entangle perturbative and nonperturbative nonlinear-optical effects, showing clear signatures of strong-field optical physics. With the role of nonperturbative nonlinear-optical phenomena growing, as a general tendency, with the field intensity and the driver wavelength, extension of laser filamentation to even longer driver wavelengths, toward the long-wavelength infrared, promises a hic sunt dracones land. (topical review)

Characterization of silicon microstrip sensors with a pulsed infrared laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Pradeep [Goethe Univ., Frankfurt (Germany); GSI (Germany); Eschke, Juergen [GSI (Germany); FAIR (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2014-07-01

The Silicon Tracking System (STS) for the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will comprise more than 1200 double-sided silicon microstrip sensors. For the quality assurance of the prototype sensors a laser test system has been built up. The aim of the sensor scans with the pulsed infrared laser system is to determine the charge sharing between strips and to measure the uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The laser system measures the sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infrared laser light (σ∼15 μm, λ=1060 nm). The duration (5 ns) and power (few mW) of the laser pulses are selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24k electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles in these sensors. Results from the characterization of monolithic active pixel sensors, to understand the spot-size of the laser, and laser scans for different sensors are presented.

Mid-infrared pulsed laser ablation of the arterial wall. Mechanical origin of "acoustic" wall damage and its effect on wall healing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Erven, L.; van Leeuwen, T. G.; Post, M. J.; van der Veen, M. J.; Velema, E.; Borst, C.

1992-01-01

Pulsed mid-infrared lasers are an alternative to excimer lasers for transluminal angioplasty. The mid-infrared lasers, however, were reported to produce "acoustic" wall damage that might impair the immediate and long-term results. To study the immediate and long-term effects on the arterial wall,

Generation of 70-fs pulses at 286 μm from a mid-infrared fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, R. I.; Hudson, D. D.; Fuerbach, A.; Jackson, S. D.

2017-12-01

We propose and demonstrate a simple route to few-optical-cycle pulse generation from a mid-infrared fiber laser through nonlinear compression of pulses from a holmium-doped fiber oscillator using a short length of chalcogenide fiber and a grating pair. Pulses from the oscillator with 265-fs duration at 2.86 {\\mu}m are spectrally broadened through self-phase modulation in step-index As2S3 fiber to 141-nm bandwidth and then re-compressed to 70 fs (7.3 optical cycles). These are the shortest pulses from a mid-infrared fiber system to date, and we note that our system is compact, robust, and uses only commercially available components. The scalability of this approach is also discussed, supported by numerical modeling.

Hypericin and pulsed laser therapy of squamous cell cancer in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Bublik, Michael; Head, Christian; Benharash, Peyman; Paiva, Marcos; Eshraghi, Adrian; Kim, Taiho; Saxton, Romaine

2006-06-01

This in vitro study compares continuous wave and pulsed laser light at longer wavelengths for activation of the phototoxic drug hypericin in human cancer cells. Two-photon pulsed laser light now allows high-resolution fluorescent imaging of cancer cells and should provide deeper tissue penetration with near infrared light for improved detection as well as phototoxicity in human tumors. Cultured Seoul National University (SNU)-1 tumor cells from a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were incubated with hypericin before photoirradiation at four laser wavelengths. Phototoxicity of hypericin sensitized SCC cells was measured by dimethyl thiazoldiphenyl (MTT) tetrazolium bromide cell viability assays and by confocal fluorescence microscopy via 532-nm and infrared two-photon pulsed laser light. Phototoxic response increased linearly with hypericin dose of 0.1-2 microM, light exposure time of 5-120 sec, and pulsed dye laser wavelengths of 514-593 nm. Light energy delivery for 50% cell phototoxicity (LD50) response was 9 joules at 514 nm, 3 joules at 550 nm, and less than 1 joule at the 593 nm hypericin light absorption maxima. Fluorescence confocal microscopy revealed membrane and perinuclear localization of hypericin in the SNU cells with membrane damage seen after excitation with visible 532 nm continuous wave light or two-photon 700-950 nm picosecond pulsed laser irradiation. Hypericin may be a powerful tumor targetting drug when combined with pulsed laser light in patients with recurrent head and neck SCC.

Few-cycle high energy mid-infrared pulse from Ho:YLF laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murari, Krishna

2017-04-01

Over the past decade, development of high-energy ultrafast laser sources has led to important breakthroughs in attoscience and strong-field physics study in atoms and molecules. Coherent pulse synthesis of few-cycle high-energy laser pulse is a promising tool to generate isolated attosecond pulses via high harmonics generation (HHG). An effective way to extend the HHG cut-off energy to higher values is making use of long mid-infrared (MIR) driver wavelength, as the ponderomotive potential scales quadratically with wavelength. If properly scaled in energy to multi-mJ level and few-cycle duration, such pulses provide a direct path to intriguing attoscience experiments in gases and solids, which even permit the realization of bright coherent table-top HHG sources in the water-window and keV X-ray region. However, the generation of high-intensity long-wavelength MIR pulses has always remained challenging, in particular starting from high-energy picosecond 2-μm laser driver, that is suitable for further energy scaling of the MIR pulses to multi-mJ energies by utilizing optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). In this thesis, a front-end source for such MIR OPA is presented. In particular, a novel and robust strong-field few-cycle 2-μm laser driver directly from picosecond Ho:YLF laser and utilizing Kagome fiber based compression is presented. We achieved: a 70-fold compression of 140-μJ, 3.3-ps pulses from Ho:YLF amplifier to 48 fs with 11 μJ energy. The work presented in this thesis demonstrates a straightforward path towards generation of few-cycle MIR pulses and we believe that in the future the ultrafast community will benefit from this enabling technology. The results are summarized in mainly four parts: The first part is focused on the development of a 2-μm, high-energy laser source as the front-end. Comparison of available technology in general and promising gain media at MIR wavelength are discussed. Starting from the basics of an OPA, the design criteria

Few-cycle high energy mid-infrared pulse from Ho:YLF laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murari, Krishna

2017-04-15

Over the past decade, development of high-energy ultrafast laser sources has led to important breakthroughs in attoscience and strong-field physics study in atoms and molecules. Coherent pulse synthesis of few-cycle high-energy laser pulse is a promising tool to generate isolated attosecond pulses via high harmonics generation (HHG). An effective way to extend the HHG cut-off energy to higher values is making use of long mid-infrared (MIR) driver wavelength, as the ponderomotive potential scales quadratically with wavelength. If properly scaled in energy to multi-mJ level and few-cycle duration, such pulses provide a direct path to intriguing attoscience experiments in gases and solids, which even permit the realization of bright coherent table-top HHG sources in the water-window and keV X-ray region. However, the generation of high-intensity long-wavelength MIR pulses has always remained challenging, in particular starting from high-energy picosecond 2-μm laser driver, that is suitable for further energy scaling of the MIR pulses to multi-mJ energies by utilizing optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). In this thesis, a front-end source for such MIR OPA is presented. In particular, a novel and robust strong-field few-cycle 2-μm laser driver directly from picosecond Ho:YLF laser and utilizing Kagome fiber based compression is presented. We achieved: a 70-fold compression of 140-μJ, 3.3-ps pulses from Ho:YLF amplifier to 48 fs with 11 μJ energy. The work presented in this thesis demonstrates a straightforward path towards generation of few-cycle MIR pulses and we believe that in the future the ultrafast community will benefit from this enabling technology. The results are summarized in mainly four parts: The first part is focused on the development of a 2-μm, high-energy laser source as the front-end. Comparison of available technology in general and promising gain media at MIR wavelength are discussed. Starting from the basics of an OPA, the design criteria

Fast gas spectroscopy using pulsed quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, T.; Braun, M.; Lambrecht, A.

2003-03-01

Laser spectroscopy has found many industrial applications, e.g., control of automotive exhaust and process monitoring. The midinfrared region is of special interest because it has stronger absorption lines compared to the near infrared (NIR). However, in the NIR high quality reliable laser sources, detectors, and passive optical components are available. A quantum cascade laser could change this situation if fundamental advantages can be exploited with compact and reliable systems. It will be shown that, using pulsed lasers and available fast detectors, lower residual sensitivity levels than in corresponding NIR systems can be achieved. The stability is sufficient for industrial applications.

Photodisruption in biological tissues using femtosecond laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Nan

Transparent materials do not ordinarily absorb visible or near-infrared light. However, the intensity of a tightly focused femtosecond laser pulse is great enough that nonlinear absorption of the laser energy takes place in transparent materials, leading to optical breakdown and permanent material modification. Because the absorption process is nonlinear, absorption and material modification are confined to the extremely small focal volume. Optical breakdown in transparent or semi-transparent biological tissues depends on intensity rather than energy. As a result, focused femtosecond pulses induce optical breakdown with significantly less pulse energy than is required with longer pulses. The use of femtosecond pulses therefore minimizes the amount of energy deposited into the targeted region of the sample, minimizing mechanical and thermal effects that lead to collateral damage in adjacent tissues. We demonstrate photodisruptive surgery in animal skin tissue and single cells using 100-fs laser pulses. In mouse skin, we create surface incisions and subsurface cavities with much less collateral damage to the surrounding tissue than is produced with picosecond pulses. Using pulses with only a few nanojoules of energy obtained from an unamplified femtosecond oscillator, we destroy single mitochondria in live cells without affecting cell viability, providing insights into the structure of the mitochondrial network. An apparatus is constructed to perform subcellular surgery and multiphoton 3D laser scanning imaging simultaneously with a single laser and objective lens.

Broadband Near-Infrared Quantum Cutting in Metal-Ion Codoped Y3Al5O12 Thin Films Grown by Pulsed-Laser Deposition for Solar Cell Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Kwan Lau

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We have deposited thin films of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG doped with Ce3+ and Yb3+ on quartz and silicon substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Near-infrared (NIR quantum cutting which involves the emission of NIR photons through the downconversion from Ce3+ to Yb3+ is realized. Upon the broadband excitation of Ce3+ ions with a visible photon at the peak wavelength of 450 nm, NIR photons are generated by Yb3+ ions, with an emission wavelength centered at 1030 nm. The luminescent decay curves of Ce3+ were recorded as a supporting evidence corresponding to the energy transfer. This work offers a better and more convenient approach compatible with crystalline silicon solar cell compared to conventional bulk phosphors.

Near-infrared laser-triggered carbon nanohorns for selective elimination of microbes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyako, Eijiro; Nagata, Hideya; Hirano, Ken; Makita, Yoji; Nakayama, Ken-ichi; Hirotsu, Takahiro

2007-01-01

Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanohorns and carbon nanotubes, have attracted considerable attention for their biomedical applications. We report here the first application of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) as potent laser therapeutic agents for highly selective elimination of microorganisms. This is the first report, supported by direct observations, of the highly selective elimination of yeast and bacteria (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli) by employing molecular recognition element-CNH complexes and a near-infrared laser

Influence of laser pulse frequency on the microstructure of aluminum nitride thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonova, K., E-mail: krasa@issp.bas.bg [Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko Chaussee 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Duta, L. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Szekeres, A. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko Chaussee 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Stan, G.E. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 105 bis Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Mihailescu, I.N. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Anastasescu, M.; Stroescu, H.; Gartner, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania)

2017-02-01

Highlights: • Study of pulsed laser deposited AlN films at different laser pulse frequencies. • Higher laser pulse frequency promotes nanocrystallites formation at temperature 450 °C. • AFM and GIXRD detect randomly oriented wurtzite AlN structures. • Characterization of the nanocrystallites’ orientation by FTIR reflectance spectra. • Berreman effect is registered in p-polarised radiation at large incidence angles. - Abstract: Aluminum Nitride (AlN) thin films were synthesized on Si (100) wafers at 450 °C by pulsed laser deposition. A polycrystalline AlN target was multipulsed irradiated in a nitrogen ambient, at different laser pulse repetition rate. Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy analyses evidenced nanocrystallites with a hexagonal lattice in the amorphous AlN matrix. The thickness and optical constants of the layers were determined by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. The optical properties were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared reflectance spectroscopy in polarised oblique incidence radiation. Berreman effect was observed around the longitudinal phonon modes of the crystalline AlN component. Angular dependence of the A{sub 1}LO mode frequency was analysed and connected to the orientation of the particles’ optical axis to the substrate surface normal. The role of the laser pulse frequency on the layers’ properties is discussed on this basis.

The influence of wavelength, temporal sequencing, and pulse duration on resonant infrared matrix-assisted laser processing of polymer films

Science.gov (United States)

O'Malley, S. M.; Schoeffling, Jonathan; Jimenez, Richard; Zinderman, Brian; Yi, SunYong; Bubb, D. M.

2014-06-01

We have carried out a systematic investigation of laser ablation plume interactions in resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation. The laser source utilized in this study was a mid-infrared OPO capable of dual sequential ns pulses with adjustable delay ranging from 1 to 100 μs. This unique capability enabled us both to probe the ablation plume with a second laser pulse, and to effectively double the laser fluence. The primary ablation target used for this study consisted of poly(methyl methacrylate) dissolved in a binary mixture of methanol and toluene. Both the critical thermodynamic and optical properties of the binary mixture were determined and used to interpret our results. We found that deposition rates associated with single pulse irradiation tracks with the optical absorption coefficient in the spectral range from 2,700 to 3,800 nm. In the case of dual sequential pulses, discrepancies in this trend have been linked to the rate of change in the optical absorption coefficient with temperature. The influence of fluence on deposition rate was found to follow a sigmoidal dependence. Surface roughness was observed to have a diametrically opposed trend with pulse delay depending on whether the OH or CH vibrational mode was excited. In the case of CH excitation, we suggest that the rougher films are due to the absorbance of the second pulse by droplets within the plume containing residual solvent which leads to the formation of molecular balloons and hence irregularly shaped features on the substrate.

Observation of rotational revivals for iodine molecules in helium droplets using a near-adiabatic laser pulse

Science.gov (United States)

Shepperson, Benjamin; Chatterley, Adam S.; Christiansen, Lars; Søndergaard, Anders A.; Stapelfeldt, Henrik

2018-01-01

A 160-ps near-Gaussian, linearly polarized laser pulse is used to align iodine (I2) molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets. The rise time of the laser pulse is sufficiently long and smooth that the alignment, characterized by , behaves adiabatically during the pulse turnon. However, after the laser pulse has turned off stays above 0.50 and a recurrence structure occurs ˜650 ps later. Measurements on isolated (I2) molecules with identical laser pulses are used to identify, through analysis of the observed half- and full-rotational revivals, that the nonadiabatic postpulse alignment dynamics results from a mild truncation of the trailing edge of the laser pulse. This truncation establishes a well-defined starting time for coherent rotation, which leads to the revival structures observed both for isolated molecules and molecules in He droplets. In the latter case the time-dependent trace recorded here is compared to that obtained previously for a 450-fs alignment pulse. It is found that the observed revivals are very similar.

Patient identification using a near-infrared laser scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Manit, Jirapong; Bremer, Christina; Schweikard, Achim; Ernst, Floris

2017-03-01

We propose a new biometric approach where the tissue thickness of a person's forehead is used as a biometric feature. Given that the spatial registration of two 3D laser scans of the same human face usually produces a low error value, the principle of point cloud registration and its error metric can be applied to human classification techniques. However, by only considering the spatial error, it is not possible to reliably verify a person's identity. We propose to use a novel near-infrared laser-based head tracking system to determine an additional feature, the tissue thickness, and include this in the error metric. Using MRI as a ground truth, data from the foreheads of 30 subjects was collected from which a 4D reference point cloud was created for each subject. The measurements from the near-infrared system were registered with all reference point clouds using the ICP algorithm. Afterwards, the spatial and tissue thickness errors were extracted, forming a 2D feature space. For all subjects, the lowest feature distance resulted from the registration of a measurement and the reference point cloud of the same person. The combined registration error features yielded two clusters in the feature space, one from the same subject and another from the other subjects. When only the tissue thickness error was considered, these clusters were less distinct but still present. These findings could help to raise safety standards for head and neck cancer patients and lays the foundation for a future human identification technique.

Intense pulsed light, near infrared pulsed light, and fractional laser combination therapy for skin rejuvenation in Asian subjects: a prospective multi-center study in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Li; Wu, Jiaqiang; Qian, Hui; Lu, Zhong; Li, Yuanhong; Wang, Weizhen; Zhao, Xiaozhong; Tu, Ping; Yin, Rui; Xiang, Leihong

2015-09-01

Ablative skin rejuvenation therapies have limitations for Asian people, including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and long down time. Non-ablative lasers are safer but have limited efficacy. This study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of a combination therapy consisting of intense pulsed light (IPL), near infrared (NIR) light, and fractional erbium YAG (Er:YAG) laser for skin rejuvenation in Asian people. This study recruited 113 subjects from six sites in China. Subjects were randomly assigned to a full-face group, who received combination therapy, and split-face groups, in which one half of the face received combination therapy and the other half received IPL monotherapy. Each subject received five treatment sessions during a period of 90 days. Subjects were followed up at 1 and 3 months post last treatment. Three months after last treatment, the full-face group (n = 57) had a global improvement rate of 29 % and 29 % for wrinkles, 32 % for skin texture, 33 % for pigment spots, 28 % for pore size, respectively. For patients in the split-face groups (n = 54), monotherapy side had a global improvement rate of 23 % and 20 % for wrinkles, 27 % for skin texture, 25 % for pigment spots, 25 % for pore size, respectively. Both combination therapy and monotherapy resulted in significant improvements at the follow-up visits compared to baseline (P < 0.001). Combination therapy showed significantly greater improvements compared to monotherapy at two follow-up visits (P < 0.05). Combination therapy is a safe and more effective strategy than IPL monotherapy for skin rejuvenation in Asian people.

Effect of initial chirp on near-infrared supercontinuum generation by a nanosecond pulse in a nonlinear fiber amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Rui; Hou Jing; Wang Ze-Feng; Lu Qi-Sheng; Xiao Rui

2013-01-01

Theoretical and experimental research on the effect of initial chirp on near-infrared supercontinuum generation by a nanosecond pulse in a nonlinear fiber amplifier is carried out. The complex Ginzburg—Landau equation is used to simulate the propagation of the pulse in the fiber amplifier and the results show that pulses with negative initial chirp produce the widest supercontinuum and pulses with positive initial chirp produce the narrowest supercontinuum when the central wavelength of the pump lies in the normal dispersion region of the gain fiber. A self-made line width narrowing system is utilized to control the initial chirp of the nanosecond pump pulse and a four-stage master oscillator power amplifier configuration is adopted to produce a high power near-infrared suppercontinuum. The experimental results are in good agreement with simulations which can provide some guidance on further optimization of the system in future work. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Near-Infrared Confocal Laser Reflectance Cytoarchitectural Imaging of the Substantia Nigra and Cerebellum in the Fresh Human Cadaver.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheyuo, Cletus; Grand, Walter; Balos, Lucia L

2017-01-01

Cytoarchitectural neuroimaging remains critical for diagnosis of many brain diseases. Fluorescent dye-enhanced, near-infrared confocal in situ cellular imaging of the brain has been reported. However, impermeability of the blood-brain barrier to most fluorescent dyes limits clinical utility of this modality. The differential degree of reflectance from brain tissue with unenhanced near-infrared imaging may represent an alternative technique for in situ cytoarchitectural neuroimaging. We assessed the utility of unenhanced near-infrared confocal laser reflectance imaging of the cytoarchitecture of the cerebellum and substantia nigra in 2 fresh human cadaver brains using a confocal near-infrared laser probe. Cellular images based on near-infrared differential reflectance were captured at depths of 20-180 μm from the brain surface. Parts of the cerebellum and substantia nigra imaged using the probe were subsequently excised and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histologic correlation. Near-infrared reflectance imaging revealed the 3-layered cytoarchitecture of the cerebellum, with Purkinje cells appearing hyperreflectant. In the substantia nigra, neurons appeared hyporeflectant with hyperreflectant neuromelanin cytoplasmic inclusions. Cytoarchitecture of the cerebellum and substantia nigra revealed on near-infrared imaging closely correlated with the histology on hematoxylin-eosin staining. We showed that unenhanced near-infrared reflectance imaging of fresh human cadaver brain can reliably identify and distinguish neurons and detailed cytoarchitecture of the cerebellum and substantia nigra. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Boundary conditions for 3D dynamic models of ablation of ceramics by pulsed mid-infrared lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vila Verde, A. [Department of Physics, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Ramos, Marta M.D. [Department of Physics, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal)]. E-mail: marta@fisica.uminho.pt

2005-07-15

We present and discuss a set of boundary conditions (BCs) to use in three-dimensional, mesoscopic, finite element models of mid-infrared pulsed laser ablation of brittle materials. These models allow the study of the transient displacement and stress fields generated at micrometer scales during and after one laser pulse, where using conventional BCs may lead to some results without physical significance that can be considered an artefact of the calculations. The proposed BCs are tested and applied to a micrometer-scale continuous model of human dental enamel under CO{sub 2} radiation (10.6 {mu}m, 0.35 {mu}s pulse, sub-ablative fluence), giving rise to the following results: the highest stress is obtained at the irradiated surface of the model, at the end of the laser pulse, but afterwards it decreases rapidly until it becomes significantly lower than the stress in a region 2.5 {mu}m deep in the model; a thermally induced vibration in the material is predicted. This non-intuitive dynamics in stress and displacement distribution cannot be neglected and has to be considered in dynamic laser ablation models, since it may have serious implications in the mechanisms of ablation.

Supra-threshold epidermis injury from near-infrared laser radiation prior to ablation onset

Science.gov (United States)

DeLisi, Michael P.; Peterson, Amanda M.; Lile, Lily A.; Noojin, Gary D.; Shingledecker, Aurora D.; Stolarski, David J.; Zohner, Justin J.; Kumru, Semih S.; Thomas, Robert J.

2017-02-01

With continued advancement of solid-state laser technology, high-energy lasers operating in the near-infrared (NIR) band are being applied in an increasing number of manufacturing techniques and medical treatments. Safety-related investigations of potentially harmful laser interaction with skin are commonplace, consisting of establishing the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) thresholds under various conditions, often utilizing the minimally-visible lesion (MVL) metric as an indication of damage. Likewise, characterization of ablation onset and velocity is of interest for therapeutic and surgical use, and concerns exceptionally high irradiance levels. However, skin injury response between these two exposure ranges is not well understood. This study utilized a 1070-nm Yb-doped, diode-pumped fiber laser to explore the response of excised porcine skin tissue to high-energy exposures within the supra-threshold injury region without inducing ablation. Concurrent high-speed videography was employed to assess the effect on the epidermis, with a dichotomous response determination given for three progressive damage event categories: observable permanent distortion on the surface, formation of an epidermal bubble due to bounded intra-cutaneous water vaporization, and rupture of said bubble during laser exposure. ED50 values were calculated for these categories under various pulse configurations and beam diameters, and logistic regression models predicted injury events with approximately 90% accuracy. The distinction of skin response into categories of increasing degrees of damage expands the current understanding of high-energy laser safety while also underlining the unique biophysical effects during induced water phase change in tissue. These observations could prove useful in augmenting biothermomechanical models of laser exposure in the supra-threshold region.

Vis-Near-Infrared Photodetectors Based on Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide Thin Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Nagabhushan; Dias, Sandra; Krupanidhi, S. B.

2018-04-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials are considered as promising candidates for emerging thin-film photodetectors. In this work, we discuss the application of the CH3NH3PbI3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition for photodetection applications. With this method, we obtained good perovskite film coverage on fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated substrates and observed wel- developed grains. The films showed no sign of degradation over several months of testing. We investigated the surface morphology and surface roughness of the films by field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The optical response of the films was studied using ultraviolet-visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We carried out a study on the solar and infrared photodetection of CH3NH3PbI3 thin films. The values of the responsivity, sensitivity, external quantum efficiency and specific detectivity under 1 sun illumination and 0.7 V bias were 105.4 A/W, 1.9, 2.38 × 104% and 1.5 × 1012 Jones, respectively.

Characterization of silicon micro-strip sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, P.

2015-01-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations consisting of 1292 double sided silicon micro-strip sensors. For the quality assurance of produced prototype sensors a laser test system (LTS) has been developed. The aim of the LTS is to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The prototype sensors which are tested with the LTS so far have 256 strips with a pitch of 50 μm on each side. They are read-out using a self-triggering prototype read-out electronic ASIC called n-XYTER. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infra-red laser light (spot size ≈ 12 μm , wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with duration (≈ 10 ns) and power (≈ 5 mW) of the laser pulses is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. Laser scans different prototype sensors is reported

Short pulse mid-infrared amplifier for high average power

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Botha, LR

2006-09-01

Full Text Available High pressure CO2 lasers are good candidates for amplifying picosecond mid infrared pulses. High pressure CO2 lasers are notorious for being unreliable and difficult to operate. In this paper a high pressure CO2 laser is presented based on well...

Fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of zirconium metal in air: Special features of the plasma produced by a long-pulse laser

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Ayumu; Ohba, Hironori; Toshimitsu, Masaaki; Akaoka, Katsuaki; Ruas, Alexandre; Sakka, Tetsuo; Wakaida, Ikuo

2018-04-01

The decommissioning of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is an essential issue in nuclear R&D. Fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (Fiber-optic LIBS) could be used for in-situ elemental analysis of the inside of the damaged reactors. To improve the performances under difficult conditions, using a long-pulse laser can be an efficient alternative. In this work, the emission spectra of zirconium metal in air obtained for a normal-pulse laser (6 ns) and a long-pulse laser (100 ns) (wavelength: 1064 nm, pulse energy: 12.5 mJ, spot diameter: 0.35 mm) are compared to investigate the fundamental aspects of fiber-optic LIBS with the long-pulse laser. The spectral features are considerably different: when the long-pulse laser is used, the atomic and molecular emission is remarkably enhanced. The enhancement of the atomic emission at the near infrared (NIR) region would lead to the observation of emission lines with minimum overlapping. To understand the differences in the spectra induced respectively from the normal-pulse laser and the long-pulse laser, photodiode signals, time-resolved spectra, plasma parameters, emission from the ambient air, and emission regions are investigated, showing the particular characteristics of the plasma produced by the long-pulse laser.

Resonant infrared pulsed laser deposition of a polyimide precursor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dygert, N L; Schriver, K E; Jr, R F Haglund [Department of Physics and Astronomy and W M Keck Foundation Free-Electron Laser Centre, Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN 37235 (United States)

2007-04-15

Poly(amic acid) (PAA), a precursor to polyimide, was successfully deposited on substrates without reaching curing temperature, by resonant infrared pulsed laser ablation. The PAA was prepared by dissolving pyromellitic dianhydride and 4, 4' oxidianiline in the polar solvent Nmethyl pyrrolidinone (NMP). The PAA was deposited in droplet-like morphologies when ablation occurred in air, and in string-like moieties in the case of ablation in vacuum. In the as-deposited condition, the PAA was easily removed by washing with NMP; however, once cured thermally for thirty minutes, the PAA hardened, indicating the expected thermosetting property. Plume shadowgraphy showed very clear contrasts in the ablation mechanism between ablation of the solvent alone and the ablation of the PAA, even at low concentrations. A Wavelength dependence in plume velocity was also observed.

Comparative melting and healing of B-DNA and Z-DNA by an infrared laser pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Man, Viet Hoang; Pan, Feng; Sagui, Celeste; Roland, Christopher

2016-01-01

We explore the use of a fast laser melting simulation approach combined with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in order to determine the melting and healing responses of B-DNA and Z-DNA dodecamers with the same d(5′-CGCGCGCGCGCG-3′) 2 sequence. The frequency of the laser pulse is specifically tuned to disrupt Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds, thus inducing melting of the DNA duplexes. Subsequently, the structures relax and partially refold, depending on the field strength. In addition to the inherent interest of the nonequilibrium melting process, we propose that fast melting by an infrared laser pulse could be used as a technique for a fast comparison of relative stabilities of same-sequence oligonucleotides with different secondary structures with full atomistic detail of the structures and solvent. This could be particularly useful for nonstandard secondary structures involving non-canonical base pairs, mismatches, etc.

Comparative melting and healing of B-DNA and Z-DNA by an infrared laser pulse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Man, Viet Hoang; Pan, Feng; Sagui, Celeste, E-mail: sagui@ncsu.edu; Roland, Christopher, E-mail: cmroland@ncsu.edu [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8202 (United States)

2016-04-14

We explore the use of a fast laser melting simulation approach combined with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in order to determine the melting and healing responses of B-DNA and Z-DNA dodecamers with the same d(5′-CGCGCGCGCGCG-3′){sub 2} sequence. The frequency of the laser pulse is specifically tuned to disrupt Watson-Crick hydrogen bonds, thus inducing melting of the DNA duplexes. Subsequently, the structures relax and partially refold, depending on the field strength. In addition to the inherent interest of the nonequilibrium melting process, we propose that fast melting by an infrared laser pulse could be used as a technique for a fast comparison of relative stabilities of same-sequence oligonucleotides with different secondary structures with full atomistic detail of the structures and solvent. This could be particularly useful for nonstandard secondary structures involving non-canonical base pairs, mismatches, etc.

Laser safety in design of near-infrared scanning LIDARs

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, X.; Elgin, D.

2015-05-01

3D LIDARs (Light Detection and Ranging) with 1.5μm nanosecond pulse lasers have been increasingly used in different applications. The main reason for their popularity is that these LIDARs have high performance while at the same time can be made eye-safe. Because the laser hazard effect on eyes or skin at this wavelength region (industrial mining applications. We have incorporated the laser safety requirements in the LIDAR design and conducted laser safety analysis for different operational scenarios. While 1.5μm is normally said to be the eye-safe wavelength, in reality a high performance 3D LIDAR needs high pulse energy, small beam size and high pulse repetition frequency (PRF) to achieve long range, high resolution and high density images. The resulting radiant exposure of its stationary beam could be many times higher than the limit for a Class 1 laser device. Without carefully choosing laser and scanning parameters, including field-of-view, scan speed and pattern, a scanning LIDAR can't be eye- or skin-safe based only on its wavelength. This paper discusses the laser safety considerations in the design of eye-safe scanning LIDARs, including laser pulse energy, PRF, beam size and scanning parameters in two basic designs of scanning mechanisms, i.e. galvanometer based scanner and Risley prism based scanner. The laser safety is discussed in terms of device classification, nominal ocular hazard distance (NOHD) and safety glasses optical density (OD).

Generation of dual-wavelength, synchronized, tunable, high energy, femtosecond laser pulses with nearly perfect gaussian spatial profile

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.-K.; Siegal, Y.; Lü, C.; Mazur, E.

1992-07-01

We use self-phase modulation in a single-mode fiber to produce broadband femtosecond laser pulses. Subsequent amplification through two Bethune cells yields high-energy, tunable, pulses synchronized with the output of an amplified colliding-pulse-modelocked (CPM) laser. We routinely obtain tunable 200 μJ pulses of 42 fs (fwhm) duration with a nearly perfect gaussian spatial profile. Although self-phase modulation in a single-mode fiber is widely used in femtosecond laser systems, amplification of a fiber-generated supercontinuum in a Bethune cell amplifier is a new feature which maintains the high-quality spatial profile while providing high gain. This laser system is particularly well suited for high energy dual-wavelength pump=probe experiments and time-resolved four-wave mixing spectroscopy.

Use of the pulsed infrared diode laser (904 nm) in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Science.gov (United States)

Waiz, Makram; Saleh, Anmar Z; Hayani, Raafa; Jubory, Samar O

2006-04-01

Alopecia areata is a rapid and complete loss of hair in one or several patches, usually on the scalp, affecting both males and females equally. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease which is treated with different modalities with variable success. Laser treatment of different wavelengths has been used in the management of this problem. To study the effect of the pulsed infrared diode laser (904 nm) in the treatment of alopecia areata.Methods. Sixteen patients with 34 resistant patches that had not responded to different treatment modalities for alopecia areata were enrolled in this study. In patients with multiple patches, one patch was left as a control for comparison. Patients were treated on a four-session basis, once a week, with a pulsed diode laser (904 nm) at a pulse rate of 40/s. A photograph was taken of each patient before and after treatment. The treated patients were 11 males (68.75%) and five females (31.25%). Their ages ranged between 4 and 50 years with a mean of 26.6+/-SD of +/-13.8, and the durations of their disease were between 12 months and 6 years with a mean of 13.43+/-SD of +/-18.34. Regrowth of hair was observed in 32 patches (94%), while only two patches (6%) failed to show any response. No regrowth of hair was observed in the control patches. The regrowth of hair appeared as terminal hair with its original color in 29 patches (90.6%), while three patches (9.4%) appeared as a white villous hair. In patients who showed response, the response was detected as early as 1 week after the first session in 24 patches (75%), while eight patients (25%) started to show response from the second session. The pulsed infrared diode laser is an effective mode of therapy with a high success rate for resistant patches of alopecia areata.

Near and long term pulse power requirements for laser driven inertial confinement fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagnon, W.L.

1979-01-01

At the Lawrence Livermore Laboraory, major emphasis has been placed upon the development of large, ND:glass laser systems in order to address the basic physics issues associated with light driven fusion targets. A parallel program is directed toward the development of lasers which exhibit higher efficiencies and shorter wavelengths and are thus more suitable as drivers for fusion power plants. This paper discusses the pulse power technology which has been developed to meet the near and far term needs of the laser fusion program at Livermore

Generation of pulsed far-infrared radiation and its application for far-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondo, Yasuhiro [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1996-07-01

So-called time-resolved spectroscopy technique has been used from old time as the means for studying the dynamic optical property, light-induced reaction and so on of matters. As an example, there is the method called pump and probe, and here, the wavelength of this probe light is the problem. If the object energy region is limited to about 0.1 eV, fast time-resolved spectroscopy is feasible relatively easily. However, energy region is extended to low energy region, the light source which is available as the pulsed probe light having sufficient intensity is limited. In this paper, the attempt of time-resolved spectroscopy utilizing coherent radiation, which has ended in failure, and the laser pulse-induced far-infrared radiation which can be utilized as new far-infrared probe light are reported. The reason why far-infrared radiation is used is explained. The attempt of time-resolved spectroscopy using NaCl crystals is reported on the equipment, the method of measuring absorption spectra and the results. Laser pulse-induced far-infrared radiation and the method of generating it are described. The multi-channel detector for far-infrared radiation which was made for trial is shown. (K.I.)

Amplitude and frequency stabilized solid-state lasers in the near infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laporta, P.; Taccheo, S.; Marano, M.; Svelto, O.; Bava, E.; Galzerano, G.; Svelto, C.

2001-01-01

In this article we present a comprehensive review of the work done by our group on the amplitude and frequency stabilization of diode-pumped near-infrared solid-state lasers. In particular, we describe experiments based on single-mode Nd:YAG (1064 nm), Er-Yb:glass (1530-1560 nm), and Tm-Ho:YAG (2097 nm) lasers, end-pumped by semiconductor laser diodes. Amplitude stabilization is achieved by means of optoelectronic control loops sensing the laser intensity fluctuations and feeding back the error signal to the current of the pump diodes. Frequency stabilization is pursued using rovibrational molecular lines as absolute frequency references by means of various frequency locking techniques. The most interesting stability results are described in some detail whereas the wide literature cited through the paper provides for a useful reference list of related topics and experiments. (author)

Attosecond pulse trains from long laser-gas interaction targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauri, C.P.; Lopez-Martens, R.; Varju, K.; Ruchon, T.; Gustafsson, E.; L'Huillier, A.

2006-01-01

Complete test of publication follows. Many experiments in attosecond physics require high XUV photon flux as well as a clean attosecond pulse train (APT) temporal structure. Temporal characterization of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in long interaction targets is thus of high interest. HHG being a very inefficient process, a large effort has been made to increase the amount of XUV photons emitted per infrared laser pulse. Besides quasi phase-matching in a modulated capillary, loose driving laser focusing conditions and subsequent self-channeling have shown to significantly increase the conversion efficiency. We characterized the temporal structure of APTs generated during the self-channeling of an intense IR driving laser pulse. Our first results indicate, however, that the temporal structure of the APT generated during the HHG process might be affected by quantum path interference and spectral phase distortion due to the self-channeling process itself. In particular, our measurements show that the relative spectral phase between consecutive harmonics can strongly vary depending on the target length and the position of the laser focus with respect to the target. In general for short gas targets, no clean APT structure can be expected since the individual attosecond pulses carry significant chirp. For longer targets, however, we observe a flattening of the harmonic spectral phase, resulting in near-transform-limited attosecond pulse trains. A complete analysis of the process is complex and involves detailed knowledge of the spatial and temporal evolution of the self-channeling driver laser pulse throughout the gas target.

Tracking nuclear wave-packet dynamics in molecular oxygen ions with few-cycle infrared laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De, S.; Bocharova, I. A.; Magrakvelidze, M.; Ray, D.; Cao, W.; Thumm, U.; Cocke, C. L.; Bergues, B.; Kling, M. F.; Litvinyuk, I. V.

2010-01-01

We have tracked nuclear wave-packet dynamics in doubly charged states of molecular oxygen using few-cycle infrared laser pulses. Bound and dissociating wave packets were launched and subsequently probed via a pair of 8-fs pulses of 790 nm radiation. Ionic fragments from the dissociating molecules were monitored by velocity-map imaging. Pronounced oscillations in the delay-dependent kinetic energy release spectra were observed. The occurrence of vibrational revivals permits us to identify the potential curves of the O 2 dication which are most relevant to the molecular dynamics. These studies show the accessibility to the dynamics of such higher-charged molecules.

Negative permittivity of ZnO thin films prepared from aluminum and gallium doped ceramics via pulsed-laser deposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bodea, M. A.; Sbarcea, G.; Naik, G. V.

2013-01-01

Aluminum and gallium doped zinc oxide thin films with negative dielectric permittivity in the near infrared spectral range are grown by pulsed laser deposition. Composite ceramics comprising ZnO and secondary phase Al2O3 or Ga2O3 are employed as targets for laser ablation. Films deposited on glass...

Induction of Localized Hyperthermia by Millisecond Laser Pulses in the Presence of Gold-Gold Sulphide Nanoparticles in a Phantom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Shahamat

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Application of near-infrared absorbing nanostructures can induce hyperthermia, in addition to providing more efficient  photothermal effects. Gold-gold sulfide (GGS is considered as one of these nanostructures. This study was performed on a tissue-equivalent optical-thermal phantom to determine the temperature profile in the presence and absence of GGS and millisecond pulses of a near-infrared laser. Moreover, the feasibility of hyperthermia induction was investigated in a simulated tumor. Materials and Methods A tumor with its surrounding tissues was simulated in a phantom made of Agarose and Intralipid. The tumor was irradiated by 30 laser pulses with durations of 30, 100, and 400 ms and fluences of 40 and 60 J/cm2. Temperature variations in the phantom with and without GGS were recorded, using fast-response sensors of a digital thermometer, placed at different distances from the central axis at three depths. The temperature rise was recorded by varying duration and fluence of the laser pulses. Results The rise in temperature was recorded by increasing laser fluence and number of pulses for three durations. The temperature profile was obtained at each depth. The presence of GGS resulted in a significant increase in temperature in all cases (P

Observation of enhanced infrared absorption in silicon supersaturated with gold by pulsed laser melting of nanometer-thick gold films

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Philippe K.; Yang, Wenjie; Hudspeth, Quentin; Lim, Shao Qi; Williams, Jim S.; Warrender, Jeffrey M.

2018-04-01

We demonstrate that pulsed laser melting (PLM) of thin 1, 5, and 10 nm-thick vapor-deposited gold layers on silicon enhances its room-temperature sub-band gap infrared absorption, as in the case of ion-implanted and PLM-treated silicon. The former approach offers reduced fabrication complexity and avoids implantation-induced lattice damage compared to ion implantation and pulsed laser melting, while exhibiting comparable optical absorptance. We additionally observed strong broadband absorptance enhancement in PLM samples made using 5- and 10-nm-thick gold layers. Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering analysis indicate that such an enhancement could be explained by absorption by a metastable, disordered and gold-rich surface layer. The sheet resistance and the diode electrical characteristics further elucidate the role of gold-supersaturation in silicon, revealing the promise for future silicon-based infrared device applications.

The wavelength dependence of gold nanorod-mediated optical breakdown during infrared ultrashort pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davletshin, Yevgeniy R.; Kumaradas, J. Carl [Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2017-04-15

This paper investigates the wavelength dependence of the threshold of gold nanorod-mediated optical breakdown during picosecond and femtosecond near infrared optical pulses. It was found that the wavelength dependence in the picosecond regime is governed solely by the changes of a nanorod's optical properties. On the other hand, the optical breakdown threshold during femtosecond pulse exposure falls within one of two regimes. When the ratio of the maximum electric field from the outside to the inside of the nanorod is less then 7 (the absorption regime) the seed electrons are initiated by photo-thermal emission, and the wavelength dependence in the threshold of optical breakdown is the result of optical properties of the nanoparticle. When the ratio is greater than 7 (the near-field regime) more seed electrons are initiated by multiphoton ionization, and the wavelength dependence of the threshold of optical breakdown results from a combination of nanorod's optical properties and transitions in the order of multiphoton ionization. The findings of this study can guide the design of nanoparticle based optical breakdown applications. This analysis also deepens the understanding of nanoparticle-mediated laser induced breakdown for picosecond and femtosecond pulses at near infrared wavelengths. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

ITO/Au/ITO sandwich structure for near-infrared plasmonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Xu; Mak, Chee Leung; Dai, Jiyan; Li, Kan; Ye, Hui; Leung, Chi Wah

2014-09-24

ITO/Au/ITO trilayers with varying gold spacer layer thicknesses were deposited on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Transmission electron microscopy measurements demonstrated the continuous nature of the Au layer down to 2.4 nm. XRD patterns clearly showed an enhanced crystallinity of the ITO films promoted by the insertion of the gold layer. Compared with a single layer of ITO with a carrier concentration of 7.12 × 10(20) cm(-3), the ITO/Au/ITO structure achieved an effective carrier concentration as high as 3.26 × 10(22) cm(-3). Transmittance and ellipsometry measurements showed that the optical properties of ITO/Au/ITO films were greatly influenced by the thickness of the inserted gold layer. The cross-point wavelength of the trilayer samples was reduced with increasing gold layer thickness. Importantly, the trilayer structure exhibited a reduced loss (compared with plain Au) in the near-infrared region, suggesting its potential for plasmonic applications in the near-infrared range.

Relativistic Channeling of a Picosecond Laser Pulse in a Near-Critical Preformed Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borghesi, M.; MacKinnon, A.J.; Barringer, L.; Gaillard, R.; Gizzi, L.; Meyer, C.; Willi, O.; Pukhov, A.; Meyer-ter-Vehn, J.

1997-01-01

Relativistic self-channeling of a picosecond laser pulse in a preformed plasma near critical density has been observed both experimentally and in 3D particle-in-cell simulations. Optical probing measurements indicate the formation of a single pulsating propagation channel, typically of about 5μm in diameter. The computational results reveal the importance in the channel formation of relativistic electrons traveling with the light pulse and of the corresponding self-generated magnetic field. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Comparative study of pulsed laser cleaning applied to weathered marble surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortiz, P., E-mail: mportcal@upo.es [Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Seville (Spain); Antúnez, V.; Ortiz, R.; Martín, J.M. [Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Seville (Spain); Gómez, M.A. [Instituto Andaluz de Patrimonio Histórico, Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Seville (Spain); Hortal, A.R.; Martínez-Haya, B. [Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Seville (Spain)

2013-10-15

The removal of unwanted matter from surface stones is a demanding task in the conservation of cultural heritage. This paper investigates the effectiveness of near-infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses for the cleaning of surface deposits, iron oxide stains and different types of graffiti (black, red and green sprays and markers, and black cutting-edge ink) on dolomitic white marble. The performance of the laser techniques is compared to common cleaning methods on the same samples, namely pressurized water and chemical treatments. The degree of cleaning achieved with each technique is assessed by means of colorimetric measurements and X-ray microfluorescence. Eventual morphological changes induced on the marble substrate are monitored with optical and electronic microscopy. It is found that UV pulsed laser ablation at 266 nm manages to clean all the stains except the cutting-edge ink, although some degree of surface erosion is produced. The IR laser pulses at 1064 nm can remove surface deposits and black spray acceptably, but a yellowing is observed on the stone surface after treatment. An economic evaluation shows that pulsed laser cleaning techniques are advantageous for the rapid cleaning of small or inaccessible surface areas, although their extensive application becomes expensive due to the long operating times required.

Comparative study of pulsed laser cleaning applied to weathered marble surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz, P.; Antúnez, V.; Ortiz, R.; Martín, J.M.; Gómez, M.A.; Hortal, A.R.; Martínez-Haya, B.

2013-01-01

The removal of unwanted matter from surface stones is a demanding task in the conservation of cultural heritage. This paper investigates the effectiveness of near-infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses for the cleaning of surface deposits, iron oxide stains and different types of graffiti (black, red and green sprays and markers, and black cutting-edge ink) on dolomitic white marble. The performance of the laser techniques is compared to common cleaning methods on the same samples, namely pressurized water and chemical treatments. The degree of cleaning achieved with each technique is assessed by means of colorimetric measurements and X-ray microfluorescence. Eventual morphological changes induced on the marble substrate are monitored with optical and electronic microscopy. It is found that UV pulsed laser ablation at 266 nm manages to clean all the stains except the cutting-edge ink, although some degree of surface erosion is produced. The IR laser pulses at 1064 nm can remove surface deposits and black spray acceptably, but a yellowing is observed on the stone surface after treatment. An economic evaluation shows that pulsed laser cleaning techniques are advantageous for the rapid cleaning of small or inaccessible surface areas, although their extensive application becomes expensive due to the long operating times required.

Comparative study of pulsed laser cleaning applied to weathered marble surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, P.; Antúnez, V.; Ortiz, R.; Martín, J. M.; Gómez, M. A.; Hortal, A. R.; Martínez-Haya, B.

2013-10-01

The removal of unwanted matter from surface stones is a demanding task in the conservation of cultural heritage. This paper investigates the effectiveness of near-infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses for the cleaning of surface deposits, iron oxide stains and different types of graffiti (black, red and green sprays and markers, and black cutting-edge ink) on dolomitic white marble. The performance of the laser techniques is compared to common cleaning methods on the same samples, namely pressurized water and chemical treatments. The degree of cleaning achieved with each technique is assessed by means of colorimetric measurements and X-ray microfluorescence. Eventual morphological changes induced on the marble substrate are monitored with optical and electronic microscopy. It is found that UV pulsed laser ablation at 266 nm manages to clean all the stains except the cutting-edge ink, although some degree of surface erosion is produced. The IR laser pulses at 1064 nm can remove surface deposits and black spray acceptably, but a yellowing is observed on the stone surface after treatment. An economic evaluation shows that pulsed laser cleaning techniques are advantageous for the rapid cleaning of small or inaccessible surface areas, although their extensive application becomes expensive due to the long operating times required.

Tattoo removal in micropigs with low-energy pulses from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xin-Hua; Wooden, W. A.; Cariveau, Mickael J.; Fang, Qiyin; Bradfield, J. F.; Kalmus, Gerhard W.; Vore, S. J.; Sun, Y.

2001-05-01

Treatment of pigmented lesions in skin with visible or near- infrared nanosecond (ns) laser pulses often causes significant collateral tissue damage because the current approach uses pulses with energy of 300 mJ or larger. Additionally, this requires large Q-switched laser systems. To overcome these disadvantages, we have investigated a different approach in delivering ns laser pulses for cutaneous lesion treatment. Tattoo removal in an animal model with a focused laser beam from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been investigated in two Yucatan micropigs tattooed with blue, black, green and red pigments. The tattoos were treated with a focused beam of 12-ns pulses at 1064 nm, with different depth under the skin surface, while the micropig was translated to achieve an effect of single pulse per ablation site in the skin. With the pulse energy reduced to a range from 38 to 63 mJ, we found that nearly complete clearance was achieved for blue and black tattoos while clearance of red and green tattoos was incomplete. Analysis of the skin appearance suggested that the pulse energy can be decreased to below 20 mJ which may lead to further reduction of the collateral tissue damage and improve the clearance of red and green tattoos.

Laser cleaning of pulsed laser deposited rhodium films for fusion diagnostic mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uccello, A.; Maffini, A.; Dellasega, D.; Passoni, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Pulsed laser deposition is exploited to produce Rh films for first mirrors. ► Pulsed laser deposition is exploited to produce tokamak-like C contaminants. ► Rh laser damage threshold has been evaluated for infrared pulses. ► Laser cleaning of C contaminated Rh films gives promising results. -- Abstract: In this paper an experimental investigation on the laser cleaning process of rhodium films, potentially candidates to be used as tokamak first mirrors (FMs), from redeposited carbon contaminants is presented. A relevant issue that lowers mirror's performance during tokamak operations is the redeposition of sputtered material from the first wall on their surface. Among all the possible techniques, laser cleaning, in which a train of laser pulses is launched to the surface that has to be treated, is a method to potentially mitigate this problem. The same laser system (Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a fundamental wavelength of 1064-nm and 7-ns pulses) has been employed with three aims: (i) production by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of Rh film mirrors, (ii) production by PLD of C deposits with controlled morphology, and (iii) investigation of the laser cleaning method onto C contaminated Rh samples. The evaluation of Rh films laser damage threshold, as a function of fluence and number of pulses, is discussed. Then, the C/Rh films have been cleaned by the laser beam. The exposed zones have been characterized by visual inspection and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), showing promising results

The mechanism underlying calcium phosphate precipitation on titanium via ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared laser-assisted biomimetic process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahanti, Moumita; Nakamura, Maki; Pyatenko, Alexander; Sakamaki, Ikuko; Koga, Kenji; Oyane, Ayako

2016-01-01

We recently developed a rapid single-step calcium phosphate (CaP) precipitation technique on several substrates using a laser-assisted biomimetic process (LAB process). In this process, ultraviolet (UV, λ   =  355 nm) pulsed laser irradiation has been applied to a substrate that is immersed in a supersaturated CaP solution. In the present study, the LAB process for CaP precipitation on a titanium substrate was successfully expanded to include not only UV but also visible (VIS, λ   =  532 nm) and near infrared (NIR, λ   =  1064 nm) lasers. Surface heating and plasma-mediated surface reactions (micro-deformation, oxidization, photoexcitation, and wetting) generated by UV, VIS, or NIR lasers are considered to be involved in the CaP precipitation on the titanium surface in the LAB process. The kinetics of these reactions and consequently of CaP precipitation were dependent on the laser wavelength and fluence. The higher laser fluence did not always accelerate CaP precipitation on the substrate; rather, it was found that an optimal range of fluence exists for each laser wavelength. These results suggest that for efficient CaP precipitation, a suitable laser wavelength should be selected according to the optical absorption properties of the substrate material and the laser fluence should also be adjusted to induce surface heating and plasma-mediated surface reactions that are favorable for CaP precipitation. (paper)

Supression of laser breakdown by pulsed nonequilibrium ns discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Starikovskiy, A. Y.; Semenov, I. E.; Shneider, M. N.

2016-10-01

The avalanche ionization induced by infrared laser pulses was investigated in a pre-ionized argon gas. Pre-ionization was created by a high-voltage pulsed nanosecond discharge developed in the form of a fast ionization wave. Then, behind the front of ionization wave additional avalanche ionization was initiated by the focused Nd-YAG laser pulse. It was shown that the gas pre-ionization inhibits the laser spark generation. It was demonstrated that the suppression of laser spark development in the case of strong gas pre-ionization is because of fast electron energy transfer from the laser beam focal region. The main mechanism of this energy transfer is free electrons diffusion.

Sensitive detection of chlorine in iron oxide by single pulse and dual pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Pedarnig, J. D.; Haslinger, M. J.; Bodea, M. A.; Huber, N.; Wolfmeir, H.; Heitz, J.

2014-11-01

The halogen chlorine is hard to detect in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) mainly due to its high excited state energies of 9.2 and 10.4 eV for the most intense emission lines at 134.72 nm and 837.59 nm, respectively. We report on sensitive detection of Cl in industrial iron oxide Fe2O3 powder by single-pulse (SP) and dual-pulse (DP) LIBS measurements in the near infrared range in air. In compacted powder measured by SP excitation (Nd:YAG laser, 532 nm) Cl was detected with limit of detection LOD = 440 ppm and limit of quantitation LOQ = 720 ppm. Orthogonal DP LIBS was studied on pressed Fe2O3 pellets and Fe3O4 ceramics. The transmission of laser-induced plasma for orthogonal Nd:YAG 1064 nm and ArF 193 nm laser pulses showed a significant dependence on interpulse delay time (ipd) and laser wavelength (λL). The UV pulses (λL = 193 nm) were moderately absorbed in the plasma and the Cl I emission line intensity was enhanced while IR pulses (λL = 1064 nm) were not absorbed and Cl signals were not enhanced at ipd = 3 μs. The UV laser enhancement of Cl signals is attributed to the much higher signal/background ratio for orthogonal DP excitation compared to SP excitation and to the increased plasma temperature and electron number density. This enabled measurement at a very short delay time of td ≥ 0.1 μs with respect to the re-excitation pulse and detection of the very rapidly decaying Cl emission with higher efficiency.

HV discharge acceleration by sequences of UV laser filaments with visible and near-infrared pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, Elise; Rastegari, Ali; Feng, Chengyong; Mongin, Denis; Kamer, Brian; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Arissian, Ladan; Diels, Jean-Claude

2017-12-01

We investigate the triggering and guiding of DC high-voltage discharges over a distance of 37 cm by filaments produced by ultraviolet (266 nm) laser pulses of 200 ps duration. The latter reduce the breakdown electric field by half and allow up to 80% discharge probability in an electric field of 920 kV m–1. This high efficiency is not further increased by adding nanosecond pulses in the Joule range at 532 and at 1064 nm. However, the latter statistically increases the guiding length, thereby accelerating the discharge by a factor of 2. This effect is due both to photodetachment and to the heating of the plasma channel, that increases the efficiency of avalanche ionization and reduces electron attachment and recombination.

High-energy infrared femtosecond pulses generated by dual-chirped optical parametric amplification.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Yuxi; Takahashi, Eiji J; Midorikawa, Katsumi

2015-11-01

We demonstrate high-energy infrared femtosecond pulse generation by a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme [Opt. Express19, 7190 (2011)]. By employing a 100 mJ pump laser, a signal pulse energy exceeding 20 mJ at a wavelength of 1.4 μm was achieved before dispersion compensation. A total output energy of 33 mJ was recorded. Under a further energy scaling condition, the signal pulse was compressed to an almost transform-limited duration of 27 fs using a fused silica prism compressor. Since the DC-OPA scheme is efficient and energy scalable, design parameters for obtaining 100 mJ level infrared pulses are presented, which are suitable as driver lasers for the energy scaling of high-order harmonic generation with sub-keV photon energy.

A near infrared laser frequency comb for high precision Doppler planet surveys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bally J.

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Perhaps the most exciting area of astronomical research today is the study of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems, engaging the imagination not just of the astronomical community, but of the general population. Astronomical instrumentation has matured to the level where it is possible to detect terrestrial planets orbiting distant stars via radial velocity (RV measurements, with the most stable visible light spectrographs reporting RV results the order of 1 m/s. This, however, is an order of magnitude away from the precision needed to detect an Earth analog orbiting a star such as our sun, the Holy Grail of these efforts. By performing these observations in near infrared (NIR there is the potential to simplify the search for distant terrestrial planets by studying cooler, less massive, much more numerous class M stars, with a tighter habitable zone and correspondingly larger RV signal. This NIR advantage is undone by the lack of a suitable high precision, high stability wavelength standard, limiting NIR RV measurements to tens or hundreds of m/s [1, 2]. With the improved spectroscopic precision provided by a laser frequency comb based wavelength reference producing a set of bright, densely and uniformly spaced lines, it will be possible to achieve up to two orders of magnitude improvement in RV precision, limited only by the precision and sensitivity of existing spectrographs, enabling the observation of Earth analogs through RV measurements. We discuss the laser frequency comb as an astronomical wavelength reference, and describe progress towards a near infrared laser frequency comb at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and at the University of Colorado where we are operating a laser frequency comb suitable for use with a high resolution H band astronomical spectrograph.

Ferroelectric domain engineering by focused infrared femtosecond pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xin; Shvedov, Vladlen; Sheng, Yan, E-mail: yan.sheng@anu.edu.au [Laser Physics Centre, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Karpinski, Pawel [Laser Physics Centre, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego, Wroclaw (Poland); Koynov, Kaloian [Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128 Mainz (Germany); Wang, Bingxia; Trull, Jose; Cojocaru, Crina [Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Rambla Sant Nebridi, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona (Spain); Krolikowski, Wieslaw [Laser Physics Centre, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Texas A& M University at Qatar, Doha (Qatar)

2015-10-05

We demonstrate infrared femtosecond laser-induced inversion of ferroelectric domains. This process can be realised solely by using tightly focused laser pulses without application of any electric field prior to, in conjunction with, or subsequent to the laser irradiation. As most ferroelectric crystals like LiNbO{sub 3}, LiTaO{sub 3}, and KTiOPO{sub 4} are transparent in the infrared, this optical poling method allows one to form ferroelectric domain patterns much deeper inside a ferroelectric crystal than by using ultraviolet light and hence can be used to fabricate practical devices. We also propose in situ diagnostics of the ferroelectric domain inversion process by monitoring the Čerenkov second harmonic signal, which is sensitive to the appearance of ferroelectric domain walls.

Characterization of silicon micro-strip sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Pradeep [Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Eschke, Juergen [GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Facility for Anti-proton and Ion Research, GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The Silicon Tracking System (STS) of the CBM experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations comprising of 1292 double-sided silicon micro-strip sensors. A Laser Test System (LTS) has been developed for the quality assurance of prototype sensors. The aim is to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. Several prototype sensors with strip pitch of 50 and 58 μm have been tested, as well as a prototype module with realistic mechanical arrangement of sensor and read-out cables. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure across the sensor with focused laser beam (spot-size ∼ 12 μm, wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with duration (∼ 10 ns) and power (∼ 5 mW) of the laser pulses is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. Results from laser scans of prototype sensors and detector module are reported.

Turbid Media Extinction Coefficient for Near-Infrared Laser Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreischuh, T; Gurdev, L; Vankov, O; Stoyanov, D; Avramov, L

2015-01-01

In this work, extended investigations are performed of the extinction coefficient of Intralipid-20% dilutions in distilled water depending on the Intralipid concentration, for laser radiation wavelengths in the red and near-infrared regions covering the so-called tissue optical window. The extinction is measured by using an approach we have developed recently based on the features of the spatial intensity distribution of laser-radiation beams propagating through semi-infinite turbid media. The measurements are conducted using separately two dilution- containing plexiglass boxes of different sizes and volumes, in order to prove the appropriateness of the assumption of semi-infinite turbid medium. The experimental results for the extinction are in agreement with our previous results and with empiric formulae found by other authors concerning the wavelength dependence of the scattering coefficient of Intralipid – 10% and Intralipid – 20%. They are also in agreement with known data of the water absorptance. It is estimated as well that the wavelengths around 1320 nm would be advantageous for deep harmless sensing and diagnostics of tissues

Effect of high-frequency near-infrared diode laser irradiation on periodontal tissues during experimental tooth movement in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunji, Hidemi; Kunimatsu, Ryo; Tsuka, Yuji; Yoshimi, Yuki; Sumi, Keisuke; Awada, Tetsuya; Nakajima, Kengo; Kimura, Aya; Hiraki, Tomoka; Hirose, Naoto; Yanoshita, Makoto; Tanimoto, Kotaro

2018-02-05

Tooth movement during orthodontic treatment is associated with bone neoplasticity and bone resorption on the tension and pressure sides. Previous clinical studies have suggested that low-power laser irradiation can accelerate tooth movement during orthodontic treatment, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used a high-frequency near-infrared diode laser that generates less heat and examined the histologic changes in periodontal tissue during experimental tooth movement with laser irradiation. A nickel-titanium closed coil was mounted between the maxillary left side first molar and incisor of rats to model experimental tooth movement. The laser-irradiation and the control groups were set, and the amount of movement of the first molar on 7th and 14th days after the start of pulling of the first molar tooth on the maxillary left was measured by three-dimensional analysis of µCT. After tooth movement, tissue samples from the mesial and tension sides were collected, and successive horizontal sections were prepared and examined using hematoxylin-eosin and TRAP staining and immunohistochemical staining for RANKL, OPG, ALP, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Changes in tissue temperature following laser irradiation were also examined. Laser irradiation significantly increased tooth movement compared with non-irradiated controls. Histologic staining of the pressure-side mesial root in laser-irradiated rats revealed enhanced RANKL expression and increased numbers of TRAP-positive cells compared with controls. By contrast, on the tension side, laser irradiation led to increased expression of ALP and PCNA. These data indicate that high-frequency near-infrared diode laser irradiation on the pressure side upregulates RANKL expression and accelerates osteoclast differentiation, facilitating bone resorption, whereas bone formation is induced on the tension side. This study demonstrates that high-frequency near-infrared diode laser

Effects of Near-Infrared Laser on Neural Cell Activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mochizuki-Oda, Noriko; Kataoka, Yosky; Yamada, Hisao; Awazu, Kunio

2004-01-01

Near-infrared laser has been used to relieve patients from various kinds of pain caused by postherpetic neuralgesia, myofascial dysfunction, surgical and traumatic wound, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Clinically, He-Ne (λ=632.8 nm, 780 nm) and Ga-Al-As (805 ± 25 nm) lasers are used to irradiate trigger points or nerve ganglion. However the precise mechanisms of such biological actions of the laser have not yet been resolved. Since laser therapy is often effective to suppress the pain caused by hyperactive excitation of sensory neurons, interactions with laser light and neural cells are suggested. As neural excitation requires large amount of energy liberated from adenosine triphosphate (ATP), we examined the effect of 830-nm laser irradiation on the energy metabolism of the rat central nervous system and isolated mitochondria from brain. The diode laser was applied for 15 min with irradiance of 4.8 W/cm2 on a 2 mm-diameter spot at the brain surface. Tissue ATP content of the irradiated area in the cerebral cortex was 19% higher than that of the non-treated area (opposite side of the cortex), whereas the ADP content showed no significant difference. Irradiation at another wavelength (652 nm) had no effect on either ATP or ADP contents. The temperature of the brain tissue was increased 4.5-5.0 deg. C during the irradiation of both 830-nm and 652-nm laser light. Direct irradiation of the mitochondrial suspension did not show any wavelength-dependent acceleration of respiration rate nor ATP synthesis. These results suggest that the increase in tissue ATP content did not result from the thermal effect, but from specific effect of the laser operated at 830 nm. Electrophysiological studies showed the hyperpolarization of membrane potential of isolated neurons and decrease in membrane resistance with irradiation of the laser, suggesting an activation of potassium channels. Intracellular ATP is reported to regulate some kinds of potassium channels. Possible mechanisms

Near-infrared remotely triggered drug-release strategies for cancer treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Amanda M.; Neumann, Oara; Nørregaard, Kamilla; Henderson, Luke; Choi, Mi-Ran; Clare, Susan E.; Halas, Naomi J.

2017-11-01

Remotely controlled, localized drug delivery is highly desirable for potentially minimizing the systemic toxicity induced by the administration of typically hydrophobic chemotherapy drugs by conventional means. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems provide a highly promising approach for localized drug delivery, and are an emerging field of interest in cancer treatment. Here, we demonstrate near-IR light-triggered release of two drug molecules from both DNA-based and protein-based hosts that have been conjugated to near-infrared-absorbing Au nanoshells (SiO2 core, Au shell), each forming a light-responsive drug delivery complex. We show that, depending upon the drug molecule, the type of host molecule, and the laser illumination method (continuous wave or pulsed laser), in vitro light-triggered release can be achieved with both types of nanoparticle-based complexes. Two breast cancer drugs, docetaxel and HER2-targeted lapatinib, were delivered to MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 (overexpressing HER2) breast cancer cells and compared with release in noncancerous RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Continuous wave laser-induced release of docetaxel from a nanoshell-based DNA host complex showed increased cell death, which also coincided with nonspecific cell death from photothermal heating. Using a femtosecond pulsed laser, lapatinib release from a nanoshell-based human serum albumin protein host complex resulted in increased cancerous cell death while noncancerous control cells were unaffected. Both methods provide spatially and temporally localized drug-release strategies that can facilitate high local concentrations of chemotherapy drugs deliverable at a specific treatment site over a specific time window, with the potential for greatly minimized side effects.

Pulsed low-level infrared laser alters mRNA levels from muscle repair genes dependent on power output in Wistar rats

Science.gov (United States)

Trajano, L. A. S. N.; Trajano, E. T. L.; Thomé, A. M. C.; Sergio, L. P. S.; Mencalha, A. L.; Stumbo, A. C.; Fonseca, A. S.

2017-10-01

Satellite cells are present in skeletal muscle functioning in the repair and regeneration of muscle injury. Activation of these cells depends on the expression of myogenic factor 5 (Myf5), myogenic determination factor 1(MyoD), myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4), myogenin (MyoG), paired box transcription factors 3 (Pax3), and 7 (Pax7). Low-level laser irradiation accelerates the repair of muscle injuries. However, data from the expression of myogenic factors have been controversial. Furthermore, the effects of different laser beam powers on the repair of muscle injuries have been not evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low-level infrared laser at different powers and in pulsed emission mode on the expression of myogenic regulatory factors and on Pax3 and Pax7 in injured skeletal muscle from Wistar rats. Animals that underwent cryoinjury were divided into three groups: injury, injury laser 25 Mw, and injury laser 75 mW. Low-level infrared laser irradiation (904 nm, 3 J cm-2, 5 kHz) was carried out at 25 and 75 mW. After euthanasia, skeletal muscle samples were withdrawn and the total RNA was extracted for the evaluation of mRNA levels from the MyoD, MyoG, MRF4, Myf5, Pax3, and Pax7 gene. Pax 7 mRNA levels did not alter, but Pax3 mRNA levels increased in the injured and laser-irradiated group at 25 mW. MyoD, MyoG, and MYf5 mRNA levels increased in the injured and laser-irradiated animals at both powers, and MRF4 mRNA levels decreased in the injured and laser-irradiated group at 75 mW. In conclusion, exposure to pulsed low-level infrared laser, by power-dependent effect, could accelerate the muscle repair process altering mRNA levels from paired box transcription factors and myogenic regulatory factors.

Deposition of Methylammonium Lead Triiodide by Resonant Infrared Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Barraza, E. Tomas; Dunlap-Shohl, Wiley A.; Mitzi, David B.; Stiff-Roberts, Adrienne D.

2018-02-01

Resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) was used to deposit the metal-halide perovskite (MHP) CH3NH3PbI3 (methylammonium lead triiodide, or MAPbI), creating phase-pure films. Given the moisture sensitivity of these crystalline, multi-component organic-inorganic hybrid materials, deposition of MAPbI by RIR-MAPLE required a departure from the use of water-based emulsions as deposition targets. Different chemistries were explored to create targets that properly dissolved MAPbI components, were stable under vacuum conditions, and enabled resonant laser energy absorption. Secondary phases and solvent contamination in the resulting films were studied through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorbance and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, suggesting that lingering excess methylammonium iodide (MAI) and low-vapor pressure solvents can distort the microstructure, creating crystalline and amorphous non-perovskite phases. Thermal annealing of films deposited by RIR-MAPLE allowed for excess solvent to be evaporated from films without degrading the MAPbI structure. Further, it was demonstrated that RIR-MAPLE does not require excess MAI to create stoichiometric films with optoelectronic properties, crystal structure, and film morphology comparable to films created using more established spin-coating methods for processing MHPs. This work marks the first time a MAPLE-related technique was used to deposit MHPs.

LASER PROCESSING ON SINGLE CRYSTALS BY UV PULSE LASER

OpenAIRE

龍見, 雅美; 佐々木, 徹; 高山, 恭宜

2009-01-01

Laser processing by using UV pulsed laser was carried out on single crystal such as sapphire and diamond in order to understand the fundamental laser processing on single crystal. The absorption edges of diamond and sapphire are longer and shorter than the wave length of UV laser, respectively. The processed regions by laser with near threshold power of processing show quite different state in each crystal.

Surface modification of UHMWPE with infrared femtosecond laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez-Pradas, J.M., E-mail: jmfernandez@ub.edu [Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Naranjo-Leon, S.; Morenza, J.L.; Serra, P. [Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2012-09-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene surface was modified with femtosecond laser pulses at 1027 nm wavelength. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Surface roughness is increased. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ablation efficiency is maximum for 6 {mu}J pulses. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Irradiated surfaces remain almost chemically unaltered. - Abstract: Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a polymer with mechanical and corrosion properties, which make it appropriate for using in biomedical devices such as hip and knee prostheses. The surface morphology and chemistry of UHMWPE influence its biocompatibility. A laser with wavelength at 1027 nm delivering 450 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz is used to modify the surface of UHMWPE samples with 0.45 {mu}m root mean square surface roughness. Micrometric resolution is achieved with the use of a focusing lens of 0.25 NA and pulse energies of few microjoules. The study focuses in the influence of different pulse energies and pulse overlaps on the laser-induced surface roughness and ablation yield. Confocal microscopy is used to characterize changes in the morphology of the irradiated surfaces, and their chemical structure is analyzed by attenuated total reflectance infrared and Raman spectroscopies. The roughness increases as the pulse energy increases until it reaches a maximum. The ablation yield increases with the pulse energy and pulse overlap. However, the ablation yield per pulse is lower for higher pulse overlap. Pulses of 6 {mu}J have the highest ablation efficiency. Infrared and Raman spectra of samples irradiated with low energy pulses are similar to those of the pristine sample. However, some C=C and C=O bonds can be detected after irradiation with the highest pulse energies.

Near infrared spectral imaging of explosives using a tunable laser source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klunder, G L; Margalith, E; Nguyen, L K

2010-03-26

Diffuse reflectance near infrared hyperspectral imaging is an important analytical tool for a wide variety of industries, including agriculture consumer products, chemical and pharmaceutical development and production. Using this technique as a method for the standoff detection of explosive particles is presented and discussed. The detection of the particles is based on the diffuse reflectance of light from the particle in the near infrared wavelength range where CH, NH, OH vibrational overtones and combination bands are prominent. The imaging system is a NIR focal plane array camera with a tunable OPO/laser system as the illumination source. The OPO is programmed to scan over a wide spectral range in the NIR and the camera is synchronized to record the light reflected from the target for each wavelength. The spectral resolution of this system is significantly higher than that of hyperspectral systems that incorporate filters or dispersive elements. The data acquisition is very fast and the entire hyperspectral cube can be collected in seconds. A comparison of data collected with the OPO system to data obtained with a broadband light source with LCTF filters is presented.

Dynamics of a multiple-pulse-driven x-ray laser plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, A.S.; Da Silva, L.B.; Moreno, J.C.; Cauble, R.; Celliers, P.; Dalhed, H.E. Jr.; Koch, J.A.; Nilsen, J.

1996-01-01

In this paper we describe experimental and computational studies of multiple-pulse-driven laser plasma, which is the gain medium for a neon-like yttrium x-ray laser. Near-field emission profiles have been measured both with and without reinjection of the x-ray laser photons to couple with the amplifying medium created by later pulses using an external multilayer mirror. From the temporal and spatial evolution of the near-field emission profiles we can examine the pulse-to-pulse variation of the x-ray laser plasma due to changes in the hydrodynamics, laser deposition, and the injecting of x-ray laser photons back into an amplifying x-ray laser plasma. Using a combination of radiation hydrodynamics, atomic kinetics, and ray propagation codes, reasonable agreement has been obtained between simulations and the experimental results. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Comparative study on Pulsed Laser Deposition and Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation of urease thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smausz, Tomi; Megyeri, Gabor; Kekesi, Renata; Vass, Csaba; Gyoergy, Eniko; Sima, Felix; Mihailescu, Ion N.; Hopp, Bela

2009-01-01

Urease thin films were produced by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) and Pulsed Laser Deposition from two types of targets: frozen water solutions of urease with different concentrations (1-10% m/v) and pure urease pellets. The fluence of the ablating KrF excimer laser was varied between 300 and 2200 mJ/cm 2 . Fourier transform infrared spectra of the deposited films showed no difference as compared to the original urease. Morphologic studies proved that the films consist of a smooth 'base' layer with embedded micrometer-sized droplets. Absorption-coefficient measurements contradicted the traditional 'absorptive matrix' model for MAPLE deposition. The laser energy was absorbed by urease clusters leading to a local heating-up and evaporation of the frozen matrix from the uppermost layer accompanied by the release of dissolved urease molecules. Significant enzymatic activity of urease was preserved only during matrix assisted transfer.

Visible to Infrared Diamond Photonics Enabled by Focused Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belén Sotillo

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Diamond’s nitrogen-vacancy (NV centers show great promise in sensing applications and quantum computing due to their long electron spin coherence time and because they can be found, manipulated, and read out optically. An important step forward for diamond photonics would be connecting multiple diamond NVs together using optical waveguides. However, the inertness of diamond is a significant hurdle for the fabrication of integrated optics similar to those that revolutionized silicon photonics. In this work, we show the fabrication of optical waveguides in diamond, enabled by focused femtosecond high repetition rate laser pulses. By optimizing the geometry of the waveguide, we obtain single mode waveguides from the visible to the infrared. Additionally, we show the laser writing of individual NV centers within the bulk of diamond. We use µ-Raman spectroscopy to gain better insight on the stress and the refractive index profile of the optical waveguides. Using optically detected magnetic resonance and confocal photoluminescence characterization, high quality NV properties are observed in waveguides formed in various grades of diamond, making them promising for applications such as magnetometry, quantum information systems, and evanescent field sensors.

EDITORIAL: Optical mammography: Imaging and characterization of breast lesions by pulsed near-infrared laser light (OPTIMAMM)

Science.gov (United States)

Hebden, Jeremy C.; Rinneberg, Herbert

2005-06-01

The Commission of the European Union (EU) conceived its Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) to identify the priorities for the European Union's research, technological development and demonstration activities for the period 1998-2002. By encouraging collaborative research between groups in different member countries, FP5 was intended to help solve problems the EU is facing and respond to major socio-economic challenges. The programme focused on a number of objectives and areas combining technological, industrial, economic, social and cultural aspects. A specific call was made, under its `Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources' section, for proposals which aim to explore improvements in non-invasive methods of imaging for early diagnosis and clinical evaluation of disease. Among the projects successfully funded under the FP5 programme was one entitled `Optical mammography: Imaging and characterization of breast lesions by pulsed near-infrared laser light', known by its acronym OPTIMAMM. The project involved a consortium of nine partners, comprising ten applied science and clinical research groups based in six EU countries, with overall administration and management provided by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany. The broad aim of the OPTIMAMM project was to combine multi-disciplinary basic (physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science) and clinical (oncology, histology) research to assess the diagnostic potential of time-domain optical and photoacoustic mammography as novel, non-invasive imaging modalities for the detection and clinical evaluation of breast lesions. Funding for the project, at a total cost of about 1.67 MEuro, began in December 2000 for a period of three years, although a zero-cost extension was granted to enable the ongoing project activities to continue until the end of May 2004. The importance of developing new tools for the detection and diagnosis of breast disease is evident from the very high incidence and

Enhanced hole boring with two-color relativistic laser pulses in the fast ignition scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Changhai; Tian, Ye; Li, Wentao; Wang, Wentao; Zhang, Zhijun; Qi, Rong; Wang, Cheng [State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Deng, Aihua, E-mail: aihuadeng1985@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Liu, Jiansheng, E-mail: michaeljs-liu@siom.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2016-08-15

A scheme of using two-color laser pulses for hole boring into overdense plasma as well as energy transfer into electron and ion beams has been studied using particle-in-cell simulations. Following an ultra-short ultra-intense hole-boring laser pulse with a short central wavelength in extreme ultra-violet range, the main infrared driving laser pulse can be guided in the hollow channel preformed by the former laser and propagate much deeper into an overdense plasma, as compared to the case using the infrared laser only. In addition to efficiently transferring the main driving laser energy into energetic electrons and ions generation deep inside the overdense plasma, the ion beam divergence can be greatly reduced. The results might be beneficial for the fast ignition concept of inertial confinement fusion.

UV and RIR matrix assisted pulsed laser deposition of organic MEH-PPV films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toftmann, B.; Papantonakis, M.R.; Auyeung, R.C.Y.; Kim, W.; O'Malley, S.M.; Bubb, D.M.; Horwitz, J.S.; Schou, J.; Johansen, P.M.; Haglund, R.F.

2004-01-01

A comparative study of thin film production based on gentle laser-ablation techniques has been carried out with the luminescent polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]. Using a free-electron laser films were made by resonant infrared pulsed laser deposition (RIR-PLD). For the first time resonant infrared matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) was successfully demonstrated on a luminescent polymer system. In addition to this, an excimer laser has been used for UV-MAPLE depositions at 193 and 248-nm irradiation. Films deposited onto NaCl and quartz substrates were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible absorbance and photoluminescence. Photoluminescent material was deposited by RIR-MAPLE and 248-nm MAPLE, while the RIR-PLD and 193-nm-MAPLE depositions displayed the smoothest surfaces but did not show photoluminescence

UV and RIR matrix assisted pulsed laser deposition of organic MEH-PPV films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Bo Toftmann; Papantonalis, M.R.; Auyeung, R.C.Y.

2004-01-01

-PLD). For the first time resonant infrared matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) was successfully demonstrated on a luminescent polymer system. In addition to this, an excimer laser has been used for UV-MAPLE depositions at 193 and 248-nm irradiation. Films deposited onto NaCl and quartz substrates......A comparative study of thin film production based on gentle laser-ablation techniques has been carried out with the luminescent polymer poly [2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]. Using a free-electron laser films were made by resonant infrared pulsed laser deposition (RIR...... were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible absorbance and photoluminescence. Photoluminescent material was deposited by RIR-MAPLE and 248-nm MAPLE, while the RIR-PLD and 193-nm-MAPLE depositions displayed the smoothest surfaces but did not show photoluminescence. (C) 2003...

Dispersion of near-infrared laser energy through radicular dentine when using plain or conical tips.

Science.gov (United States)

Teo, Christine Yi Jia; George, Roy; Walsh, Laurence J

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of tip design on patterns of laser energy dispersion through the dentine of tooth roots when using near-infrared diode lasers. Diode laser emissions of 810 or 940 nm were used in combination with optical fiber tips with either conventional plain ends or conical ends, to irradiate tooth roots of oval or round cross-sectional shapes. The lasers were operated in continuous wave mode at 0.5 W for 5 s with the distal end of the fiber tip placed in the apical or coronal third of the root canal at preset positions. Laser light exiting through the roots and apical foramen was imaged, and the extent of lateral spread calculated. There was a significant difference in infrared light exiting the root canal apex between plain and conical fiber tips for both laser wavelengths, with more forward transmission of laser energy through the apex for plain tips. For both laser wavelengths, there were no significant differences in emission patterns when the variable of canal shape was used and all other variables were kept the same (plain vs conical tip, tip position). To ensure optimal treatment effect and to prevent the risks of inadvertent laser effects on the adjacent periapical tissues, it is important to have a good understanding of laser transmission characteristics of the root canal and root dentine. Importantly, it is also essential to understand transmission characteristics of plain and conical fibers tips.

Comparison of NIRS, laser Doppler flowmetry, photoplethysmography, and pulse oximetry during vascular occlusion challenges

OpenAIRE

Abay, T. Y.; Kyriacou, P. A.

2016-01-01

© 2016 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. Monitoring changes in blood volume, blood flow, and oxygenation in tissues is of vital importance in fields such as reconstructive surgery and trauma medicine. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), laser Doppler (LDF) flowmetry, photoplethysmography (PPG), and pulse oximetry (PO) contribute to such fields due to their safe and noninvasive nature. However, the techniques have been rarely investigated simultaneously or altogether. The aim of...

Trans-cranial infrared laser stimulation induces hemodynamic and metabolic response measured by broadband near infrared spectroscopy in vivo on human forehead (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinlong; Nalawade, Sahil Sunil; Reddy, Divya Dhandapani; Tian, Fenghua; Gonzalez-Lima, F.; Liu, Hanli

2017-02-01

Transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) uses infrared light (lasers or LEDs) for nondestructive and non-thermal photobiomodulation on the human brain. Although TILS has shown its beneficial effects to a variety of neurological and psychological conditions, its physiological mechanism remains unknown. Cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO), the last enzyme in the electron transportation chain, is proposed to be the primary photoacceptor of this infrared laser. In this study, we wish to validate this proposed mechanism. We applied 8 minutes in vivo TILS on the right forehead of 11 human participants with a 1064-nm laser. Broad-band near infrared spectroscopy (bb-NIRS) from 740-900nm was also employed near the TILS site to monitor hemodynamic and metabolic responses during the stimulation and 5-minute recovery period. For rigorous comparison, we also performed similar 8-min bb-NIR measurements under placebo conditions. A multi-linear regression analysis based on the modified Beer-Lambert law was performed to estimate concentration changes of oxy-hemoglobin (Δ[HbO]), deoxy-hemoglobin (Δ[Hb]), and cytochrome-c-oxidase (Δ[CCO]). We found that TILS induced significant increases of [CCO], [HbO] and a decrease of [Hb] with dose-dependent manner as compared with placebo treatments. Furthermore, strong linear relationships or interplays between [CCO] versus [HbO] and [CCO] versus [Hb] induced by TILS were observed in vivo for the first time. These relationships have clearly revealed close coupling/relationship between the hemodynamic oxygen supply and blood volume versus up-regulation of CCO induced by photobiomodulation. Our results demonstrate the tremendous potential of bb-NIRS as a non-invasive in vivo means to study photobiomodulation mechanisms and perform treatment evaluations of TILS.

Metal processing with ultrashort laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Paul S.; Felt, M. D.; Komashko, Aleksey M.; Perry, Michael D.; Rubenchik, Alexander M.; Stuart, Brent C.

2000-08-01

Femtosecond laser ablation has been shown to produce well-defined cuts and holes in metals with minimal heat effect to the remaining material. Ultrashort laser pulse processing shows promise as an important technique for materials processing. We will discuss the physical effects associated with processing based experimental and modeling results. Intense ultra-short laser pulse (USLP) generates high pressures and temperatures in a subsurface layer during the pulse, which can strongly modify the absorption. We carried out simulations of USLP absorption versus material and pulse parameters. The ablation rate as function of the laser parameters has been estimated. Since every laser pulse removes only a small amount of material, a practical laser processing system must have high repetition rate. We will demonstrate that planar ablation is unstable and the initially smooth crater bottom develops a corrugated pattern after many tens of shots. The corrugation growth rate, angle of incidence and the polarization of laser electric field dependence will be discussed. In the nonlinear stage, the formation of coherent structures with scales much larger than the laser wavelength was observed. Also, there appears to be a threshold fluence above which a narrow, nearly perfectly circular channel forms after a few hundred shots. Subsequent shots deepen this channel without significantly increasing its diameter. The role of light absorption in the hole walls will be discussed.

Real-time Near-infrared Virtual Intraoperative Surgical Photoacoustic Microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changho Lee

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We developed a near infrared (NIR virtual intraoperative surgical photoacoustic microscopy (NIR-VISPAM system that combines a conventional surgical microscope and an NIR light photoacoustic microscopy (PAM system. NIR-VISPAM can simultaneously visualize PA B-scan images at a maximum display rate of 45 Hz and display enlarged microscopic images on a surgeon's view plane through the ocular lenses of the surgical microscope as augmented reality. The use of the invisible NIR light eliminated the disturbance to the surgeon's vision caused by the visible PAM excitation laser in a previous report. Further, the maximum permissible laser pulse energy at this wavelength is approximately 5 times more than that at the visible spectral range. The use of a needle-type ultrasound transducer without any water bath for acoustic coupling can enhance convenience in an intraoperative environment. We successfully guided needle and injected carbon particles in biological tissues ex vivo and in melanoma-bearing mice in vivo.

Porcine skin damage thresholds for pulsed nanosecond-scale laser exposure at 1064-nm

Science.gov (United States)

DeLisi, Michael P.; Peterson, Amanda M.; Noojin, Gary D.; Shingledecker, Aurora D.; Tijerina, Amanda J.; Boretsky, Adam R.; Schmidt, Morgan S.; Kumru, Semih S.; Thomas, Robert J.

2018-02-01

Pulsed high-energy lasers operating in the near-infrared (NIR) band are increasingly being used in medical, industrial, and military applications, but there are little available experimental data to characterize their hazardous effects on skin tissue. The current American National Standard for the Safe Use of Lasers (ANSI Z136.1-2014) defines the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) on the skin as either a single-pulse or total exposure time limit. This study determined the minimum visible lesion (MVL) damage thresholds in Yucatan miniature pig skin for the single-pulse case and several multiple-pulse cases over a wide range of pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) (10, 125, 2,000, and 10,000 Hz) utilizing nanosecond-scale pulses (10 or 60 ns). The thresholds are expressed in terms of the median effective dose (ED50) based on varying individual pulse energy with other laser parameters held constant. The results confirm a decrease in MVL threshold as PRF increases for exposures with a constant number of pulses, while also noting a PRF-dependent change in the threshold as a function of the number of pulses. Furthermore, this study highlights a change in damage mechanism to the skin from melanin-mediated photomechanical events at high irradiance levels and few numbers of pulses to bulk tissue photothermal additivity at lower irradiance levels and greater numbers of pulses. The observed trends exceeded the existing exposure limits by an average factor of 9.1 in the photothermally-damaged cases and 3.6 in the photomechanicallydamaged cases.

Ocular hazards of Q-switched near-infrared lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, David J.; Edsall, Peter R.; Stuck, Bruce E.

2003-06-01

The threshold for laser-induced retinal damage in the rhesus eye was determined for wavelengths between 900 nm and 1300 nm. The laser source was a tunable Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) pumped by the 3rd harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. The laser pulse duration was 3.5 ns. The wavelength dependence of the injury threshold is consistent with the prediction of a model based on the transmission of the preretinal ocular media, absorption in the retinal pigment epithelium, and variation of irradiance diameter resulting from chromatic aberration of the eye optics for wavelengths shorter than 1150 nm but was less consistent for longer wavelengths. The threshold for 24-hour observation was slightly lower than the threshold for 1-hour observation. These data form a basis for reexamination of the currently defined MPEs for wavelengths longer than 1100 nm.

Study of the oncogenic expression in human fibroblast cells after exposure to very short pulsed laser radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dormont, D.; Freville, Th.; Raoul, H.; Courant, D.; Court, L.

1992-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of a laser, delivering very short pulses in the near infrared spectrum with a high pulse ratio frequency, to induce genetic modification on biological tissues. The absence of dicentric among chromosomal aberrations on human lymphocytes suggests that a repetitive very short pulses irradiation has a relatively low capacity to induce genetic abnormalities. The studies of the radiation effects on the cellular growth and the oncogenic expression show that the modifications, induced at the cellular level, do not seem the origin of a cellular transformation and a possible mechanism of carcinogenesis. (author)

Vibrational Spectroscopy of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds in the Infrared and Near-Infrared Regions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schrøder, Sidsel Dahl

and 1,4-diaminobutane). Experimentally, the hydrogen bonds have been studied with vibrational spectroscopy in the infrared and near-infrared regions. The focus is primarily on spectra recorded in the near-infrared regions, which in these studies are dominated by O-H and N-H stretching overtones....... Overtone spectra have been recorded with intracavity laser photoacoustic laser spectroscopy and conventional long path absorption spectroscopy. Theoretically, a combination of electronic structure calculations and local mode models have been employed to guide the assignment of bands in the vibrational......,4-diaminobutane, no sign of intramolecular N-H···N hydrogen bonds were identified in the overtone spectra. However, theoretical analyzes indicate that intramolecular N-H···N hydrogen bonds are present in all three diamines if two hydrogen atoms on one of the methylene groups are substituted with triuoromethyl...

Non-destructive testing of ceramic materials using mid-infrared ultrashort-pulse laser

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, S. C.; Qi, Hong; An, X. Y.; Ren, Y. T.; Qiao, Y. B.; Ruan, Liming M.

2018-04-01

The non-destructive testing (NDT) of ceramic materials using mid-infrared ultrashort-pulse laser is investigated in this study. The discrete ordinate method is applied to solve the transient radiative transfer equation in 2D semitransparent medium and the emerging radiative intensity on boundary serves as input for the inverse analysis. The sequential quadratic programming algorithm is employed as the inverse technique to optimize objective function, in which the gradient of objective function with respect to reconstruction parameters is calculated using the adjoint model. Two reticulated porous ceramics including partially stabilized zirconia and oxide-bonded silicon carbide are tested. The retrieval results show that the main characteristics of defects such as optical properties, geometric shapes and positions can be accurately reconstructed by the present model. The proposed technique is effective and robust in NDT of ceramics even with measurement errors.

Study and realisation of a femtosecond dye laser operating at different wavelengths. Ultrashort pulses compression and amplification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georges, Patrick

1989-01-01

We present the study and the realization of a passively mode-locked dye laser producing pulses shorter than 100 femto-seconds (10 -13 s). In a ring cavity with an amplifier medium (Rhodamine 60) and a saturable absorber (DODCI), a sequence of four prisms controls the group velocity dispersion and allows the generation of very short pulses. Then we have studied the production of femtosecond pulses at other wavelengths directly from the femtosecond dye laser. For the first rime, 60 fs pulses at 685 nm and pulses shorter than 50 fs between 775 nm and 800 nm have been produced by passive mode locking. These near infrared pulses have been used to study the absorption saturation kinetics in semiconductors multiple quantum wells GaAs/GaAlAs. We have observed a singular behavior of the laser operating at 685 nm and analyzed the produced pulses in terms of optical solitons. To perform time resolved spectroscopy with shortest pulses, we have studied a pulse compressor and a multipass amplifier to increase the pulses energy. Pulses of 20 fs and 10 micro-joules (peak power: 0.5 GW) have been obtained at low repetition rate (10 Hz) and pulses of 16 fs and 0.6 micro-joules pulses have been generated at high repetition rate (11 kHz) using a copper vapor laser. These pulses have been used to study the absorption saturation kinetics of an organic dye (the Malachite Green). (author) [fr

Modeling of nanosecond pulsed laser processing of polymers in air and water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marla, Deepak; Zhang, Yang; Hattel, Jesper H.

2018-01-01

radiation (λ = 1064 nm) of nanosecond pulse duration. The laser–polymer interaction at such wavelengths is purely photo-thermal in nature and the laser–plasma interaction is assumed to occur mainly by inverse-bremsstrahlung photon absorption. The computational model is based on the finite volume method......Laser ablation of polymers in water is known to generate distinct surface characteristics as compared to that in air. In order to understand the role of ambient media during laser ablation of polymers, this paper aims to develop a physics-based model of the process considering the effect of ambient...... media. Therefore, in the present work, models are developed for laser ablation of polymers in air and water considering all the relevant physical phenomena such as laser–polymer interaction, plasma generation, plasma expansion and plasma shielding. The current work focuses on near-infrared laser...

Minimally invasive non-thermal laser technology using laser-induced optical breakdown for skin rejuvenation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Habbema, L.; Verhagen, R.; Van Hal, R.; Liu, Y.; Varghese, B.

2011-01-01

We describe a novel, minimally invasive laser technology for skin rejuvenation by creating isolated microscopic lesions within tissue below the epidermis using laser induced optical breakdown. Using an in-house built prototype device, tightly focused near-infrared laser pulses are used to create

Controlling plasmonic properties of epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide in the near-infrared region

Science.gov (United States)

Kamakura, R.; Fujita, K.; Murai, S.; Tanaka, K.

2015-06-01

Epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) were grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia single-crystal substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition to examine their plasmonic properties. The dielectric function of ITO was characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Through the concentration of SnO2 in the target, the carrier concentration in the films was modified, which directly leads to the tuning of the dielectric function in the near-infrared region. Variable-angle reflectance spectroscopy in the Kretschmann geometry shows the dip in the reflection spectrum of p-polarized light corresponding to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritions (SPPs) in the near-infrared region. The excitation wavelength of the SPPs was shifted with changing the dielectric functions of ITO, which is reproduced by the calculation using transfer matrix method.

Comparison of pulsed electron beam-annealed and pulsed ruby laser-annealed ion-implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, S.R.; Appleton, B.R.; White, C.W.; Narayan, J.; Greenwald, A.C.

1978-11-01

Recently two new techniques, pulsed electron beam annealing and pulsed laser annealing, have been developed for processing ion-implanted silicon. These two types of anneals have been compared using ion-channeling, ion back-scattering, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Single crystal samples were implanted with 100 keV As + ions to a dose of approx. 1 x 10 16 ions/cm 2 and subsequently annealed by either a pulsed Ruby laser or a pulsed electron beam. Our results show in both cases that the near-surface region has melted and regrown epitaxially with nearly all of the implanted As (97 to 99%) incroporated onto lattice sites. The analysis indicates that the samples are essentially defect free and have complete electrical recovery

Terahertz radiation driven by two-color laser pulses at near-relativistic intensities: Competition between photoionization and wakefield effects

Science.gov (United States)

González de Alaiza Martínez, P.; Davoine, X.; Debayle, A.; Gremillet, L.; Bergé, L.

2016-01-01

We numerically investigate terahertz (THz) pulse generation by linearly-polarized, two-color femtosecond laser pulses in highly-ionized argon. Major processes consist of tunneling photoionization and ponderomotive forces associated with transverse and longitudinal field excitations. By means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we reveal the importance of photocurrent mechanisms besides transverse and longitudinal plasma waves for laser intensities >1015 W/cm2. We demonstrate the following. (i) With two-color pulses, photoionization prevails in the generation of GV/m THz fields up to 1017 W/cm2 laser intensities and suddenly loses efficiency near the relativistic threshold, as the outermost electron shell of ionized Ar atoms has been fully depleted. (ii) PIC results can be explained by a one-dimensional Maxwell-fluid model and its semi-analytical solutions, offering the first unified description of the main THz sources created in plasmas. (iii) The THz power emitted outside the plasma channel mostly originates from the transverse currents. PMID:27255689

Tracheal anastomosis using indocyanine green dye enhanced fibrinogen with a near-infrared diode laser

Science.gov (United States)

Auteri, Joseph S.; Jeevanandam, Valluvan; Oz, Mehmet C.; Libutti, Steven K.; Kirby, Thomas J.; Smith, Craig R.; Treat, Michael R.

1990-06-01

A major obstacle to lung transplantation and combined heart- lung transplantation is dehiscence of the tracheobronchial anastomosis. We explored the possibility of laser welded anastomoses in canine tracheas in vivo. Laser anastomoses were performed on three-quarter circumferential anterior tracheotomies. A continous wave diode laser (808 +1 nm) at a power density of 9.6 watts/cm was used. Human fibrinogen was mixed with indocyanine green dye (ICG, max absorbance 805 nm) and applied to the anastomosis site prior to laser exposure. Animals were sacrificed at 0, 21 and 28 days post-operatively. At sacrifice weld bursting pressures were measured by raising intratracheal pressure using forced ventilation via an endotracheal tube. Sutured and laser welded anastomoses had similar bursting pressures, and exhibited satisfactory histologic evidence of healing. However, compared to polypropylene sutured controls, the laser welded anastomoses exhibited less peritracheal inflammatory reaction and showed visibly smoother luminal surfaces at 21 and 28 days post- operatively. Tracheal anastomosis using ICG dye enhanced fibrinogen combined with the near-infrared diode laser is a promising extension of the technology of laser tissue fusion and deserves further study.

Measuring the electric field of few-cycle laser pulses by attosecond cross correlation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandrauk, Andre D.; Chelkowski, Szczepan; Shon, Nguyen Hong

2002-01-01

A new technique for directly measuring the electric field of linearly polarized few-cycle laser pulses is proposed. Based on the solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation (TDSE) for an H atom in the combined field of infrared (IR) femtosecond (fs) and ultraviolet (UV) attosecond (as) laser pulses we show that, as a function of the time delay between two pulses, the difference (or equivalently, asymmetry) of photoelectron signals in opposite directions (along the polarization vector of laser pulses) reproduces very well the profile of the electric field (or vector potential) in the IR pulse. Such ionization asymmetry can be used for directly measuring the carrier-envelope phase difference (i.e., the relative phase of the carrier frequency with respect to the pulse envelope) of the IR fs laser pulse

Laser system using ultra-short laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Dantus, Marcos [Okemos, MI; Lozovoy, Vadim V [Okemos, MI; Comstock, Matthew [Milford, MI

2009-10-27

A laser system using ultrashort laser pulses is provided. In another aspect of the present invention, the system includes a laser, pulse shaper and detection device. A further aspect of the present invention employs a femtosecond laser and binary pulse shaping (BPS). Still another aspect of the present invention uses a laser beam pulse, a pulse shaper and a SHG crystal.

High-Wattage Pulsed Irradiation of Linearly Polarized Near-Infrared Light to Stellate Ganglion Area for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yukihiro Momota

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to apply high-wattage pulsed irradiation of linearly polarized near-infrared light to the stellate ganglion area for burning mouth syndrome (BMS and to assess the efficacy of the stellate ganglion area irradiation (SGR on BMS using differential time-/frequency-domain parameters (D parameters. Three patients with BMS received high-wattage pulsed SGR; the response to SGR was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS representing the intensity of glossalgia and D parameters used in heart rate variability analysis. High-wattage pulsed SGR significantly decreased the mean value of VAS in all cases without any adverse event such as thermal injury. D parameters mostly correlated with clinical condition of BMS. High-wattage pulsed SGR was safe and effective for the treatment of BMS; D parameters are useful for assessing efficacy of SGR on BMS.

Selective photoionization of isotopic atoms with pulsed lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Changjian

1994-01-01

The dynamics of isotopically selective interactions between the radiation of three pulsed lasers and atoms with a four-levels scheme has been studied. Starting from the time-dependent Schroedinger equation with the rotating-wave approximation, authors applied Sylvester theorem to the dynamic equations associated with near-and off-resonant excitations, respectively. Authors obtained the explicit expressions for the four-levels occupation probabilities. The analytic treatment explored the properties of coherent oscillations occurred in the atomic excitation processes with intense monochromatic lasers. The conditions under which the population inversion takes place are derived from near-resonant excitations. The criteria to select the basic parameters of pulsed lasers involved in the process are also provided

Controlled assembly of high-order nanoarray metal structures on bulk copper surface by femtosecond laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Wanwan; Yang, Jianjun

2017-07-01

We report a new one-step maskless method to fabricate high-order nanoarray metal structures comprising periodic grooves and particle chains on a single-crystal Cu surface using femtosecond laser pulses at the central wavelength of 400 nm. Remarkably, when a circularly polarized infrared femtosecond laser pulse (spectrally centered at 800 nm) pre-irradiates the sample surface, the geometric dimensions of the composite structure can be well controlled. With increasing the energy fluence of the infrared laser pulse, both the groove width and particle diameter are observed to reduce, while the measured spacing-to-diameter ratio of the nanoparticles tends to present an increasing tendency. A physical scenario is proposed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms: as the infrared femtosecond laser pulse pre-irradiates the target, the copper surface is triggered to display anomalous transient physical properties, on which the subsequently incident Gaussian blue laser pulse is spatially modulated into fringe-like energy depositions via the excitation of ultrafast surface plasmon. During the following relaxation processes, the periodically heated thin-layer regions can be transferred into the metastable liquid rivulets and then they break up into nanodroplet arrays owing to the modified Rayleigh-like instability. This investigation indicates a simple integrated approach for active designing and large-scale assembly of complexed functional nanostructures on bulk materials.

Excitation and deexcitation of the Si-H stretching mode in a Si:H with picosecond free electron laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Z.; Fauchet, M.; Rella, C.W.

1995-01-01

Hydrogen in amorphous and crystalline silicon has been the topic of intense theoretical and experimental investigations for more than one decade. To better understand how the Si-H bonds interact with the Si matrix and how they can be broken, it would be useful to excite selectively these bonds and monitor the energy flow from the Si-H bonds into the bulk Si modes. One attractive way of exciting the Si-H modes selectively is with an infrared laser tuned to a Si-H vibrational mode. Unfortunately, up to now, this type of experiment had not been possible because of the lack of a laser producing intense, ultrashort pulses that are tunable in the mid infrared. In this presentation, we report the first measurement where a 1 picosecond long laser pulse was used to excite the Si-H stretching modes near 2000 cm -1 and another identical laser pulse was used to measure the deexcitation from that specific vibrational mode. The laser was the Stanford free electron laser generating ∼1 ps-long pulses, tunable in the 5 μm region and focussed to an intensity of ∼1 GW/cm 2 . The pump-probe measurements were performed in transmission at room temperature on several 2 μm thick a-Si:H films deposited on c-Si. Samples with predominant Si-H 1 modes, predominant Si-H n>1 modes and with a mixture of modes were prepared. The laser was tuned on resonance with either of these modes. Immediately after excitation, we observe a bleaching of the infrared absorption, which can be attributed to excitation of the Si-H mode. Beaching is expected since, as a result of anharmonicity, the detuning between the (E 3 - E 2 ) resonance and the (E 2 - E 1 ) resonance is larger than the laser bandwidth. Note that despite the anharmonicity, it should be possible to climb the vibrational ladder due to power broadening

Interplay between up-regulation of cytochrome-c-oxidase and hemoglobin oxygenation induced by near-infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinlong; Tian, Fenghua; Soni, Sagar S.; Gonzalez-Lima, F.; Liu, Hanli

2016-08-01

Photobiomodulation, also known as low-level laser/light therapy (LLLT), refers to the use of red-to-near-infrared light to stimulate cellular functions for physiological or clinical benefits. The mechanism of LLLT is assumed to rely on photon absorption by cytochrome c oxidase (CCO), the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain that catalyzes the reduction of oxygen for energy metabolism. In this study, we used broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure the LLLT-induced changes in CCO and hemoglobin concentrations in human forearms in vivo. Eleven healthy participants were administered with 1064-nm laser and placebo treatments on their right forearms. The spectroscopic data were analyzed and fitted with wavelength-dependent, modified Beer-Lambert Law. We found that LLLT induced significant increases of CCO concentration (Δ[CCO]) and oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (Δ[HbO]) on the treated site as the laser energy dose accumulated over time. A strong linear interplay between Δ[CCO] and Δ[HbO] was observed for the first time during LLLT, indicating a hemodynamic response of oxygen supply and blood volume closely coupled to the up-regulation of CCO induced by photobiomodulation. These results demonstrate the tremendous potential of broadband NIRS as a non-invasive, in vivo means to study mechanisms of photobiomodulation and perform treatment evaluations of LLLT.

Black phosphorus saturable absorber for a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Er:CaF2 mid-infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chun; Liu, Jie; Guo, Zhinan; Zhang, Han; Ma, Weiwei; Wang, Jingya; Xu, Xiaodong; Su, Liangbi

2018-01-01

A multilayer black phosphorus, as a novel two dimensional saturable absorber, has superb saturable absorption properties for a Er:CaF2 solid-state pulse laser. The pulse laser is realized at mid-infrared region with the passively Q-switched technology by a diode-pumping. The high-quality black phosphorus saturable absorber is fabricated by liquid phase exfoliation method. The pulse laser generates the pulses operation with the pulse duration of 954.8 ns, the repetition rate of 41.93 kHz, the pulse energy of 4.25 μJ and the peak power of 4.45 W. Our work demonstrates that black phosphorus could be used as a kind of efficient mid-infrared region optical absorber for ultrafast photonics.

In vivo comparison of near infrared lasers for skin welding.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabakoğlu, Haşim Ozgür; Gülsoy, Murat

2010-05-01

The skin closure abilities of near infrared lasers and suturing were compared by histological examination and mechanical tensile tests during a 21-day healing period. One-centimeter incisions on the dorsal skin of Wistar rats were treated by one of the closing techniques: (a) soldering, using an 809 nm diode laser (0.5 W, 5 s) with 25% bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 2.5 mg/ml indocyanine green (ICG); (b) direct welding with a 980 nm diode laser (0.5 W, 5 s); (c) direct welding with a 1,070 nm fiber laser (0.5 W, 5 s); (d) suturing. Six spots (79.61 J/cm(2) for each spot) were applied through the incisions. Healing was inspected on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 14th, and 21st post-operative days. The closure index (CI), thermally altered area (TAA), granulation area (GA) and epidermal thickness (ET) were determined by histological examination. Tensile tests were performed at a 5 mm/min crosshead speed up to the first opening along the incision. Immediate superficial closure with high CI values was found for the laser-irradiated incisions at the early phase of recovery. Clear welds without thermal damage were observed for the group irradiated at 1,070 nm. For the sutured group, the incisions remained unclosed for the first day, and openings through the incision were observed. At the end of the 21-day recovery period, no differences between experimental groups were observed in terms of the CI, GA and ET values. However, the tensile strength of the groups irradiated at 980 nm and 1,070 nm was found to be higher than that of the sutured incisions. The laser welding techniques were found to be reliable in terms of immediate and mechanically strong closure compared with suturing. Of them, 1,070 nm laser welding yielded noticeably stronger bonds, with minimal scarring at the end of the 21-days of recovery.

Efficient, High-Power Mid-Infrared Laser for National Securityand Scientific Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiani, Leily S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-11-02

The LLNL fiber laser group developed a unique short-wave-infrared, high-pulse energy, highaverage- power fiber based laser. This unique laser source has been used in combination with a nonlinear frequency converter to generate wavelengths, useful for remote sensing and other applications in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR). Sources with high average power and high efficiency in this MWIR wavelength region are not yet available with the size, weight, and power requirements or energy efficiency necessary for future deployment. The LLNL developed Fiber Laser Pulsed Source (FiLPS) design was adapted to Erbium doped silica fibers for 1.55 μm pumping of Cadmium Silicon Phosphide (CSP). We have demonstrated, for the first time optical parametric amplification of 2.4 μm light via difference frequency generation using CSP with an Erbium doped fiber source. In addition, for efficiency comparison purposes, we also demonstrated direct optical parametric generation (OPG) as well as optical parametric oscillation (OPO).

Analysis of albumin Raman scattering in visible and near-infrared ranges

Science.gov (United States)

Lykina, Anastasia A.; Artemyev, Dmitry N.

2018-04-01

In this work the analysis of the shape and intensity of albumin Raman signals in visible and near-IR ranges was carried out. The experimental setup using lasers from the visible region first of all excites the fluorescence of the albumin solution, the main contribution to which is produced by sodium chloride, which is a component of the tested sample. At the same time, lasers from the near-infrared range excited the Raman signal of albumin most effectively. It was found that the highest ratio of Raman scattering to autofluorescence intensities in the detected signal was obtained using a laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. To determine the albumin solution concentration by type of spectrum, a regression approach with the projection to latent structures method was applied. The lowest predicted error of albumin concentration of 2-3 g/l was obtained by using the near-infrared range lasers.

SHIVA laser: nearing completion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaze, J.A.; Godwin, R.O.

1977-01-01

Construction of the Shiva laser system is nearing completion. This laser will be operating in fall 1977 and will produce over 20 terawatts of focusable power in a subnanosecond pulse. Fusion experiments will begin early in 1978. It is anticipated that thermonuclear energy release equal to one percent that of the incident light energy will be achieved with sub-millimeter deuterium-tritium targets. From other experiments densities in excess of a thousand times that of liquid are also expected

Coherent infrared radiation from the ALS generated via femtosecond laser modulation of the electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrd, J.M.; Hao, Z.; Martin, M.C.; Robin, D.S.; Sannibale, F.; Schoenlein, R.W.; Venturini, M.; Zholents, A.A.; Zolotorev, M.S.

2004-01-01

Interaction of an electron beam with a femtosecond laser pulse co-propagating through a wiggler at the ALS produces large modulation of the electron energies within a short ∼100 fs slice of the electron bunch. Propagating around the storage ring, this bunch develops a longitudinal density perturbation due to the dispersion of electron trajectories. The length of the perturbation evolves with a distance from the wiggler but is much shorter than the electron bunch length. This perturbation causes the electron bunch to emit short pulses of temporally and spatially coherent infrared light which are automatically synchronized to the modulating laser. The intensity and spectra of the infrared light were measured in two storage ring locations for a nominal ALS lattice and for an experimental lattice with the higher momentum compaction factor. The onset of instability stimulated by laser e-beam interaction had been discovered. The infrared signal is now routinely used as a sensitive monitor for a fine tuning of the laser beam alignment during data accumulation in the experiments with femtosecond x-ray pulses

Towards shorter wavelength x-ray lasers using a high power, short pulse pump laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tighe, W.; Krushelnick, K.; Valeo, E.; Suckewer, S.

1991-05-01

A near-terawatt, KrF* laser system, focussable to power densities >10 18 W/cm 2 has been constructed for use as a pump laser in various schemes aimed at the development of x-ray lasing below 5nm. The laser system along with output characteristics such as the pulse duration, the focal spot size, and the percentage of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) emitted along with the laser pulse will be presented. Schemes intended to lead to shorter wavelength x-ray emission will be described. The resultant requirements on the pump laser characteristics and the target design will be outlined. Results from recent solid target experiments and two-laser experiments, showing the interaction of a high-power, short pulse laser with a preformed plasma, will be presented. 13 refs., 5 figs

Attosecond time-energy structure of X-ray free-electron laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, N.; Hartmann, G.; Heider, R.; Wagner, M. S.; Ilchen, M.; Buck, J.; Lindahl, A. O.; Benko, C.; Grünert, J.; Krzywinski, J.; Liu, J.; Lutman, A. A.; Marinelli, A.; Maxwell, T.; Miahnahri, A. A.; Moeller, S. P.; Planas, M.; Robinson, J.; Kazansky, A. K.; Kabachnik, N. M.; Viefhaus, J.; Feurer, T.; Kienberger, R.; Coffee, R. N.; Helml, W.

2018-04-01

The time-energy information of ultrashort X-ray free-electron laser pulses generated by the Linac Coherent Light Source is measured with attosecond resolution via angular streaking of neon 1s photoelectrons. The X-ray pulses promote electrons from the neon core level into an ionization continuum, where they are dressed with the electric field of a circularly polarized infrared laser. This induces characteristic modulations of the resulting photoelectron energy and angular distribution. From these modulations we recover the single-shot attosecond intensity structure and chirp of arbitrary X-ray pulses based on self-amplified spontaneous emission, which have eluded direct measurement so far. We characterize individual attosecond pulses, including their instantaneous frequency, and identify double pulses with well-defined delays and spectral properties, thus paving the way for X-ray pump/X-ray probe attosecond free-electron laser science.

High quality superconducting titanium nitride thin film growth using infrared pulsed laser deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Torgovkin, A.; Chaudhuri, S.; Ruhtinas, A.; Lahtinen, M.; Sajavaara, T.; Maasilta, I. J.

2018-05-01

Superconducting titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were deposited on magnesium oxide, sapphire and silicon nitride substrates at 700 °C, using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, where infrared (1064 nm) pulses from a solid-state laser were used for the ablation from a titanium target in a nitrogen atmosphere. Structural studies performed with x-ray diffraction showed the best epitaxial crystallinity for films deposited on MgO. In the best films, superconducting transition temperatures, T C, as high as 4.8 K were observed, higher than in most previous superconducting TiN thin films deposited with reactive sputtering. A room temperature resistivity down to ∼17 μΩ cm and residual resistivity ratio up to 3 were observed in the best films, approaching reported single crystal film values, demonstrating that PLD is a good alternative to reactive sputtering for superconducting TiN film deposition. For less than ideal samples, the suppression of the film properties were correlated mostly with the unintended incorporation of oxygen (5–10 at%) in the film, and for high oxygen content films, vacuum annealing was also shown to increase the T C. On the other hand, superconducting properties were surprisingly insensitive to the nitrogen content, with high quality films achieved even in the highly nitrogen rich, Ti:N = 40/60 limit. Measures to limit oxygen exposure during deposition must be taken to guarantee the best superconducting film properties, a fact that needs to be taken into account with other deposition methods, as well.

High-energy-throughput pulse compression by off-axis group-delay compensation in a laser-induced filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voronin, A. A.; Alisauskas, S.; Muecke, O. D.; Pugzlys, A.; Baltuska, A.; Zheltikov, A. M.

2011-01-01

Off-axial beam dynamics of ultrashort laser pulses in a filament enable a radical energy-throughput improvement for filamentation-assisted pulse compression. We identify regimes where a weakly diverging wave, produced on the trailing edge of the pulse, catches up with a strongly diverging component, arising in the central part of the pulse, allowing sub-100-fs millijoule infrared laser pulses to be compressed to 20-25-fs pulse widths with energy throughputs in excess of 70%. Theoretical predictions have been verified by experimental results on filamentation-assisted compression of 70-fs, 1.5-μm laser pulses in high-pressure argon.

Mid-infrared pulsed laser ultrasonic testing for carbon fiber reinforced plastics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusano, Masahiro; Hatano, Hideki; Watanabe, Makoto; Takekawa, Shunji; Yamawaki, Hisashi; Oguchi, Kanae; Enoki, Manabu

2018-03-01

Laser ultrasonic testing (LUT) can realize contactless and instantaneous non-destructive testing, but its signal-to-noise ratio must be improved in order to measure carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). We have developed a mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser source optimal for generating ultrasonic waves in CFRPs by using a wavelength conversion device based on an optical parametric oscillator. This paper reports a comparison of the ultrasonic generation behavior between the mid-IR laser and the Nd:YAG laser. The mid-IR laser generated a significantly larger ultrasonic amplitude in CFRP laminates than a conventional Nd:YAG laser. In addition, our study revealed that the surface epoxy matrix of CFRPs plays an important role in laser ultrasonic generation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laser ablation of lysozyme with UV, visible and infrared femto- and nanosecond pulses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Jørgen; Canulescu, Stela; Matei, Andreea

Lysozyme is an interesting molecule for laser ablation of organic materials, because the ablation has been comprehensively studied, it is a medium heavy molecule with a mass of 14305 Da, which can be detected by standard techniques, and because it is used as a bactericidal protein in the food...... industry. Lysozyme molecules do not absorb energy for wavelengths above 310 nm, but nevertheless there is a strong mass loss by ablation for laser irradiation in the visible regime. The total ablation yield of lysozyme at 355 nm and at 2 J/cm2 is about 155 µg/pulse, possibly one of the highest ablation...... the ablation process for different wavelengths and time duration. Measurements for 6-7-ns laser ablation were carried out at DTU on Risø Campus, while measurements with pulses of 300 fs were carried out at the University of Naples in a similar setup. For all wavelengths except at nanosecond laser pulses at 355...

Generating Efficient Femtosecond Mid-infrared Pulse by Single Near-infrared Pump Wavelength in Bulk Nonlinear Crystal Without Phase-matching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Binbin; Guo, Hairun; Bache, Morten

2014-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate efficient mid-infrared pulse generation by dispersive wave radiation in bulk lithium niobate crystal. Femtosecond mid-IR pulses centering from 2.8-2.92 μm are generated using the single pump wavelengths from 1.25-1.45 μm. © 2014 Optical Society of America...

Infrared laser spectroscopic trace gas sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Sigrist, Markus

2016-04-01

Chemical sensing and analyses of gas samples by laser spectroscopic methods are attractive owing to several advantages such as high sensitivity and specificity, large dynamic range, multi-component capability, and lack of pretreatment or preconcentration procedures. The preferred wavelength range comprises the fundamental molecular absorption range in the mid-infared between 3 and 15 μm, whereas the near-infrared range covers the (10-100 times weaker) higher harmonics and combination bands. The availability of near-infrared and, particularly, of broadly tunable mid-infrared sources like external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs), interband cascade lasers (ICLs), difference frequency generation (DFG), optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), recent developments of diode-pumped lead salt semiconductor lasers, of supercontinuum sources or of frequency combs have eased the implementation of laser-based sensing devices. Sensitive techniques for molecular absorption measurements include multipass absorption, various configurations of cavity-enhanced techniques such as cavity ringdown (CRD), or of photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) including quartz-enhanced (QEPAS) or cantilever-enhanced (CEPAS) techniques. The application requirements finally determine the optimum selection of laser source and detection scheme. In this tutorial talk I shall discuss the basic principles, present various experimental setups and illustrate the performance of selected systems for chemical sensing of selected key atmospheric species. Applications include an early example of continuous vehicle emission measurements with a mobile CO2-laser PAS system [1]. The fast analysis of C1-C4 alkanes at sub-ppm concentrations in gas mixtures is of great interest for the petrochemical industry and was recently achieved with a new type of mid-infrared diode-pumped piezoelectrically tuned lead salt vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) [2]. Another example concerns measurements on short

Influence of dispersion stretching of ultrashort UV laser pulse on the critical power for self-focusing

Science.gov (United States)

Ionin, A. A.; Mokrousova, D. V.; Piterimov, D. A.; Seleznev, L. V.; Sinitsyn, D. V.; Sunchugasheva, E. S.

2018-04-01

The critical power for self-focusing in air for ultrashort ultraviolet laser pulses, stretched due to dispersion from 90 to 730 fs, was experimentally measured. It was shown that the pulse duration enhancement due to its propagation in condensed media leads to an almost linear decrease in the critical power for self-focusing. It was also observed that when the pulse peak power exceeds the critical one, the maximum of linear plasma distribution along the ultraviolet laser filament does not shift in the direction opposite to the laser pulse propagation, as observed for infrared laser filaments, but remains at the geometrical focus.

Spot fat reduction by red and near infrared LED phototherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Sungkyoo; Park, Eal-Whan

2018-02-01

Low level light therapy (LLLT) using light from red and near infrared LEDs or Lasers have been reported effective as noninvasive methods for reducing spot fat. A total of 55 subjects were randomly divided into test groups and control groups for abdominal fat reduction clinical trial using red and near infrared LED phototherapy devices. Red and near infrared light with irradiance of 10 mW/cm2 were irradiated over the abdominal area to the test group for 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Control group used sham devices for 30 minutes and followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. It is expected that red and near infrared LED phototherapy combined with aerobic exercise would be effective and safe for abdominal fat reduction without any side effects.

Objective assessment of skin rejuvenation using near-infrared 1064-nm neodymium: YAG laser in Asians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanaka Y

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Yohei Tanaka1,2, Kiyoshi Matsuo1, Shunsuke Yuzuriha11Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan; 2Clinica Tanaka Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Anti-aging Center, Matsumoto, JapanBackground: We reported previously that near-infrared (NIR irradiation provides long-lasting stimulation of elastin, and is efficient for skin rejuvenation. Many studies have indicated the efficacy of various types of laser, but did not include sufficiently objective evaluation. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of NIR laser treatment not only subjectively but also objectively.Methods: Fifty Japanese patients were treated with a NIR 1064-nm neodymium: YAG laser. Objective computer assessments were performed by Canfield VISIA Complexion Analysis for improvement of dilated pores, skin texture, and wrinkles. The volunteers then provided subjective assessments. Histological evaluations of elastin were performed by Victoria blue staining up to 90 days post-treatment in four Japanese volunteers.Results: Mean pretreatment percentiles of dilated pores, skin texture, and wrinkles were 51.08 ± 24.82, 54.7 ± 26.33, and 58.02 ± 28.61, respectively. Mean post-treatment percentiles of dilated pores, skin texture, and wrinkles were 53.58 ± 23.89, 58.58 ± 24.44, and 62.2 ± 25.39, respectively. All objective computer assessments evaluated by percentiles in dilated pores, skin texture, and wrinkles showed significant improvement after NIR laser treatment. Ninety-six percent, 100%, and 98% of volunteers reported satisfaction with the improvement of dilated pores, skin texture, and wrinkles, respectively. NIR laser treatment appeared to increase the amount of elastin at day 30, which then decreased slightly but was still elevated at day 90 compared with nonirradiated controls on day 0. Thickening of the epidermis was detected on day 30, and epidermal smoothness persisted for up to 90 days. No treatment

Quantum cascade lasers, systems, and applications in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Lambrecht, Armin

2005-03-01

Since the invention of the Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) a decade ago an impressive progress has been achieved from first low temperature pulsed laser emission to continuous wave operation at room temperature. Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers working in pulsed mode at ambient temperatures and covering a broad spectral range in the mid infrared (MIR) are commercially available now. For many industrial applications e.g. automotive exhaust control and process monitoring, laser spectroscopy is an established technique, generally using near infrared (NIR) diode lasers. However, the mid infrared (MIR) spectral region is of special interest because of much stronger absorption lines compared to NIR. The status of QCL devices, system development and applications is reviewed. Special emphasis is given to the situation in Europe where a remarkable growth of QCL related R&D can be observed.

Infrared presensitization photography at deuterium fluoride laser wavelengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geary, J.M.; Ross, K.; Suter, K.

1989-01-01

Near-field irradiance distributions of a deuterium flouride laser system are obtained using infrared presensitization photography. This represents the shortest wavelength region to employ this technique thus far

Effect of laser pulse energies in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in double-pulse configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedetti, P.A.; Cristoforetti, G.; Legnaioli, S.; Palleschi, V.; Pardini, L.; Salvetti, A.; Tognoni, E.

2005-01-01

In this paper, the effect of laser pulse energy on double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal is studied. In particular, the energy of the first pulse has been changed, while the second pulse energy is held fixed. A systematic study of the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal dependence on the interpulse delay is performed, and the results are compared with the ones obtained with a single laser pulse of energy corresponding to the sum of the two pulses. At the same time, the crater formed at the target surface is studied by video-confocal microscopy, and the variation in crater dimensions is correlated to the enhancement of the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal. The results obtained are consistent with the interpretation of the double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal enhancement in terms of the changes in ambient gas pressure produced by the shock wave induced by the first laser pulse

Ionization of a multilevel atom by ultrashort laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreev, A. V.; Stremoukhov, S. Yu.; Shutova, O. A.

2010-01-01

Specific features of ionization of single atoms by laser fields of a near-atomic strength are investigated. Calculations are performed for silver atoms interacting with femtosecond laser pulses with wavelengths λ = 800 nm (Ti:Sapphire) and λ = 1.064 μm (Nd:YAG). The dependences of the probability of ionization and of the form of the photoelectron energy spectra on the field of laser pulses for various values of their duration are considered. It is shown that the behavior of the probability of ionization in the range of subatomic laser pulse fields is in good agreement with the Keldysh formula. However, when the field strength attains values close to the atomic field strength, the discrepancies in these dependences manifested in a decrease in the ionization rate (ionization stabilization effect) or in its increase (accelerated ionization) are observed. These discrepancies are associated with the dependence of the population dynamics of excited discrete energy levels of the atom on the laser pulse field amplitude.

Dependence of Parameters of Laser-Produced Au Plasmas on the Incident Laser Energy of Sub-Nanosecond and Picosecond Laser Pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woryna, E.; Badziak, J.; Makowski, J.; Parys, P.; Vankov, A.B.; Wolowski, J.; Krasa, J.; Laska, L.; Rohlena, K.

2001-01-01

The parameters of Au plasma as functions of laser energy for ps pulses are presented and compared with the ones for sub-ns pulses at nearly the same densities of laser energy. The experiments were performed at the IPPLM with the use of CPA (chirped pulse amplification) Nd:glass laser system. Thick Au foil targets were irradiated by normally incident focused laser beams with maximum intensities of 8x10 16 and 2x10 14 W/cm 2 for ps and sub-ns laser pulses, respectively. The characteristics of ion streams were investigated with the use of ion diagnostics methods based on the time-of flight technique. In these experiments the laser energies were changed in the range from 90 to 700 mJ and the measurements were performed at a given focus position FP = 0 and along the target normal for both the laser pulses. The charge carried by the ions, the maximum ion velocities of fast and thermal ion groups, the maximum ion current density as well as the area of photopeak in dependence on the incident laser energy for sub-ns and ps pulses were investigated and discussed. (author)

[The influence of pulsed low-intensity laser radiation of the red (635 nm) and infrared (904 nm) spectra on the human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro].

Science.gov (United States)

Moskvin, S V; Kliuchnikov, D Iu; Antipov, E V; Volchkov, S E; Kiseleva, O N

2014-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have for a long time been an object of investigation with a view to elucidating the prospects for their application in clinical medicine and cosmetology. One of the approaches to the non-specific regulation of the activity of these cells at the stage of preliminary in vitro combination is the treatment with low-intensity laser radiation (LILR). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the possibility of using pulsed LILR of the infrared and red spectra for this purpose. We used the 4th passage adhesive MSC cultures based at the umbilical tissue of a donor who gave the informed consent to participate in the study. The source of illumination was a Lazmik-VLOK laser therapeutic apparatus (RU No RZN 2014/1410 dated 06.02.2014) with the matrix laser infrared radiation heads (wavelength 904 nm, light pulse length 108 ns, frequency 1500 Hz). The apparatus was operated either in the multi-frequency Lazmik regime [Moskvin S.V., 2014] with mean power density 0.05 and 0.14 mW/cm2 and the red spectrum (wavelength 635 nm, light pulse length 144 ns, frequency 1500 Hz) or in the multi-frequency Lazmik regime [Moskvin S.V., 2014] with mean power density 0.03 and 0.12. The exposition was 5 min in both regimes. The study has demonstrated that neither the morphological structure nor the viability of mesenchymal stem cells changed under the influence of energy and time parameters used in experiments. The number of cells was shown to slightly increase in comparison with control. The most pronounced effect was documented after illumination with pulse infrared (904 nm) LILR in the multi-frequency Lazmik regime. The maximum effect was observed during a period between days 1 and 3 of cultivation.

Near-field mapping by laser ablation of PMMA coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fiutowski, J.; Maibohm, C.; Kostiucenko, O.

2011-01-01

The optical near-field of lithography-defined gold nanostructures, arranged into regular arrays on a gold film, is characterized via ablation of a polymer coating by laser illumination. The method utilizes femto-second laser pulses from a laser scanning microscope which induces electrical field...... that the different stages in the ablation process can be controlled and characterized making the technique suitable for characterizing optical near-fields of metal nanostructures....

A ns-Pulse Laser Microthruster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phipps, Claude R.; Luke, James R.; Helgeson, Wesley; Johnson, Richard

2006-01-01

We have developed a prototype device which demonstrates the feasibility of using ns-duration laser pulses in a laser microthruster. Relative to the ms-duration thrusters which we have demonstrated in the past, this change offers the use of any target material, the use of reflection-mode target illumination, and adjustable specific impulse. Specific impulse is adjusted by varying laser intensity on target. In this way, we were able to vary specific impulse from 200s to 3,200s on gold. We used a Concepts Research, Inc. microchip laser with 170mW average optical power, 8kHz repetition rate and 20μJ pulse energy for many of the measurements. Thrust was in the 100nN - 1μN range for all the work, requiring development of an extremely sensitive, low-noise thrust stand. We will discuss the design of metallic fuel delivery systems. Ablation efficiency near 100% was observed. Results obtained on metallic fuel systems agreed with simulations. We also report time-of-flight measurements on ejected metal ions, which gave velocities up to 80km/s

High power atomic iodine photodissociation lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, R.E.; Padrick, T.D.; Jones, E.D.

1976-01-01

The atomic iodine photodissociation laser has developed into a system capable of producing nanosecond or shorter pulses of near infrared radiation with energies well in excess of a hundred J. Discussed are the operating characteristics, advantages, and potential problem areas associated with this laser

Infrared characterization of environmental samples by pulsed photothermal spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seidel, W.; Foerstendorf, H.; Heise, K.H.; Nicolai, R.; Schamlott, A.; Ortega, J.M.; Glotin, F.; Prazeres, R.

2004-01-01

Low concentration of toxic radioactive metals in environmental samples often limits the interpretation of results of infrared studies investigating the interaction processes between the metal ions and environmental compartments. For the first time, we could show that photothermal infrared spectroscopy performed with a pulsed free electron laser can provide reliable infrared spectra throughout a distinct spectral range of interest. In this model investigation, we provide vibrational absorption spectra of a rare earth metal salt dissolved in a KBr matrix and a natural calcite sample obtained by photothermal beam deflection (PTBD) technique and FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy, respectively. General agreement was found between all spectra of the different recording techniques. Spectral deviations were observed with samples containing low concentration of the rare earth metal salt indicating a lower detection limit of the photothermal method as compared to conventional FT-IR spectroscopy. (authors)

Influence of repetitive pulsed laser irradiation on the surface characteristics of an aluminum alloy in the melting regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sung Ho; Jhang, Kyung Young

2015-01-01

We have investigated the influence of repetitive near-infrared (NIR) pulsed laser shots in the melting regime on the surface characteristics of an aluminum 6061-T6 alloy. Characteristics of interest include surface morphology, surface roughness, and surface hardness in the melted zone as well as the size of the melted zone. For this study, the proper pulse energy for inducing surface melting at one shot is selected using numerical simulations that calculate the variation in temperature at the laser beam spot for various input pulse energies in order to find the proper pulse energy for raising the temperature to the melting point. In this study, 130 mJ was selected as the input energy for a Nd:YAG laser pulse with a duration of 5 ns. The size of the melted zone measured using optical microscopy (OM) increased logarithmically with an increasing shot number. The surface morphology observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) clearly showed a re-solidified microstructure evolution after surface melting. The surface roughness and hardness were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-indentation, respectively. The surface roughness showed almost no variation due to the surface texturing after laser shots over 10. The hardness inside the melted zone was lower than that outside the zone because the β'' phase was transformed to a β phase or dissolved into a matrix.

Measurement of x-ray emission and thermal transport in near-solid-density plasmas heated by 130 fs laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, B.K.; Wilson, B.G.; Price, D.F.; Stewart, R.E.

1998-01-01

Near-solid-density plasmas with peak temperatures of 370±50 eV have been generated using a high-contrast (∼10 -7 ), 400 nm, 130 fs laser pulse of intensity 3x10 17 Wcm -2 at the Ultrashort Pulse Laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The x-ray-emission spectra from thin tracer layers of germanium, tamped by layers of plastic, were measured as a function of target depth. The results qualitatively agree with calculations based on detailed local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and modified non-LTE spectroscopic opacity models using plasma conditions determined using LASNEX hydrodynamic simulations. No evidence of thermal flux inhibition into the bulk target material was observed. The experiments and detailed simulations are presented. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

Intense isolated attosecond pulse generation from relativistic laser plasmas using few-cycle laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Guangjin; Dallari, William; Borot, Antonin; Tsakiris, George D.; Veisz, Laszlo; Krausz, Ferenc; Yu, Wei

2015-01-01

We have performed a systematic study through particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the generation of attosecond pulse from relativistic laser plasmas when laser pulse duration approaches the few-cycle regime. A significant enhancement of attosecond pulse energy has been found to depend on laser pulse duration, carrier envelope phase, and plasma scale length. Based on the results obtained in this work, the potential of attaining isolated attosecond pulses with ∼100 μJ energy for photons >16 eV using state-of-the-art laser technology appears to be within reach

Tracing the plasma interactions for pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jikun; Stender, Dieter; Pichler, Markus; Döbeli, Max; Pergolesi, Daniele; Schneider, Christof W.; Wokaun, Alexander; Lippert, Thomas

2015-10-01

Pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation is an effective technique to govern the chemical activity of plasma species and background molecules during pulsed laser deposition. Instead of using a constant background pressure, a gas pulse with a reactive gas, synchronized with the laser beam, is injected into vacuum or a low background pressure near the ablated area of the target. It intercepts the initially generated plasma plume, thereby enhancing the physicochemical interactions between the gaseous environment and the plasma species. For this study, kinetic energy resolved mass-spectrometry and time-resolved plasma imaging were used to study the physicochemical processes occurring during the reactive crossed beam laser ablation of a partially 18O substituted La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 target using oxygen as gas pulse. The characteristics of the ablated plasma are compared with those observed during pulsed laser deposition in different oxygen background pressures.

Theory and simulation of ultra-short pulse laser interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

More, R; Walling, R; Price, D; Guethlein, G; Stewart, R; Libby, S; Graziani, F; Levatin, J [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA (United States)

1998-03-01

This paper describes recent Livermore work aimed at building computational tools to describe ultra-short pulse laser plasmas. We discuss calculations of laser absorption, atomic data for high-charge ions, and a new idea for linear-response treatment of non-equilibrium phenomena near LTE. (author)

Light field driven streak-camera for single-shot measurements of the temporal profile of XUV-pulses from a free-electron laser; Lichtfeld getriebene Streak-Kamera zur Einzelschuss Zeitstrukturmessung der XUV-Pulse eines Freie-Elektronen Lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fruehling, Ulrike

2009-10-15

The Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) is a source for highly intense ultra short extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light pulses with pulse durations of a few femtoseconds. Due to the stochastic nature of the light generation scheme based on self amplified spontaneous emission (SASE), the duration and temporal profile of the XUV pulses fluctuate from shot to shot. In this thesis, a THz-field driven streak-camera capable of single pulse measurements of the XUV pulse-profile has been realized. In a first XUV-THz pump-probe experiment at FLASH, the XUV-pulses are overlapped in a gas target with synchronized THz-pulses generated by a new THz-undulator. The electromagnetic field of the THz light accelerates photoelectrons produced by the XUV-pulses with the resulting change of the photoelectron momenta depending on the phase of the THz field at the time of ionisation. This technique is intensively used in attosecond metrology where near infrared streaking fields are employed for the temporal characterisation of attosecond XUV-Pulses. Here, it is adapted for the analysis of pulse durations in the few femtosecond range by choosing a hundred times longer far infrared streaking wavelengths. Thus, the gap between conventional streak cameras with typical resolutions of hundreds of femtoseconds and techniques with attosecond resolution is filled. Using the THz-streak camera, the time dependent electric field of the THz-pulses was sampled in great detail while on the other hand the duration and even details of the time structure of the XUV-pulses were characterized. (orig.)

Infrared laser diagnostics for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutchinson, D.P.; Richards, R.K.; Ma, C.H.

1995-01-01

Two infrared laser-based diagnostics are under development at ORNL for measurements on burning plasmas such as ITER. The primary effort is the development of a CO 2 laser Thomson scattering diagnostic for the measurement of the velocity distribution of confined fusion-product alpha particles. Key components of the system include a high-power, single-mode CO 2 pulsed laser, an efficient optics system for beam transport and a multichannel low-noise infrared heterodyne receiver. A successful proof-of-principle experiment has been performed on the Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF) stellerator at ORNL utilizing scattering from electron plasma frequency satellites. The diagnostic system is currently being installed on Alcator C-Mod at MIT for measurements of the fast ion tail produced by ICRH heating. A second diagnostic under development at ORNL is an infrared polarimeter for Faraday rotation measurements in future fusion experiments. A preliminary feasibility study of a CO 2 laser tangential viewing polarimeter for measuring electron density profiles in ITER has been completed. For ITER plasma parameters and a polarimeter wavelength of 10.6 microm, a Faraday rotation of up to 26 degree is predicted. An electro-optic polarization modulation technique has been developed at ORNL. Laboratory tests of this polarimeter demonstrated a sensitivity of ≤ 0.01 degree. Because of the similarity in the expected Faraday rotation in ITER and Alcator C-Mod, a collaboration between ORNL and the MIT Plasma Fusion Center has been undertaken to test this polarimeter system on Alcator C-Mod. A 10.6 microm polarimeter for this measurement has been constructed and integrated into the existing C-Mod multichannel two-color interferometer. With present experimental parameters for C-Mod, the predicted Faraday rotation was on the order of 0.1 degree. Significant output signals were observed during preliminary tests. Further experiment and detailed analyses are under way

A thyratron-switched modular CO2 TEA laser for infrared photochemical studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, N.; Kelly, J.W.; Struve, H.

1982-09-01

A thyratron-switched, ultraviolet pre-ionised CO 2 TEA laser, consisting of four modules connected in series, has been designed and constructed. The laser can be operated in the TEM 00 mode and is able to produce 2.5 J per pulse. The design and operation of the laser as a tool for infrared studies is discussed together with an evaluation of the effect of operating parameters on output characteristics

Advances in near-infrared measurements

CERN Document Server

Patonay, Gabor

1991-01-01

Advances in Near-Infrared Measurements, Volume 1 provides an overview of near-infrared spectroscopy. The book is comprised of six chapters that tackle various areas of near-infrared measurement. Chapter 1 discusses remote monitoring techniques in near-infrared spectroscopy with an emphasis on fiber optics. Chapter 2 covers the applications of fibers using Raman techniques, and Chapter 3 tackles the difficulties associated with near-infrared data analysis. The subsequent chapters present examples of the capabilities of near-infrared spectroscopy from various research groups. The text wi

Effects of laser radiation parameters of the infrared multiphoton dissociation of protonated trichloroethylene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ungureanu, C.; Almasan, V.

1994-01-01

The favorable properties of the infrared multiphoton absorption and dissociation of trichloroethylene-H, (C 2 HCl 3 ), by TEA-CO 2 laser radiation and rapid isotopic exchange between this molecule and water, indicate that it can be a promising further candidate for the final enrichment of heavy water (> 98% D 2 O), by laser method. We present the results obtained in the isotopic selectivity of multiphoton absorption measurements and in the study of the pulse energy and frequency laser radiation influence on the infrared multiphoton dissociation of C 2 HCl 3 in isotopic mixture with C 2 DCl 3 . (Author)

Amorphization of silicon by femtosecond laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Jimmy; Li Ming; Thompson, Carl V.

2004-01-01

We have used femtosecond laser pulses to drill submicron holes in single crystal silicon films in silicon-on-insulator structures. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis of material adjacent to the ablated holes indicates the formation of a layer of amorphous Si. This demonstrates that even when material is ablated using femtosecond pulses near the single pulse ablation threshold, sufficient heating of the surrounding material occurs to create a molten zone which solidifies so rapidly that crystallization is bypassed

Effects of near infrared laser radiation associated with photoabsorbing cream in preventing white spot lesions around orthodontic brackets: an in vitro study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacerda, Ângela Sueli Soares Braga; Hanashiro, Fernando Seishim; de Sant'Anna, Giselle Rodrigues; Steagall Júnior, Washington; Barbosa, Patrícia Silva; de Souza-Zaroni, Wanessa Christine

2014-12-01

The present study aims to investigate the effect of a low-power infrared laser on the inhibition of bovine enamel demineralization around orthodontic brackets. Near infrared lasers have been suggested as alternative approaches because they may produce an increase in resistance to dental caries. Forty-eight blocks of enamel obtained from bovine incisor teeth were divided into six groups: Group 1 (control), without treatment; Group 2 (C), photoabsorbing cream; Group 3 (CF), photoabsorbing cream with fluoride; Group 4 (L), irradiation with low-level infrared laser (λ=830 nm) at an energy density of 4.47 J/cm2; Group 5 (L+C), photoabsorbing cream followed by low-level infrared laser irradiation; and Group 6 (L+CF), photoabsorbing cream with fluoride followed by low-level infrared laser irradiation. After these procedures, the enamel blocks received an assortment of orthodontic brackets and were then submitted to pH cycling to simulate a highly cariogenic challenge. The enamel surface demineralization around the orthodontic brackets, according to the different treatments, was quantified by fluorescence loss analysis by quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF). The fluorescence loss, expressed as ΔF (percentage of loss fluorescence), was statistically examined by analysis of variance and the Tukey test. The control group (-10.48±2.85) was statistically similar to Group C (-14.52±7.80), which presented the lowest values of ΔF when compared with Groups FC (-3.67±3.21), L (-2.79±1.68), CL (-1.05±0:50), and CFL (-0.60±0:43). However, Groups FC, L, CL, and CFL showed no statistically significant differences among them. It can be concluded that both the low-level infrared laser and photoabsorbing cream with fluoride were effective in inhibiting the development of caries in enamel around orthodontic brackets, even in situations of high cariogenic challenge.

Spectroscopic properties of a novel near-infrared tunable laser material Ni:MgGa2O4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Takenobu; Senthil Murugan, Ganapathy; Ohishi, Yasutake

2005-01-01

An intense emission band from Ni 2+ in MgGa 2 O 4 spinel in the range of 1.1-1.6μm was observed at room temperature. The emission band could be assigned to the downward d-d transition of T2g3->A2g3 of Ni 2+ ions in octahedral sites. The lifetime of the emission was more than 1.6ms from 5 to 300K. This material has potential as a near-infrared tunable-laser host

Simulation and measurement of short infrared pulses on silicon position sensitive device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krapohl, D; Esebamen, O X; Nilsson, H E; Thungstroem, G

2011-01-01

Lateral position sensitive devices (PSD) are important for triangulation, alignment and surface measurements as well as for angle measurements. Large PSDs show a delay on rising and falling edges when irradiated with near infra-red light. This delay is also dependent on the spot position relative to the electrodes. It is however desirable in most applications to have a fast response. We investigated the responsiveness of a Sitek PSD in a mixed mode simulation of a two dimensional full sized detector. For simulation and measurement purposes focused light pulses with a wavelength of 850 nm, duration of 1μs and spot size of 280μm were used. The cause for the slopes of rise and fall time is due to time constants of the device capacitance as well as the photo-generation mechanism itself. To support the simulated results, we conducted measurements of rise and fall times on a physical device. Additionally, we quantified the homogeneity of the device by repositioning a spot of light from a pulsed ir-laser diode on the surface area.

CO2 laser pulse switching by optically excited semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, V.L. da.

1986-01-01

The construction and the study of a semi-conductor optical switch used for generating short infrared pulses and to analyse the semiconductor characteristics, are presented. The switch response time depends on semiconductor and control laser characteristics. The results obtained using a Ge switch controlled by N 2 , NdYag and Dye lasers are presented. The response time was 50 ns limited by Ge recombination time. The reflectivity increased from 7% to 59% using N 2 laser to control the switch. A simple model for semiconductor optical properties that explain very well the experimental results, is also presented. (author) [pt

Tracing the plasma interactions for pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jikun; Stender, Dieter; Pichler, Markus; Pergolesi, Daniele; Schneider, Christof W.; Wokaun, Alexander; Lippert, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.lippert@psi.ch [General Energy Research Department, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Döbeli, Max [Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland)

2015-10-28

Pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation is an effective technique to govern the chemical activity of plasma species and background molecules during pulsed laser deposition. Instead of using a constant background pressure, a gas pulse with a reactive gas, synchronized with the laser beam, is injected into vacuum or a low background pressure near the ablated area of the target. It intercepts the initially generated plasma plume, thereby enhancing the physicochemical interactions between the gaseous environment and the plasma species. For this study, kinetic energy resolved mass-spectrometry and time-resolved plasma imaging were used to study the physicochemical processes occurring during the reactive crossed beam laser ablation of a partially {sup 18}O substituted La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}MnO{sub 3} target using oxygen as gas pulse. The characteristics of the ablated plasma are compared with those observed during pulsed laser deposition in different oxygen background pressures.

Bringing Pulsed Laser Welding into Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemmming Ove

1996-01-01

In this paper, some research and develop-ment activities within pulsed laser welding technology at the Tech-nical University of Denmark will be described. The laser group at the Insti-tute for Manufacturing Technology has nearly 20 years of experience in laser materials process-ing. Inter......-nationally the group is mostly known for its contri-butions to the development of the laser cutting process, but further it has been active within laser welding, both in assisting industry in bringing laser welding into production in several cases and in performing fundamental R & D. In this paper some research...... activities concerning the weldability of high alloyed austenitic stainless steels for mass production industry applying industrial lasers for fine welding will be described. Studies on hot cracking sensitivity of high alloyed austenitic stainless steel applying both ND-YAG-lasers and CO2-lasers has been...

Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena

CERN Document Server

Diels, Jean-Claude

2006-01-01

Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena, 2e serves as an introduction to the phenomena of ultra short laser pulses and describes how this technology can be used to examine problems in areas such as electromagnetism, optics, and quantum mechanics. Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena combines theoretical backgrounds and experimental techniques and will serve as a manual on designing and constructing femtosecond (""faster than electronics"") systems or experiments from scratch. Beyond the simple optical system, the various sources of ultrashort pulses are presented, again with emphasis on the basic

Near-IR imaging of thermal changes in enamel during laser ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Maung, Linn H.; Lee, Chulsung; Fried, Daniel

2010-02-01

The objective of this work was to observe the various thermal-induced optical changes that occur in the near-infrared (NIR) during drilling in dentin and enamel with the laser and the high-speed dental handpiece. Tooth sections of ~ 3 mm-thickness were prepared from extracted human incisors (N=60). Samples were ablated with a mechanically scanned CO2 laser operating at a wavelength of 9.3-μm, a 300-Hz laser pulse repetition rate, and a laser pulse duration of 10-20 μs. An InGaAs imaging camera was used to acquire real-time NIR images at 1300-nm of thermal and mechanical changes (cracks). Enamel was rapidly removed by the CO2 laser without peripheral thermal damage by mechanically scanning the laser beam while a water spray was used to cool the sample. Comparison of the peripheral thermal and mechanical changes produced while cutting with the laser and the high-speed hand-piece suggest that enamel and dentin can be removed at high speed by the CO2 laser without excessive peripheral thermal or mechanical damage. Only 2 of the 15 samples ablated with the laser showed the formation of small cracks while 9 out of 15 samples exhibited crack formation with the dental hand-piece. The first indication of thermal change is a decrease in transparency due to loss of the mobile water from pores in the enamel which increase lightscattering. To test the hypothesis that peripheral thermal changes were caused by loss of mobile water in the enamel, thermal changes were intentionally induced by heating the surface. The mean attenuation coefficient of enamel increased significantly from 2.12 +/- 0.82 to 5.08 +/- 0.98 with loss of mobile water due to heating.

Ultrashort pulse laser technology laser sources and applications

CERN Document Server

Schrempel, Frank; Dausinger, Friedrich

2016-01-01

Ultrashort laser pulses with durations in the femtosecond range up to a few picoseconds provide a unique method for precise materials processing or medical applications. Paired with the recent developments in ultrashort pulse lasers, this technology is finding its way into various application fields. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the principles and applications of ultrashort pulse lasers, especially applied to medicine and production technology. Recent advances in laser technology are discussed in detail. This covers the development of reliable and cheap low power laser sources as well as high average power ultrashort pulse lasers for large scale manufacturing. The fundamentals of laser-matter-interaction as well as processing strategies and the required system technology are discussed for these laser sources with respect to precise materials processing. Finally, different applications within medicine, measurement technology or materials processing are highlighted.

Guiding of laser pulses in plasma waveguides created by linearly-polarized femtosecond laser pulses

OpenAIRE

Lemos, N.; Cardoso, L.; Geada, J.; Figueira, G.; Albert, F.; Dias, J. M.

2018-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate that plasma waveguides produced with ultra-short laser pulses (sub-picosecond) in gas jets are capable of guiding high intensity laser pulses. This scheme has the unique ability of guiding a high-intensity laser pulse in a plasma waveguide created by the same laser system in the very simple and stable experimental setup. A hot plasma column was created by a femtosecond class laser that expands into an on-axis parabolic low density profile suitable to act as a wav...

Photobiomodulation with Pulsed and Continuous Wave Near-Infrared Laser (810 nm, Al-Ga-As Augments Dermal Wound Healing in Immunosuppressed Rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaurav K Keshri

Full Text Available Chronic non-healing cutaneous wounds are often vulnerable in one or more repair phases that prevent normal healing and pose challenges to the use of conventional wound care modalities. In immunosuppressed subject, the sequential stages of healing get hampered, which may be the consequences of dysregulated or stagnant wound inflammation. Photobiomodulation (PBM or low-level laser (light therapy (LLLT emerges as a promising drug-free, non-invasive biophysical approach for promoting wound healing, reduction of inflammation, pain and restoration of functions. The present study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the photobiomodulatory effects of 810 nm diode laser (40 mW/cm2; 22.6 J/cm2 with pulsed (10 and 100 Hz, 50% duty cycle and continuous wave on full-thickness excision-type dermal wound healing in hydrocortisone-induced immunosuppressed rats. Results clearly delineated that 810 nm PBM at 10 Hz was more effective over continuous and 100 Hz frequency in accelerating wound healing by attenuating the pro-inflammatory markers (NF-kB, TNF-α, augmenting wound contraction (α-SM actin, enhancing cellular proliferation, ECM deposition, neovascularization (HIF-1α, VEGF, re-epithelialization along with up-regulated protein expression of FGFR-1, Fibronectin, HSP-90 and TGF-β2 as compared to the non-irradiated controls. Additionally, 810 nm laser irradiation significantly increased CCO activity and cellular ATP contents. Overall, the findings from this study might broaden the current biological mechanism that could be responsible for photobiomodulatory effect mediated through pulsed NIR 810 nm laser (10 Hz for promoting dermal wound healing in immunosuppressed subjects.

Control of ion beam generation in intense short pulse laser target interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagashima, T.; Izumiyama, T.; Barada, D.; Kawata, S.; Gu, Y.J.; Wang, W.M.; Ma, Y.Y.; Kong, Q.

2013-01-01

In intense laser plasma interaction, several issues still remain to be solved for future laser particle acceleration. In this paper we focus on a control of generation of high-energy ions. In this study, near-critical density plasmas are employed and are illuminated by high intensity short laser pulses; we have successfully generated high-energy ions, and also controlled ion energy and the ion energy spectrum by multiple-stages acceleration. We performed particle-in-cell simulations in this paper. The first near-critical plasma target is illuminated by a laser pulse, and the ions accelerated are transferred to the next target. The next identical target is also illuminated by another identical large pulse, and the ion beam introduced is further accelerated and controlled. In this study four stages are employed, and finally a few hundreds of MeV of protons are realized. A quasi-monoenergetic energy spectrum is also obtained. (author)

2 and 3 µm passively Q-switched bulk pulse laser based on a MoS2/graphene heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xihu; Xu, Jinlong; Sun, Yijian; Feng, Wendou; You, Zhenyu; Sun, Dunlu; Tu, Chaoyang

2018-01-01

We report for the first time that a MoS2/graphene heterojunction can behave as a saturable absorber to realize 2 and 3 µm passively Q-switched bulk lasers. This heterojunction is prepared through a facile hydrothermal method. For the 2 µm laser, a stable pulse is obtained with a pulse duration of 473 ns, output power of 553 mW, pulse energy of 5.267 µJ and repetition rate of 105 kHz. For the 3 µm laser, a pulse duration of 355 ns is observed with an average output power of 112 mW and pulse energy of 0.889 µJ. These results indicate the great potential of MoS2/graphene heterojunctions for realizing mid-infrared pulse lasers.

Broadband pulsed difference frequency generation laser source centered 3326 nm based on ring fiber lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Guangwei; Li, Wenlei

2018-03-01

A broadband pulsed mid-infrared difference frequency generation (DFG) laser source based on MgO-doped congruent LiNbO3 bulk is experimentally demonstrated, which employs a homemade pulsed ytterbium-doped ring fiber laser and a continuous wave erbium-doped ring fiber laser to act as seed sources. The experimental results indicate that the perfect phase match crystal temperature is about 74.5∘C. The maximum spectrum bandwidth of idler is about 60 nm with suitable polarization states of fundamental lights. The central wavelength of idlers varies from 3293 nm to 3333 nm over the crystal temperature ranges of 70.4-76∘C. A jump of central wavelength exists around crystal temperature of 72∘C with variation of about 30 nm. The conversion efficiency of DFG can be tuned with the crystal temperature and polarization states of fundamental lights.

Measurement of the C2H2 destruction kinetics by infrared laser absorption spectroscopy in a pulsed low pressure dc discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rousseau, A; Guaitella, O; Gatilova, L; Hannemann, M; Roepcke, J

2007-01-01

The kinetics of destruction of C 2 H 2 is investigated in a low pressure pulsed dc discharge in dry air. Tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region (1350 cm -1 ) has been used to measure the influence of (i) the pulse duration (ii) the pulse repetition rate and (iii) the pulse current on the C 2 H 2 concentration in situ the discharge tube. First, it is shown that in the plasma region under flow conditions the time averaged concentration of C 2 H 2 depends only on the time averaged discharge current. Second, time resolved measurements have been performed in a closed reactor, i.e. under static conditions. A simple kinetic modelling of the pulsed discharge leads to a good agreement with the experimental results and shows that the oxidation rate of C 2 H 2 is mainly controlled by the time averaged concentration of O atoms. Finally, the influence of porous TiO 2 photocatalyst on the C 2 H 2 oxidation rate is reported

Multiphoton photoemission from a copper cathode illuminated by ultrashort laser pulses in an RF photoinjector.

Science.gov (United States)

Musumeci, P; Cultrera, L; Ferrario, M; Filippetto, D; Gatti, G; Gutierrez, M S; Moody, J T; Moore, N; Rosenzweig, J B; Scoby, C M; Travish, G; Vicario, C

2010-02-26

In this Letter we report on the use of ultrashort infrared laser pulses to generate a copious amount of electrons by a copper cathode in an rf photoinjector. The charge yield verifies the generalized Fowler-Dubridge theory for multiphoton photoemission. The emission is verified to be prompt using a two pulse autocorrelation technique. The thermal emittance associated with the excess kinetic energy from the emission process is comparable with the one measured using frequency tripled uv laser pulses. In the high field of the rf gun, up to 50 pC of charge can be extracted from the cathode using a 80 fs long, 2 microJ, 800 nm pulse focused to a 140 mum rms spot size. Taking into account the efficiency of harmonic conversion, illuminating a cathode directly with ir laser pulses can be the most efficient way to employ the available laser power.

Multiphoton Photoemission from a Copper Cathode Illuminated by Ultrashort Laser Pulses in an rf Photoinjector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musumeci, P.; Gutierrez, M. S.; Moody, J. T.; Moore, N.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Scoby, C. M.; Travish, G.; Cultrera, L.; Ferrario, M.; Filippetto, D.; Gatti, G.; Vicario, C.

2010-01-01

In this Letter we report on the use of ultrashort infrared laser pulses to generate a copious amount of electrons by a copper cathode in an rf photoinjector. The charge yield verifies the generalized Fowler-Dubridge theory for multiphoton photoemission. The emission is verified to be prompt using a two pulse autocorrelation technique. The thermal emittance associated with the excess kinetic energy from the emission process is comparable with the one measured using frequency tripled uv laser pulses. In the high field of the rf gun, up to 50 pC of charge can be extracted from the cathode using a 80 fs long, 2 μJ, 800 nm pulse focused to a 140 μm rms spot size. Taking into account the efficiency of harmonic conversion, illuminating a cathode directly with ir laser pulses can be the most efficient way to employ the available laser power.

Self-guiding of high-intensity laser pulses for laser wake field acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umstader, D.; Liu, X.

1992-01-01

A means of self-guiding an ultrashort and high-intensity laser pulse is demonstrated both experimentally and numerically. Its relevance to the laser wake field accelerator concept is discussed. Self-focusing and multiple foci formation are observed when a high peak power (P>100 GW), 1 μm, subpicosecond laser is focused onto various gases (air or hydrogen). It appears to result from the combined effects of self-focusing by the gas, and de-focusing both by diffraction and the plasma formed in the central high-intensity region. Quasi-stationary computer simulations show the same multiple foci behavior as the experiments. The results suggest much larger nonlinear electronic susceptibilities of a gas near or undergoing ionization in the high field of the laser pulse. Although self-guiding of a laser beam by this mechanism appears to significantly extend its high-intensity focal region, small-scale self-focusing due to beam non-uniformity is currently a limitation

Resonant Infrared Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation Of Inorganic Nanoparticles And Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Pate, Ryan; Lantz, Kevin R.; Dhawan, Anuj; Vo-Dinh, Tuan; Stiff-Roberts, Adrienne D.

2010-10-01

In this research, resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) has been used to deposit different classes of inorganic nanoparticles, including bare, un-encapsulated ZnO and Au nanoparticles, as well as ligand-encapsulated CdSe colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). RIR-MAPLE has been used for thin-film deposition of different organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposites using some of these inorganic nanoparticles, including CdSe CQD-poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-(1-cyanovinylene)phenylene] (MEH-CN-PPV) nanocomposites and Au nanoparticle-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites. The unique contribution of this research is that a technique is demonstrated for the deposition of organic-based thin-films requiring solvents with bond energies that do not have to be resonant with the laser energy. By creating an emulsion of solvent and ice in the target, RIR-MAPLE using a 2.94 μm laser can deposit most material systems because the hydroxyl bonds in the ice component of the emulsion matrix are strongly resonant with the 2.94 μm laser. In this way, the types of materials that can be deposited using RIR-MAPLE has been significantly expanded. Furthermore, materials with different solvent bond energies can be co-deposited without concern for material degradation and without the need to specifically tune the laser energy to each material solvent bond energy, thereby facilitating the realization of organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposite thin-films. In addition to the structural characterization of the inorganic nanoparticle and hybrid nanocomposite thin-films deposited using this RIR-MAPLE technique, optical characterization is presented to demonstrate the potential of such films for optoelectronic device applications.

Resonant Infrared Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation Of Inorganic Nanoparticles And Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pate, Ryan; Lantz, Kevin R.; Stiff-Roberts, Adrienne D.; Dhawan, Anuj; Vo-Dinh, Tuan

2010-01-01

In this research, resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) has been used to deposit different classes of inorganic nanoparticles, including bare, un-encapsulated ZnO and Au nanoparticles, as well as ligand-encapsulated CdSe colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). RIR-MAPLE has been used for thin-film deposition of different organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposites using some of these inorganic nanoparticles, including CdSe CQD-poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy )-1,4-(1-cyanovinylene)phenylene](MEH-CN-PPV) nanocomposites and Au nanoparticle-poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) nanocomposites. The unique contribution of this research is that a technique is demonstrated for the deposition of organic-based thin-films requiring solvents with bond energies that do not have to be resonant with the laser energy. By creating an emulsion of solvent and ice in the target, RIR-MAPLE using a 2.94 μm laser can deposit most material systems because the hydroxyl bonds in the ice component of the emulsion matrix are strongly resonant with the 2.94 μm laser. In this way, the types of materials that can be deposited using RIR-MAPLE has been significantly expanded. Furthermore, materials with different solvent bond energies can be co-deposited without concern for material degradation and without the need to specifically tune the laser energy to each material solvent bond energy, thereby facilitating the realization of organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposite thin-films. In addition to the structural characterization of the inorganic nanoparticle and hybrid nanocomposite thin-films deposited using this RIR-MAPLE technique, optical characterization is presented to demonstrate the potential of such films for optoelectronic device applications.

Amplification of pressure waves in laser-assisted endodontics with synchronized delivery of Er:YAG laser pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukač, Nejc; Jezeršek, Matija

2018-05-01

When attempting to clean surfaces of dental root canals with laser-induced cavitation bubbles, the resulting cavitation oscillations are significantly prolonged due to friction on the cavity walls and other factors. Consequently, the collapses are less intense and the shock waves that are usually emitted following a bubble's collapse are diminished or not present at all. A new technique of synchronized laser-pulse delivery intended to enhance the emission of shock waves from collapsed bubbles in fluid-filled endodontic canals is reported. A laser beam deflection probe, a high-speed camera, and shadow photography were used to characterize the induced photoacoustic phenomena during synchronized delivery of Er:YAG laser pulses in a confined volume of water. A shock wave enhancing technique was employed which consists of delivering a second laser pulse at a delay with regard to the first cavitation bubble-forming laser pulse. Influence of the delay between the first and second laser pulses on the generation of pressure and shock waves during the first bubble's collapse was measured for different laser pulse energies and cavity volumes. Results show that the optimal delay between the two laser pulses is strongly correlated with the cavitation bubble's oscillation period. Under optimal synchronization conditions, the growth of the second cavitation bubble was observed to accelerate the collapse of the first cavitation bubble, leading to a violent collapse, during which shock waves are emitted. Additionally, shock waves created by the accelerated collapse of the primary cavitation bubble and as well of the accompanying smaller secondary bubbles near the cavity walls were observed. The reported phenomena may have applications in improved laser cleaning of surfaces during laser-assisted dental root canal treatments.

Broadband near infrared quantum cutting in Bi–Yb codoped Y2O3 transparent films on crystalline silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu Minghao; Wang Ruzhi; Chen Yan; Zhang Ying; Li Kaiyu; Yan Hui

2012-01-01

By a pulsed laser deposition technique the efficient broadband near-infrared downconversion Bi–Yb codoped crystallization Y 2 O 3 transparent films have been grown successfully on Si (1 0 0) substrates. Upon excitation of ultraviolet photon varying from 300 to 400 nm, the near infrared quantum cutting has been obtained, which is originated from the transitions of the transition-metal Bi 3+3 P 1 level to Yb 3+2 F 5/2 level. The downconversion quantum efficiency of films is estimated to be 152%. The transparent Y 2 O 3 films may have potential application in enhancing the conversion efficiency of crystalline Si solar cells. - Highlights: ► The downconversion Y 2 O 3 :Bi,Yb films has good transparency. ► Y 2 O 3 :Bi,Yb films possess a broadband absorption in the UV region of 300–400 nm. ► The films may have potential application in enhancing the efficiency of c-Si cells.

Propagation of femtosecond laser pulses through water in the linear absorption regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Naveira, Lucas M; Strycker, Benjamin D; Wang, Jieyu; Ariunbold, Gombojav O; Sokolov, Alexei V; Kattawar, George W

2009-04-01

We investigate the controversy regarding violations of the Bouguer-Lambert-Beer (BLB) law for ultrashort laser pulses propagating through water. By working at sufficiently low incident laser intensities, we make sure that any nonlinear component in the response of the medium is negligible. We measure the transmitted power and spectrum as functions of water cell length in an effort to confirm or disprove alleged deviations from the BLB law. We perform experiments at two different laser pulse repetition rates and explore the dependence of transmission on pulse duration. Specifically, we vary the laser pulse duration either by cutting its spectrum while keeping the pulse shape near transform-limited or by adjusting the pulses chirp while keeping the spectral intensities fixed. Over a wide range of parameters, we find no deviations from the BLB law and conclude that recent claims of BLB law violations are inconsistent with our experimental data. We present a simple linear theory (based on the BLB law) for propagation of ultrashort laser pulses through an absorbing medium and find our experimental results to be in excellent agreement with this theory.

Up-regulation of cerebral cytochrome-c-oxidase and hemodynamics by transcranial infrared laser stimulation: A broadband near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinlong; Tian, Fenghua; Reddy, Divya D; Nalawade, Sahil S; Barrett, Douglas W; Gonzalez-Lima, Francisco; Liu, Hanli

2017-12-01

Transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) is a noninvasive form of brain photobiomulation. Cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO), the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, is hypothesized to be the primary intracellular photoacceptor. We hypothesized that TILS up-regulates cerebral CCO and causes hemodynamic changes. We delivered 1064-nm laser stimulation to the forehead of healthy participants ( n = 11), while broadband near-infrared spectroscopy was utilized to acquire light reflectance from the TILS-treated cortical region before, during, and after TILS. Placebo experiments were also performed for accurate comparison. Time course of spectroscopic readings were analyzed and fitted to the modified Beer-Lambert law. With respect to the placebo readings, we observed (1) significant increases in cerebral concentrations of oxidized CCO (Δ[CCO]; >0.08 µM; p 0.8 µM; p 0.5 µM; p < 0.01) during and after TILS, and (2) linear interplays between Δ[CCO] versus Δ[HbO] and between Δ[CCO] versus Δ[HbT]. Ratios of Δ[CCO]/Δ[HbO] and Δ[CCO]/Δ[HbT] were introduced as TILS-induced metabolic-hemodynamic coupling indices to quantify the coupling strength between TILS-enhanced cerebral metabolism and blood oxygen supply. This study provides the first demonstration that TILS causes up-regulation of oxidized CCO in the human brain, and contributes important insight into the physiological mechanisms.

Photoacoustic tweezers with a pulsed laser: theory and experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zharov, V P; Malinsky, T V; Kurten, R C

2005-01-01

A novel noninvasive optical technique for manipulating particles and cells is presented that utilizes laser-generated forces in an absorbing medium surrounding the particles or cells. In this technique, a laser pulse creates near-object acoustic waves, which during interaction with the objects lead to then being moved or trapped. The main optical schemes are considered, and a theory is presented for this new optical tool, namely photoacoustic (PA) tweezer with pulsed laser. The magnitudes of forces acting on polystyrene particles suspended in water were estimated as a function of the particles' properties for circular and ring geometries of the laser beam. Results of our preliminary experiments demonstrated proof that the manipulation, trapping and even rotation of cells is possible with PA tweezers

Multispectral photoacoustic microscopy of lipids using a pulsed supercontinuum laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Buma, Takashi; Conley, Nicole C; Choi, Sang Won

2018-01-01

We demonstrate optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) of lipid-rich tissue between 1050-1714 nm using a pulsed supercontinuum laser based on a large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber. OR-PAM experiments of lipid-rich samples show the expected optical absorption peaks near 1210 and 1720 nm. These results show that pulsed supercontinuum lasers are promising for OR-PAM applications such as label-free histology of lipid-rich tissue and imaging small animal models of disease.

Laser pulse stacking method

Science.gov (United States)

Moses, E.I.

1992-12-01

A laser pulse stacking method is disclosed. A problem with the prior art has been the generation of a series of laser beam pulses where the outer and inner regions of the beams are generated so as to form radially non-synchronous pulses. Such pulses thus have a non-uniform cross-sectional area with respect to the outer and inner edges of the pulses. The present invention provides a solution by combining the temporally non-uniform pulses in a stacking effect to thus provide a more uniform temporal synchronism over the beam diameter. 2 figs.

Solitary pulse-on-demand production by optical injection locking of passively Q-switched InGaN diode laser near lasing threshold

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, X., E-mail: xi.zeng@csem.ch, E-mail: dmitri.boiko@csem.ch; Stadelmann, T.; Grossmann, S.; Hoogerwerf, A. C.; Boïko, D. L., E-mail: xi.zeng@csem.ch, E-mail: dmitri.boiko@csem.ch [Centre Suisse d' Electronique et de Microtechnique SA (CSEM), CH-2002 Neuchâtel (Switzerland); Sulmoni, L.; Lamy, J.-M.; Grandjean, N. [Institute of Condensed Matter Physics (ICMP), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2015-02-16

In this letter, we investigate the behavior of a Q-switched InGaN multi-section laser diode (MSLD) under optical injection from a continuous wave external cavity diode laser. We obtain solitary optical pulse generation when the slave MSLD is driven near free running threshold, and the peak output power is significantly enhanced with respect to free running configuration. When the slave laser is driven well above threshold, optical injection reduces the peak power. Using standard semiconductor laser rate equation model, we find that both power enhancement and suppression effects are the result of partial bleaching of the saturable absorber by externally injected photons.

Nearly fully compressed 1053 nm pulses directly obtained from 800 nm laser-seeded photonic crystal fiber below zero dispersion point

Science.gov (United States)

Refaeli, Zaharit; Shamir, Yariv; Ofir, Atara; Marcus, Gilad

2018-02-01

We report a simple robust and broadly spectral-adjustable source generating near fully compressed 1053 nm 62 fs pulses directly out of a highly-nonlinear photonic crystal fiber. A dispersion-nonlinearity balance of 800 nm Ti:Sa 20 fs pulses was obtained initially by negative pre-chirping and then launching the pulses into the fibers' normal dispersion regime. Following a self-phase modulation spectral broadening, some energy that leaked below the zero dispersion point formed a soliton whose central wavelength could be tuned by Self-Frequency-Raman-Shift effect. Contrary to a common approach of power, or, fiber-length control over the shift, here we continuously varied the state of polarization, exploiting the Raman and Kerr nonlinearities responsivity for state of polarization. We obtained soliton pulses with central wavelength tuned over 150 nm, spanning from well below 1000 to over 1150 nm, of which we could select stable pulses around the 1 μm vicinity. With linewidth of > 20 nm FWHM Gaussian-like temporal-shape pulses with 62 fs duration and near flat phase structure we confirmed high quality pulse source. We believe such scheme can be used for high energy or high power glass lasers systems, such as Nd or Yb ion-doped amplifiers and systems.

BN-based nano-composites obtained by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Major, B.; Kosydar, R.; Major, L; Mroz, W.; Burdynska, S.; Jelinek, M.; Kot, M.; Kustosz, R.

2006-01-01

Boron nitride thin layers were produced by means of the pulsed laser deposition technique from hexagonal boron nitride target. Two types of laser i.e. Nd: YAG with Q-switch as well as KrF coupled with RF generator were used. Influence of deposition parameters on surface morphology, phase composition as well as mechanical properties is discussed. Results obtained using Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy, Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy are presented. Micromechanical properties measured during micro indentation, scratch and wear tests are also shown. (authors)

Growth and properties of SrBi2TaNbO9 ferroelectric thin films using pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Pingxiong; Deng Hongmei; Shi Meirong; Tong Ziyang; Qin Sumei

2007-01-01

High quality SrBi 2 TaNbO 9 (SBTN) ferroelectric thin films were fabricated on platinized silicon by pulsed laser deposition. Microstructure and ferroelectric properties of the films were characterized. Optical fatigue (light/bias) for the thin films was studied and the average remanent polarization dropped by nearly 55% due to the bias/illumination treatment. Optical properties of the thin films were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) from the ultraviolet to the infrared region. Optical constants, n ∼ 0.16 in the infrared region and n ∼ 2.12 in the visible spectral region, were determined through refractive index functions. The band gap energy is estimated to be 3.93 eV

Laser cutting of bone tissue under bulk water with a pulsed ps-laser at 532 nm.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulea, Cristian-Alexander; Caron, Jan; Gehlich, Nils; Lenenbach, Achim; Noll, Reinhard; Loosen, Peter

2015-10-01

Hard-tissue ablation was already investigated for a broad variety of pulsed laser systems, which cover almost the entire range of available wavelengths and pulse parameters. Most effective in hard-tissue ablation are Er:YAG and CO2 lasers, both utilizing the effect of absorption of infrared wavelengths by water and so-called explosive vaporization, when a thin water film or water–air spray is supplied. The typical flow rates and the water layer thicknesses are too low for surgical applications where bleeding occurs and wound flushing is necessary. We studied a 20 W ps-laser with 532 nm wavelength and a pulse energy of 1 mJ to effectively ablate bones that are submerged 14 mm under water. For these laser parameters, the plasma-mediated ablation mechanism is dominant. Simulations based on the blow-off model predict the cut depth and cross-sectional shape of the incision. The model is modified considering the cross section of the Gaussian beam, the incident angle, and reflections. The ablation rate amounts to 0.2  mm3/s, corresponding to an increase by at least 50% of the highest values published so far for ultrashort laser ablation of hard tissue.

Sub-50-as isolated extreme ultraviolet continua generated by 1.6-cycle near-infrared pulse combined with double optical gating scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Oguri, Katsuya; Mashiko, Hiroki; Ogawa, Tatsuya; Hanada, Yasutaka; Nakano, Hidetoshi; Gotoh, Hideki

2018-04-01

We demonstrate the generation of ultrabroad bandwidth attosecond continua extending to sub-50-as duration in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region based on a 1.6-cycle Ti:sapphire laser pulse. The combination of the amplitude gating scheme with a sub-two-cycle driver pulse and the double optical gating scheme achieves the continuum generation with a bandwidth of 70 eV at the full width at half maximum near the peak photon energy of 140 eV, which supports a Fourier-transform-limited pulse duration as short as 32 as. The carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) dependence of the attosecond continua shows a single-peak structure originating from the half-cycle cut-off at appropriate CEP values, which strongly indicates the generation of a single burst of an isolated attosecond pulse. Our approach suggests a possibility for isolated sub-50-as pulse generation in the EUV region by compensating for the intrinsic attosecond chirp with a Zr filter.

Studies of the confinement at laser-induced backside dry etching using infrared nanosecond laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrhardt, M.; Lorenz, P.; Bayer, L.; Han, B.; Zimmer, K.

2018-01-01

In the present study, laser-induced backside etching of SiO2 at an interface to an organic material using laser pulses with a wavelength of λ = 1064 nm and a pulse length of τ = 7 ns have been performed in order to investigate selected processes involved in etching of the SiO2 at confined ablation conditions with wavelengths well below the band gap of SiO2. Therefore, in between the utilized metallic absorber layer and the SiO2 surface, a polymer interlayer with a thickness between 20 nm to 150 nm was placed with the aim, to separate the laser absorption process in the metallic absorber layer from the etching process of the SiO2 surface due to the provided organic interlayer. The influence of the confinement of the backside etching process was analyzed by the deposition of different thick polymer layers on top of the metallic absorber layer. In particular, it was found that the SiO2 etching depth decreases with higher polymer interlayer thickness. However, the etching depth increases with increasing the confinement layer thickness. SEM images of the laser processed areas show that the absorber and confinement layers are ruptured from the sample surface without showing melting, and suggesting a lift off process of these films. The driving force for the layers lift off and the etching of the SiO2 is probably the generated laser-induce plasma from the confined ablation that provides the pressure for lift off, the high temperatures and reactive organic species that can chemically attack the SiO2 surface at these conditions.

Effects of pulsed mid-IR lasers on bovine knee joint tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Vari, Sandor G.; Shi, Wei-Qiang; Pergadia, Vani R.; Duffy, J. T.; Miller, J. M.; van der Veen, Maurits J.; Weiss, Andrew B.; Fishbein, Michael C.; Grundfest, Warren S.

1993-07-01

We investigated the effect of varying Tm:YAG (2.014 micrometers ) and Ho:YAG (2.130 micrometers ) laser parameters on ablation rate and consequent thermal damage. Mid-infrared wavelengths are strongly absorbed by most biological tissues due to the tissue's high water content. The ablation rate of fresh bovine knee joint tissues (fibrous cartilage, hyaline cartilage, and bone) in saline was assessed as a function of radiant exposure (160 - 950 J/cm2), at pulse widths of 200 microsecond(s) ec for Tm:YAG and 250 microsecond(s) ec for Ho:YAG and a repetition rate of 2 Hz. All tissues used in this study could be efficiently ablated using two micron lasers. The mechanism of action is likely related to the formation and collapse of cavitation bubbles, associated with mid-infrared lasers. We concluded that the Tm:YAG and Ho:YAG lasers are capable of effective knee joint tissue ablation.

Smooth silk fibroin nanofilm deposited by 1064-nm pulsed laser beam from an opaque target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozaki, R.; Nakayama, S.; Senna, M.

2013-01-01

In an attempt to prepare smooth nanostructured thin films of silk fibroin (SF) by near-infrared (NIR) pulsed laser deposition, an opaque target was prepared from an emulsified aqueous solution of SF. Upon irradiation of 1064-nm pulsed laser beam at its fluence 5 J/cm 2 , a thin film of SF was deposited on the Si(100) substrate with its root-mean-square surface roughness, 0.37 nm, smoother than those obtained from a compressed target of SF powders by approximately an order of magnitude. The attainment of an extra-smooth film from the opaque target was discussed in terms of multiple Mie scattering of the incident NIR beam, leading to an increase in the plasma density, intensified optical breakdown, ablation of better dispersed SF molecular units, and a film with more intensive intermolecular cross-linking. - Highlights: • Thin film of silk fibroin with its RMS surface roughness, R rms , 0.37 nm was obtained. • The use of a target from an emulsified solution of SF was the key issue. • Mechanism involved was elucidated in terms of enhanced Mie scattering

Single attosecond pulse generation in an orthogonally polarized two-color laser field combined with a static electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Changlong; Zhang Gangtai; Wu Jie; Liu Xueshen

2010-01-01

We investigate theoretic high-order harmonic generation and single attosecond pulse generation in an orthogonally polarized two-color laser field, which is synthesized by a mid-infrared (IR) pulse (12.5 fs, 2000 nm) in the y component and a much weaker (12 fs, 800 nm) pulse in the x component. We find that the width of the harmonic plateau can be extended when a static electric field is added in the y component. We also investigate emission time of harmonics in terms of a time-frequency analysis to illustrate the physical mechanism of high-order harmonic generation. We calculate the ionization rate using the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov model and interpret the variation of harmonic intensity for different static electric field strengths. When the ratio of strengths of the static and the y-component laser fields is 0.1, a continuous harmonic spectrum is formed from 220 to 420 eV. By superposing a properly selected range of the harmonic spectrum from 300 to 350 eV, an isolated attosecond pulse with a duration of about 75 as is obtained, which is near linearly polarized.

Infrared laser-induced chemical reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katayama, Mikio

1978-01-01

The experimental means which clearly distinguishes between infrared ray-induced reactions and thermal reactions has been furnished for the first time when an intense monochromatic light source has been obtained by the development of infrared laser. Consequently, infrared laser-induced chemical reactions have started to develop as one field of chemical reaction researches. Researches of laser-induced chemical reactions have become new means for the researches of chemical reactions since they were highlighted as a new promising technique for isotope separation. Specifically, since the success has been reported in 235 U separation using laser in 1974, comparison of this method with conventional separation techniques from the economic point of view has been conducted, and it was estimated by some people that the laser isotope separation is cheaper. This report briefly describes on the excitation of oscillation and reaction rate, and introduces the chemical reactions induced by CW laser and TEA CO 2 laser. Dependence of reaction yield on laser power, measurement of the absorbed quantity of infrared ray and excitation mechanism are explained. Next, isomerizing reactions are reported, and finally, isotope separation is explained. It was found that infrared laser-induced chemical reactions have the selectivity for isotopes. Since it is evident that there are many examples different from thermal and photo-chemical reactions, future collection of the data is expected. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Near infrared and extreme ultraviolet light pulses induced modifications of ultrathin Co films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Kisielewski

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We report on comparative study of magnetic properties of Pt/Co/Pt trilayers after irradiation with different light sources. Ultrathin Pt/Co/Pt films were deposited by molecular beam epitaxy technique on sapphire (0001 substrates. Pt buffers were grown at room temperature (RT and at 750°C (high temperature, HT. The samples were irradiated with a broad range of light energy densities (up to film ablation using two different single pulse irradiation sources: (i 40 fs laser with 800 nm wavelength and (ii 3 ns laser-plasma source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV with the most intense emission centered at 11 nm. The light pulse-driven irreversible structural and as a consequence, magnetic modifications were investigated using polar magneto-optical Kerr effect-based microscopy and atomic and magnetic force microscopies. The light pulse-induced transitions from the out-of-plane to in-plane magnetization state, and from in-plane to out-of-plane, were observed for both types of samples and irradiation methods. Diagrams of the magnetic states as a function of the Co layer thickness and energy density of the absorbed femtosecond pulses were constructed for the samples with both the RT and HT buffers. The energy density range responsible for the creation of the out-of-plane magnetization was wider for the HT than for RT buffer. This is correlated with the higher (for HT crystalline quality and much smoother Pt/Co surface deduced from the X-ray diffraction studies. Submicrometer magnetic domains were observed in the irradiated region while approaching the out-of-plane magnetization state. Changes of Pt/Co/Pt structures are discussed for both types of light pulses.

Laser beam diagnostics for kilowatt power pulsed YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yi; Leong, Keng H.

1992-01-01

There is a growing need for high power YAG laser beam diagnostics with the recent introduction of such lasers in laser material processing. In this paper, we will describe the use of a commercially available laser beam analyzer (Prometec) to profile the laser beam from a 1600 W pulsed Nd:YAG laser that has a 1 mm fiber optic beam delivery system. The selection of laser pulse frequency and pulse width for the measurement is discussed. Laser beam propagation parameters by various optical components such as fibers and lenses can be determined from measurements using this device. The importance of such measurements will be discussed

Broadband Optical Active Waveguides Written by Femtosecond Laser Pulses in Lithium Fluoride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiamenti, Ismael; Costa, Larissa N. da; Kalinowski, Hypolito J.; Bonfigli, Francesca; Montereali, Rosa Maria; Gomes Anderson, S. L.

2014-01-01

Broadband waveguiding through light-emitting strips directly written in a blank lithium fluoride crystal with a femtosecond laser is reported. Light guiding was observed at several optical wavelengths, from blue, 458 nm, to near-infrared, at 1550 nm. Visible photoluminescence spectra of the optically active F 2 and F 3 + color centers produced by the fs laser writing process were measured. The wavelength-dependent refractive index increase was estimated to be in the order of 10 −3 −10 −4 in the visible and near-infrared spectral intervals, which is consistent with the stable formation of point defects in LiF

Broadband Optical Active Waveguides Written by Femtosecond Laser Pulses in Lithium Fluoride

Science.gov (United States)

Ismael, Chiamenti; Francesca, Bonfigli; Anderson, S. L. Gomes; Rosa, Maria Montereali; Larissa, N. da Costa; Hypolito, J. Kalinowski

2014-01-01

Broadband waveguiding through light-emitting strips directly written in a blank lithium fluoride crystal with a femtosecond laser is reported. Light guiding was observed at several optical wavelengths, from blue, 458 nm, to near-infrared, at 1550 nm. Visible photoluminescence spectra of the optically active F2 and F3+ color centers produced by the fs laser writing process were measured. The wavelength-dependent refractive index increase was estimated to be in the order of 10-3-10-4 in the visible and near-infrared spectral intervals, which is consistent with the stable formation of point defects in LiF.

High-speed high-sensitivity infrared spectroscopy using mid-infrared swept lasers (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Childs, David T. D.; Groom, Kristian M.; Hogg, Richard A.; Revin, Dmitry G.; Cockburn, John W.; Rehman, Ihtesham U.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2016-03-01

Infrared spectroscopy is a highly attractive read-out technology for compositional analysis of biomedical specimens because of its unique combination of high molecular sensitivity without the need for exogenous labels. Traditional techniques such as FTIR and Raman have suffered from comparatively low speed and sensitivity however recent innovations are challenging this situation. Direct mid-IR spectroscopy is being speeded up by innovations such as MEMS-based FTIR instruments with very high mirror speeds and supercontinuum sources producing very high sample irradiation levels. Here we explore another possible method - external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCL's) with high cavity tuning speeds (mid-IR swept lasers). Swept lasers have been heavily developed in the near-infrared where they are used for non-destructive low-coherence imaging (OCT). We adapt these concepts in two ways. Firstly by combining mid-IR quantum cascade gain chips with external cavity designs adapted from OCT we achieve spectral acquisition rates approaching 1 kHz and demonstrate potential to reach 100 kHz. Secondly we show that mid-IR swept lasers share a fundamental sensitivity advantage with near-IR OCT swept lasers. This makes them potentially able to achieve the same spectral SNR as an FTIR instrument in a time x N shorter (N being the number of spectral points) under otherwise matched conditions. This effect is demonstrated using measurements of a PDMS sample. The combination of potentially very high spectral acquisition rates, fundamental SNR advantage and the use of low-cost detector systems could make mid-IR swept lasers a powerful technology for high-throughput biomedical spectroscopy.

Infrared and ultraviolet laser removal of crustose lichens on dolomite heritage stone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanz, Mikel; Oujja, Mohamed [Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR), CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Ascaso, Carmen; Ríos, Asunción de los; Pérez-Ortega, Sergio [Museo Nacional de Ciencia Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, Serrano 115 bis, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Souza-Egipsy, Virginia [Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias (ICA), CSIC, Serrano 115 bis, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Wierzchos, Jacek; Speranza, Mariela [Museo Nacional de Ciencia Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, Serrano 115 bis, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Cañamares, Maria Vega [Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (ICEM), CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Castillejo, Marta, E-mail: marta.castillejo@iqfr.csic.es [Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR), CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid (Spain)

2015-08-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Laser irradiation at 1064 nm (IR) or 355 nm (UV) partially removes epilithic lichens on dolostone. • Irradiation in a sequential, dual IR–UV mode efficiently eliminates lichen thalli. • Dual IR–UV irradiation mode induces severe damage on endolithic colonizers of dolostone. - Abstract: Laser removal of biodeteriogen layers warrants detailed studies due to the advantages it brings with respect to mechanical elimination or the use of biocides. We have investigated elimination of biological crusts on dolomite stones from heritage sites in central Spain. The samples were colonized by epilithic crustose lichens of different species, such as Caloplaca sp. and Verrucaria nigrescens. A comparative study was carried out by applying infrared (1064 nm) and ultraviolet (355 nm) nanosecond laser pulses and sequences pulses of the two wavelengths using a Q-switched Nd:YAG system. To detect anatomical and ultrastructural damage to the lichens, and to assess possible morphological and chemical changes on the underlying stone induced by laser irradiation, we used stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron imaging and Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy. The optimal conditions for removal of the colonization crust, while ensuring preservation of the lithic substrate, were obtained for dual infrared-ultraviolet sequential irradiation.

Coaxial monitoring of temperature field in selective pulsed laser melting

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Che; Chen, Zhongyun; Cao, Hongzhong; Zhou, Jianhong

2017-10-01

Selective Laser Melting is a rapid manufacturing technology which produces complex parts layer by layer. The presence of thermal stress and thermal strain in the forming process often leads to defects in the formed parts. In order to detect fabricate errors and avoid failure which caused by thermal gradient in time. An infrared thermal imager and a high speed CCD camera were applied to build a coaxial optical system for real-time monitoring the temperature distribution and changing trend of laser affected zone in SLM forming process. Molten tracks were fabricated by SLM under different laser parameters such as frequency, pulse width. And the relationship between the laser parameters and the temperature distribution were all obtained and analyzed.

Pulsed inductive HF laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Razhev, A M; Kargapol' tsev, E S [Institute of Laser Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Churkin, D S; Demchuk, S V [Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2016-03-31

We report the results of experimentally investigated dependences of temporal, spectral and spatial characteristics of an inductive HF-laser generation on the pump conditions. Gas mixtures H{sub 2} – F{sub 2}(NF{sub 3} or SF6{sub 6}) and He(Ne) – H{sub 2} – F{sub 2}(NF{sub 3} or SF{sub 6}) were used as active media. The FWHM pulse duration reached 0.42 μs. This value corresponded to a pulsed power of 45 kW. For the first time, the emission spectrum of an inductive HF laser was investigated, which consisted of seven groups of bands with centres around the wavelengths of 2732, 2736, 2739, 2835, 2837, 2893 and 2913 nm. The cross section profile of the laser beam was a ring with a diameter of about 20 mm and width of about 5 mm. Parameters of laser operation in the repetitively pulsed regime were sufficiently stable. The amplitude instability of light pulses was no greater than 5% – 6%. (lasers)

Laser Spot Welding of Copper-aluminum Joints Using a Pulsed Dual Wavelength Laser at 532 and 1064 nm

Science.gov (United States)

Stritt, Peter; Hagenlocher, Christian; Kizler, Christine; Weber, Rudolf; Rüttimann, Christoph; Graf, Thomas

A modulated pulsed laser source emitting green and infrared laser light is used to join the dissimilar metals copper and aluminum. The resultant dynamic welding process is analyzed using the back reflected laser light and high speed video observations of the interaction zone. Different pulse shapes are applied to influence the melt pool dynamics and thereby the forming grain structure and intermetallic phases. The results of high-speed images and back-reflections prove that a modulation of the pulse shape is transferred to oscillations of the melt pool at the applied frequency. The outcome of the melt pool oscillation is shown by the metallurgically prepared cross-section, which indicates different solidification lines and grain shapes. An energy-dispersivex-ray analysis shows the mixture and the resultant distribution of the two metals, copper and aluminum, within the spot weld. It can be seen that the mixture is homogenized the observed melt pool oscillations.

Fluorescence imaging of lattice re-distribution on step-index direct laser written Nd:YAG waveguide lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martínez de Mendívil, Jon; Pérez Delgado, Alberto; Lifante, Ginés; Jaque, Daniel [Departamento de Física de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049 (Spain); Ródenas, Airán [Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007 (Spain); Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom); Benayas, Antonio, E-mail: antonio.benayas@emt.inrs.ca [Departamento de Física de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049 (Spain); Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre – Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650, Boul. Lionel Boulet Varennes, Quebec J3X 1S2 (Canada); Aguiló, Magdalena; Diaz, Francesc [Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona 43007 (Spain); Kar, Ajoy K. [Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom)

2015-01-14

The laser performance and crystalline micro-structural properties of near-infrared step-index channel waveguides fabricated inside Neodymium doped YAG laser ceramics by means of three-dimensional sub-picosecond pulse laser direct writing are reported. Fluorescence micro-mapping of the waveguide cross-sections reveals that an essential crystal lattice re-distribution has been induced after short pulse irradiation. Such lattice re-distribution is evidenced at the waveguide core corresponding to the laser written refractive index increased volume. The waveguides core surroundings also present diverse changes including slight lattice disorder and bi-axial strain fields. The step-index waveguide laser performance is compared with previous laser fabricated waveguides with a stress-optic guiding mechanism in absence of laser induced lattice re-distribution.

Self-focusing and guiding of short laser pulses in ionizing gases and plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esarey, E.; Sprangle, P.; Krall, J.; Ting, A.

1997-01-01

The propagation of intense laser pulses in gases and plasmas is relevant to a wide range of applications, including laser-driven accelerators, laser-plasma channeling, harmonic generation, supercontinuum generation, X-ray lasers, and laser-fusion schemes. Here, several features of intense, short-pulse (≤1 ps) laser propagation in gases undergoing ionization and in plasmas are reviewed, discussed, and analyzed. The wave equations for laser pulse propagation in a gas undergoing ionization and in a plasma are derived. The source-dependent expansion method is discussed, which is a general method for solving the paraxial wave equation with nonlinear source terms. In gases, the propagation of high-power (near the critical power) laser pulses is considered including the effects of diffraction, nonlinear self-focusing, ionization, and plasma generation. Self-guided solutions and the stability of these solutions are discussed. In plasmas, optical guiding by relativistic effects, ponderomotive effects, and preformed density channels is considered. The self-consistent plasma response is discussed, including plasma wave effects and instabilities such as self-modulation. Recent experiments on the guiding of laser pulses in gases and in plasmas are briefly summarized

Acousto-optic replication of ultrashort laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Yushkov, Konstantin B.; Molchanov, Vladimir Ya.; Ovchinnikov, Andrey V.; Chefonov, Oleg V.

2017-10-01

Precisely controlled sequences of ultrashort laser pulses are required in various scientific and engineering applications. We developed a phase-only acousto-optic pulse shaping method for replication of ultrashort laser pulses in a TW laser system. A sequence of several Fourier-transform-limited pulses is generated from a single femtosecond laser pulse by means of applying a piecewise linear phase modulation over the whole emission spectrum. Analysis demonstrates that the main factor which limits maximum delay between the pulse replicas is spectral resolution of the acousto-optic dispersive delay line used for pulse shaping. In experiments with a Cr:forsterite laser system, we obtained delays from 0.3 to 3.5 ps between two replicas of 190 fs transform-limited pulses at the central wavelength of laser emission, 1230 nm.

Near-infrared reflectance bull’s eye maculopathy as an early indication of hydroxychloroquine toxicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wong KL

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Keye L Wong,1 Scott E Pautler,2 David J Browning31Retina Associates of Sarasota, Sarasota, FL, USA; 2Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 3Charlotte Eye Ear Nose and Throat Associates, Charlotte, NC, USAImportance: In some patients, hydroxychloroquine ocular toxicity may progress even following cessation of therapy. Any leverage the clinician may use to allow earlier detection may avert significant vision loss.Observation: We report three cases suggesting that bull’s eye maculopathy seen on near-infrared reflectance with a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope could be an early, objective manifestation of hydroxychloroquine ocular toxicity, and with progression of the disease this near-infrared “bull’s eye” change may disappear.Conclusion and relevance: Alerting clinicians to this observation may allow a larger case series to corroborate the hypothesis that bull’s eye maculopathy detected by near-infrared reflectance may represent an early sign of hydroxychloroquine toxicity.Keywords: confocal, scanning laser ophthalmoscope, multifocal ERG

Storage ring free electron laser, pulse propagation effects and microwave type instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dattoli, G.; Mezi, L.; Renieri, A.; Migliorati, M.

2000-01-01

It has been developed a dynamical model accounting for the storage Ring Free Electron Laser evolution including pulse propagation effects and e-beam instabilities of microwave type. It has been analyzed the general conditions under which the on set of the laser may switch off the instability and focus everybody attention on the interplay between cavity mismatch, laser pulsed behavior and e-beam instability dynamics. Particular attention is also devoted to the laser operation in near threshold conditions, namely at an intracavity level just enough to counteract the instability, that show in this region new and interesting effects arises [it

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Infrared Emission From Inorganic and Organic Substances

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yang, C.S; Brown, E; Hommerich, U; Trivedi, S. B; Snyder, A. P; Samuels, A. C

2006-01-01

.... The ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis- NIR) spectral region exploited in conventional LIBS largely elucidates the elemental composition of the laser target by profiling these atomic lines...

A widely tunable, near-infrared laser-based trace gas sensor for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) detection in exhaled breath

Science.gov (United States)

Azhar, M.; Mandon, J.; Neerincx, A. H.; Liu, Z.; Mink, J.; Merkus, P. J. F. M.; Cristescu, S. M.; Harren, F. J. M.

2017-11-01

A compact, cost-effective sensor is developed for detection of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in exhaled breath within seconds. For this, an off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy setup is combined with a widely tunable compact near-infrared laser (tunability 1527-1564 nm). For HCN a detection sensitivity has been obtained of 8 ppbv in nitrogen (within 1 s), equal to a noise equivalent absorption sensitivity of 1.9 × 10-9 cm-1 Hz-1/2. With this sensor we demonstrated the presence of HCN in exhaled breath; its detection could be a good indicator for bacterial lung infection. Due to its compact, cost-effective and user-friendly design, this laser-based sensor has the potential to be implemented in future clinical applications.

Growth and annealing effect of SrTiO{sub 3} thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition using fourth harmonic Nd:YAG pulsed laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takamura, Koji; Fujiwara, Takumi; Yokota, Akinobu; Nakamura, Motonori; Yoshimoto, Ken' ichi [National Institute of Technology, Asahikawa College, 2-2-1-6 Shunkodai, Asahikawa 071-8142 (Japan)

2017-06-15

SrTiO{sub 3} homoepitaxial films were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a fourth harmonic Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The substrate temperature was kept constant at 600, 700, or 800 C. The laser energy was set at 9-25 mJ on the polycrystal SrTiO{sub 3} target. Post-procedure annealing was performed in the air for 24 h. The X-ray diffraction measurement results showed that the lattice constant of the film was only 0.010 Aa larger than that of the substrate and was not dependent on the annealing temperature. We demonstrated the possibility of growing near-stoichiometric SrTiO{sub 3} film by PLD using an Nd:YAG laser. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Temporal and spatial temperature distribution in the glabrous skin of rats induced by short-pulse CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Pen-Li; Hsu, Shu-Shen; Tsai, Meng-Li; Jaw, Fu-Shan; Wang, An-Bang; Yen, Chen-Tung

2012-11-01

Pain is a natural alarm that aids the body in avoiding potential danger and can also present as an important indicator in clinics. Infrared laser-evoked potentials can be used as an objective index to evaluate nociception. In animal studies, a short-pulse laser is crucial because it completes the stimulation before escape behavior. The objective of the present study was to obtain the temporal and spatial temperature distributions in the skin caused by the irradiation of a short-pulse laser. A fast speed infrared camera was used to measure the surface temperature caused by a CO2 laser of different durations (25 and 35 ms) and power. The measured results were subsequently implemented with a three-layer finite element model to predict the subsurface temperature. We found that stratum corneum was crucial in the modeling of fast temperature response, and escape behaviors correlated with predictions of temperature at subsurface. Results indicated that the onset latency and duration of activated nociceptors must be carefully considered when interpreting physiological responses evoked by infrared irradiation.

Ultra-fast quantum randomness generation by accelerated phase diffusion in a pulsed laser diode.

Science.gov (United States)

Abellán, C; Amaya, W; Jofre, M; Curty, M; Acín, A; Capmany, J; Pruneri, V; Mitchell, M W

2014-01-27

We demonstrate a high bit-rate quantum random number generator by interferometric detection of phase diffusion in a gain-switched DFB laser diode. Gain switching at few-GHz frequencies produces a train of bright pulses with nearly equal amplitudes and random phases. An unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to interfere subsequent pulses and thereby generate strong random-amplitude pulses, which are detected and digitized to produce a high-rate random bit string. Using established models of semiconductor laser field dynamics, we predict a regime of high visibility interference and nearly complete vacuum-fluctuation-induced phase diffusion between pulses. These are confirmed by measurement of pulse power statistics at the output of the interferometer. Using a 5.825 GHz excitation rate and 14-bit digitization, we observe 43 Gbps quantum randomness generation.

Laser-pulsed relativistic electron gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherman, N.K.

1986-01-01

A relativistic (β ≅ 0.8) electron gun with good emittance and subnanosecond pulse duration which can be synchronized to picosecond laser pulses is being developed at NRC for use in studies of particle acceleration by lasers. Bursts of electron pulses exceeding 280 keV in energy have been extracted into air form a laser-driven vacuum photodiode. Trains of 5 ps pulses of ultraviolet UV light illuminate a magnesium cathode. Photoelectrons emitted from the cathode are accelerated in a graded electrostatic potential set up by a 360 kV Marx-generator. The UV pulses are obtained by doubling the frequency of a 606 nm dye laser modelocked at 160 MHz. Electron energies were measured by residual range in an echelon of Al foils. Total charge per burst was measured by picoammeter. Time structure of the bursts has been examined with plastic scintillator and a fast photomultiplier. Tests on a low voltage photodiode achieved a current density of 180 A/cm/sup 2/ from an Mg cathode, with quantum efficiency of 2.4 x 10/sup -6/ electron per UV photon. The brevity and intensity of the laser pulses cause the electric charge collected per pulse to increase linearly with bias voltage rather than according to the Langmuir-Child law. Gun emittance is about 150 mm-msr and beam brightness is about 1A/cm/sup 2/-sr. Estimated duration of individual electron pulses of a burst is about 400 ps with instantaneous current of about 0.1 mA. Energy spread within one pulse is expected to be about 15%. This gun has the potential to be a useful source of relativistic electrons for laser acceleration studies

Measurement of the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} destruction kinetics by infrared laser absorption spectroscopy in a pulsed low pressure dc discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rousseau, A [LPTP, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Route de Saclay, 91 128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Guaitella, O [LPTP, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Route de Saclay, 91 128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Gatilova, L [LPTP, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Route de Saclay, 91 128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Hannemann, M [INP-Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 19, 17489 Greifswald (Germany); Roepcke, J [INP-Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 19, 17489 Greifswald (Germany)

2007-04-07

The kinetics of destruction of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} is investigated in a low pressure pulsed dc discharge in dry air. Tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region (1350 cm{sup -1}) has been used to measure the influence of (i) the pulse duration (ii) the pulse repetition rate and (iii) the pulse current on the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} concentration in situ the discharge tube. First, it is shown that in the plasma region under flow conditions the time averaged concentration of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} depends only on the time averaged discharge current. Second, time resolved measurements have been performed in a closed reactor, i.e. under static conditions. A simple kinetic modelling of the pulsed discharge leads to a good agreement with the experimental results and shows that the oxidation rate of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} is mainly controlled by the time averaged concentration of O atoms. Finally, the influence of porous TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst on the C{sub 2}H{sub 2} oxidation rate is reported.

SPECT Perfusion Imaging Demonstrates Improvement of Traumatic Brain Injury With Transcranial Near-infrared Laser Phototherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Theodore A; Morries, Larry D

2015-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a growing health concern affecting civilians and military personnel. Near-infrared (NIR) light has shown benefits in animal models and human trials for stroke and in animal models for TBI. Diodes emitting low-level NIR often have lacked therapeutic efficacy, perhaps failing to deliver sufficient radiant energy to the necessary depth. In this case report, a patient with moderate TBI documented in anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) received 20 NIR treatments in the course of 2 mo using a high-power NIR laser. Symptoms were monitored by clinical examination and a novel patient diary system specifically designed for this patient population. Clinical application of these levels of infrared energy for this patient with TBI yielded highly favorable outcomes with decreased depression, anxiety, headache, and insomnia, whereas cognition and quality of life improved. Neurological function appeared to improve based on changes in the SPECT by quantitative analysis. NIR in the power range of 10-15 W at 810 and 980 nm can safely and effectively treat chronic symptoms of TBI.

Double nanosecond pulses generation in ytterbium fiber laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veiko, V. P.; Samokhvalov, A. A., E-mail: samokhvalov.itmo@gmail.com; Yakovlev, E. B.; Zhitenev, I. Yu.; Kliushin, A. N. [Saint-Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, Kronverksky Pr. 49, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation); Lednev, V. N. [Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str., 38, Moscow (Russian Federation); National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Leninskyave., 4, Moscow (Russian Federation); Pershin, S. M. [Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Str., 38, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2016-06-15

Double pulse generation mode for nanosecond ytterbium fiber laser was developed. Two sequential 60-200 ns laser pulses with variable delay between them were generated by acousto-optic modulator opening with continuous diode pumping. A custom radio frequency generator was developed to produce two sequential “opening” radio pulses with a delay of 0.2–1 μs. It was demonstrated that double pulse generation did not decrease the average laser power while providing the control over the laser pulse power profile. Surprisingly, a greater peak power in the double pulse mode was observed for the second laser pulse. Laser crater studies and plasma emission measurements revealed an improved efficiency of laser ablation in the double pulse mode.

Luminescence from ZnSe excited by picosecond mid-infrared FEL pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitsuyu, T.; Suzuki, T.; Tomimasu, T.

1998-01-01

We have observed blue band-edge emission from a ZnSe crystal under irradiation of mid-infrared picosecond free electron laser (FEL) pulses. The emission characteristics including spectrum, excitation power dependence, excitation wavelength dependence, and decay time have been investigated. The experimental results have indicated that it is difficult to understand the excitation process by multiphoton excitation, thermal excitation, or excitation through mid-gap levels. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Influence of the laser pulse duration on laser-produced plasma properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drogoff, B Le; Margot, J; Vidal, F; Laville, S; Chaker, M; Sabsabi, M; Johnston, T W; Barthelemy, O

2004-01-01

In the framework of laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) applications, time-resolved characteristics of laser-produced aluminium plasmas in air at atmospheric pressure are investigated for laser pulse durations ranging from 100 fs to 270 ps. Measurements show that for delays after the laser pulse longer than ∼100 ns, the plasma temperature increases slightly with the laser pulse duration, while the electron density is independent of it. In addition, as the pulse duration increases, the plasma radiation emission lasts longer and the spectral lines arise later from the continuum emission. The time dependence of the continuum emission appears to be similar whatever the duration of the laser pulse is, while the temporal evolution of the line emission seems to be affected mainly by the plasma temperature. Finally, as far as spectrochemical applications (such as LIPS) of laser-produced plasmas are concerned, this study highlights the importance of the choice of appropriate temporal gating parameters for each laser pulse duration

CO2 laser pulse shortening by laser ablation of a metal target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donnelly, T.; Mazoyer, M.; Lynch, A.; O'Sullivan, G.; O'Reilly, F.; Dunne, P.; Cummins, T.

2012-01-01

A repeatable and flexible technique for pulse shortening of laser pulses has been applied to transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO 2 laser pulses. The technique involves focusing the laser output onto a highly reflective metal target so that plasma is formed, which then operates as a shutter due to strong laser absorption and scattering. Precise control of the focused laser intensity allows for timing of the shutter so that different temporal portions of the pulse can be reflected from the target surface before plasma formation occurs. This type of shutter enables one to reduce the pulse duration down to ∼2 ns and to remove the low power, long duration tails that are present in TEA CO 2 pulses. The transmitted energy is reduced as the pulse duration is decreased but the reflected power is ∼10 MW for all pulse durations. A simple laser heating model verifies that the pulse shortening depends directly on the plasma formation time, which in turn is dependent on the applied laser intensity. It is envisaged that this plasma shutter will be used as a tool for pulse shaping in the search for laser pulse conditions to optimize conversion efficiency from laser energy to useable extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation for EUV source development.

Plasma dynamics near critical density inferred from direct measurements of laser hole boring

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Chao; Tochitsky, Sergei Ya.; Fiuza, Frederico; Pigeon, Jeremy J.; Joshi, Chan

2016-06-01

We have used multiframe picosecond optical interferometry to make direct measurements of the hole boring velocity, vHB, of the density cavity pushed forward by a train of C O2 laser pulses in a near critical density helium plasma. As the pulse train intensity rises, the increasing radiation pressure of each pulse pushes the density cavity forward and the plasma electrons are strongly heated. After the peak laser intensity, the plasma pressure exerted by the heated electrons strongly impedes the hole boring process and the vHB falls rapidly as the laser pulse intensity falls at the back of the laser pulse train. A heuristic theory is presented that allows the estimation of the plasma electron temperature from the measurements of the hole boring velocity. The measured values of vHB, and the estimated values of the heated electron temperature as a function of laser intensity are in reasonable agreement with those obtained from two-dimensional numerical simulations.

High speed FPGA-based Phasemeter for the far-infrared laser interferometers on EAST

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Y.; Liu, H.; Zou, Z.; Li, W.; Lian, H.; Jie, Y.

2017-12-01

The far-infrared laser-based HCN interferometer and POlarimeter/INTerferometer\\break (POINT) system are important diagnostics for plasma density measurement on EAST tokamak. Both HCN and POINT provide high spatial and temporal resolution of electron density measurement and used for plasma density feedback control. The density is calculated by measuring the real-time phase difference between the reference beams and the probe beams. For long-pulse operations on EAST, the calculation of density has to meet the requirements of Real-Time and high precision. In this paper, a Phasemeter for far-infrared laser-based interferometers will be introduced. The FPGA-based Phasemeter leverages fast ADCs to obtain the three-frequency signals from VDI planar-diode Mixers, and realizes digital filters and an FFT algorithm in FPGA to provide real-time, high precision electron density output. Implementation of the Phasemeter will be helpful for the future plasma real-time feedback control in long-pulse discharge.

Formation of various types of nanostructures on germanium surface by nanosecond laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Mikolutskiy, S. I.; Khasaya, R. R.; Khomich, Yu V.; Yamshchikov, V. A.

2018-03-01

The paper describes the formation of micro- and nanostructures in different parts of irradiation zone on germanium surface by multiple action of nanosecond pulses of ArF-laser. It proposes a simple method using only one laser beam without any optional devices and masks for surface treatment. Hexa- and pentagonal cells with submicron dimensions along the surface were observed in peripheral zone of irradiation spot by atomic-force microscopy. Nanostructures in the form of bulbs with rounded peaks with lateral sizes of 40-120 nm were obtained in peripheral low-intensity region of the laser spot. Considering experimental data on material processing by nanosecond laser pulses, a classification of five main types of surface reliefs formed by nanosecond laser pulses with energy density near or slightly above ablation threshold was proposed.

High power ultrashort pulse lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, M.D.

1994-01-01

Small scale terawatt and soon even petawatt (1000 terawatt) class laser systems are made possible by application of the chirped-pulse amplification technique to solid-state lasers combined with the availability of broad bandwidth materials. These lasers make possible a new class of high gradient accelerators based on the large electric fields associated with intense laser-plasma interactions or from the intense laser field directly. Here, we concentrate on the laser technology to produce these intense pulses. Application of the smallest of these systems to the production of high brightness electron sources is also introduced

Direct femtosecond laser writing of buried infrared waveguides in chalcogenide glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Le Coq, D.; Bychkov, E.; Masselin, P.

2016-02-01

Direct laser writing technique is now widely used in particular in glass, to produce both passive and active photonic devices. This technique offers a real scientific opportunity to generate three-dimensional optical components and since chalcogenide glasses possess transparency properties from the visible up to mid-infrared range, they are of great interest. Moreover, they also have high optical non-linearity and high photo-sensitivity that make easy the inscription of refractive index modification. The understanding of the fundamental and physical processes induced by the laser pulses is the key to well-control the laser writing and consequently to realize integrated photonic devices. In this paper, we will focus on two different ways allowing infrared buried waveguide to be obtained. The first part will be devoted to a very original writing process based on a helical translation of the sample through the laser beam. In the second part, we will report on another original method based on both a filamentation phenomenon and a point by point technique. Finally, we will demonstrate that these two writing techniques are suitable for the design of single mode waveguide for wavelength ranging from the visible up to the infrared but also to fabricate optical components.

Laser ablation comparison by picosecond pulses train and nanosecond pulse

Science.gov (United States)

Lednev, V. N.; Filippov, M. N.; Bunkin, A. F.; Pershin, S. M.

2015-12-01

A comparison of laser ablation by a train of picosecond pulses and nanosecond pulses revealed a difference in laser craters, ablation thresholds, plasma sizes and spectral line intensities. Laser ablation with a train of picosecond pulses resulted in improved crater quality while ablated mass decreased up to 30%. A reduction in laser plasma dimensions for picosecond train ablation was observed while the intensity of atomic/ionic lines in the plasma spectra was greater by a factor of 2-4 indicating an improved excitation and atomization in the plasma.

Analysis of laser energy deposition leading to damage and ablation of HfO{sub 2} and Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} single layers submitted to 500 fs pulses at 1030 and 343 nm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douti, Dam-Be; Begou, Thomas; Lemarchand, Fabien; Lumeau, Julien; Commandre, Mireille; Gallais, Laurent [Aix-Marseille Universite, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel UMR 7249, Marseille (France)

2016-07-15

Laser- induced damage thresholds and morphologies of laser ablated sites on dielectric thin films are studied based on experiments and simulations. The films are single layers of hafnia and niobia deposited on fused silica substrates with a magnetron sputtering technique. Laser experiments are conducted with 500 fs pulses at 1030 and 343 nm, and the irradiated sites are characterized with optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results, i.e., LIDT and damage morphologies, are compared to simulations of energy deposition in the films based on the single rate equation for electron excitation, taking into account transient optical properties of the films during the pulse. The results suggest that a critical absorbed energy as a damage criterion gives consistent results both with the measured LIDT and the observed damage morphologies at fluences close to the damage threshold. Based on the numerical and experimental results, the determined LIDT evolution with the wavelength is described as nearly constant in the near-infrared region, and as rapidly decreasing with laser wavelength in the visible and near-ultraviolet regions. (orig.)

Applications of ultra-short pulsed laser ablation: thin films deposition and fs/ns dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teghil, R; De Bonis, A; Galasso, A; Santagata, A; Albano, G; Villani, P; Spera, D; Parisi, G P

2008-01-01

In this paper, we report a survey of two of the large number of possible practical applications of the laser ablation performed by an ultra-short pulse laser, namely pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and fs/ns dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (DP-LIBS). These applications differ from those using just longer pulsed lasers as a consequence of the distinctive characteristics of the plasma produced by ultra-short laser beams. The most important feature of this plasma is the large presence of particles with nanometric size which plays a fundamental role in both applications.

Mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped by an amplified random fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Yaping; Shen, Meili; Wang, Peng; Li, Xiao; Xu, Xiaojun

2017-01-01

Recently, the concept of random fiber lasers has attracted a great deal of attention for its feature to generate incoherent light without a traditional laser resonator, which is free of mode competition and insure the stationary narrow-band continuous modeless spectrum. In this Letter, we reported the first, to the best of our knowledge, optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by an amplified 1070 nm random fiber laser (RFL), in order to generate stationary mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser. The experiment realized a watt-level laser output in the mid-IR range and operated relatively stable. The use of the RFL seed source allowed us to take advantage of its respective stable time-domain characteristics. The beam profile, spectrum and time-domain properties of the signal light were measured to analyze the process of frequency down-conversion process under this new pumping condition. The results suggested that the near-infrared (near-IR) signal light `inherited' good beam performances from the pump light. Those would be benefit for further develop about optical parametric process based on different pumping circumstances.

Time-resolved UV spectroscopy on ammonia excited by a pulsed CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holbach, H.

1980-07-01

This work investigates the excitation of ammonia by a pulsed CO 2 laser, in particular the processes associated with collisions with argon. It was prompted by two previous observations: the previously reported infrared multiphoton dissociation of NH 3 under nearly collisionless conditions, and the ill understood excitation mechanism of apparently nonresonant low vibrational levels in the presence of Ar. Based on recent spectroscopic data, all vibrational-rotational levels were determined which are simultaneously excited by different CO 2 laser lines. Transitions between the 1 + and 2 - vibrational levels were also taken into account. The linewidth in these calculations was dominated by power broadening, which generates a half width at half maximum of 0.36 cm -1 at the typical power density of 10 MW/cm 2 . In order to reproduce published experimental absorption data, it proved necessary to take account all transitions within a distance of 20 cm -1 from the laser line. This fact implies in most cases the simultaneous population of a large number of vibrational-rotational levels. The population of levels by absorption or by subsequent collisional processes was probed by time-resolved absorption measurement of vibrational bands and their rotational envelope in the near UV. Time resolution (5...10) was sufficient to observe rotational relaxation within individual vibrational levels. Characteristic differences were found for the various excitation lines. (orig.) [de

Double pulse laser ablation and plasma: Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babushok, V.I.; DeLucia, F.C.; Gottfried, J.L.; Munson, C.A.; Miziolek, A.W.

2006-01-01

A review of recent results of the studies of double laser pulse plasma and ablation for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy applications is presented. The double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy configuration was suggested with the aim of overcoming the sensitivity shortcomings of the conventional single pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. Several configurations have been suggested for the realization of the double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique: collinear, orthogonal pre-spark, orthogonal pre-heating and dual pulse crossed beam modes. In addition, combinations of laser pulses with different wavelengths, different energies and durations were studied, thus providing flexibility in the choice of wavelength, pulse width, energy and pulse sequence. The double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy approach provides a significant enhancement in the intensity of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy emission lines up to two orders of magnitude greater than a conventional single pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. The double pulse technique leads to a better coupling of the laser beam with the plasma plume and target material, thus providing a more temporally effective energy delivery to the plasma and target. The experimental results demonstrate that the maximum effect is obtained at some optimum separation delay time between pulses. The optimum value of the interpulse delay depends on several factors, such as the target material, the energy level of excited states responsible for the emission, and the type of enhancement process considered. Depending on the specified parameter, the enhancement effects were observed on different time scales ranging from the picosecond time level (e.g., ion yield, ablation mass) up to the hundred microsecond level (e.g., increased emission intensity for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of submerged metal target in water). Several suggestions have been proposed to explain

A time-gated near-infrared spectroscopic imaging device for clinical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Poulet, Patrick; Uhring, Wilfried; Hanselmann, Walter; Glazenborg, René; Nouizi, Farouk; Zint, Virginie; Hirschi, Werner

2013-03-01

A time-resolved, spectroscopic, diffuse optical tomography device was assembled for clinical applications like brain functional imaging. The entire instrument lies in a unique setup that includes a light source, an ultrafast time-gated intensified camera and all the electronic control units. The light source is composed of four near infrared laser diodes driven by a nanosecond electrical pulse generator working in a sequential mode at a repetition rate of 100 MHz. The light pulses are less than 80 ps FWHM. They are injected in a four-furcated optical fiber ended with a frontal light distributor to obtain a uniform illumination spot directed towards the head of the patient. Photons back-scattered by the subject are detected by the intensified CCD camera. There are resolved according to their time of flight inside the head. The photocathode is powered by an ultrafast generator producing 50 V pulses, at 100 MHz and a width corresponding to a 200 ps FWHM gate. The intensifier has been specially designed for this application. The whole instrument is controlled by an FPGA based module. All the acquisition parameters are configurable via software through an USB plug and the image data are transferred to a PC via an Ethernet link. The compactness of the device makes it a perfect device for bedside clinical applications. The instrument will be described and characterized. Preliminary data recorded on test samples will be presented.

Design and construction of liquid lasers using organic dyes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hariri, Akbar.

1984-01-01

Organic dye solution show great promise of obtaining tunable coherent light over the uv, visible and near infrared portion of spectrum. In this paper we describe various pumping schemes of dye molecules. Design, construction and performance of a pulsed dye laser, transversely pumped by a nitrogen laser and wall-ablation flash lamp-pumped dye lasers are the particular examples which are presented in detail

Mid infrared lasers for remote sensing applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walsh, Brian M., E-mail: brian.m.walsh@nasa.gov [NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 (United States); Lee, Hyung R. [National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA 23666 (United States); Barnes, Norman P. [Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Hampton, VA 23666 (United States)

2016-01-15

To accurately measure the concentrations of atmospheric gasses, especially the gasses with low concentrations, strong absorption features must be accessed. Each molecular species or constituent has characteristic mid-infrared absorption features by which either column content or range resolved concentrations can be measured. Because of these characteristic absorption features the mid infrared spectral region is known as the fingerprint region. However, as noted by the Decadal Survey, mid-infrared solid-state lasers needed for DIAL systems are not available. The primary reason is associated with short upper laser level lifetimes of mid infrared transitions. Energy gaps between the energy levels that produce mid-infrared laser transitions are small, promoting rapid nonradiative quenching. Nonradiative quenching is a multiphonon process, the more phonons needed, the smaller the effect. More low energy phonons are required to span an energy gap than high energy phonons. Thus, low energy phonon materials have less nonradiative quenching compared to high energy phonon materials. Common laser materials, such as oxides like YAG, are high phonon energy materials, while fluorides, chlorides and bromides are low phonon materials. Work at NASA Langley is focused on a systematic search for novel lanthanide-doped mid-infrared solid-state lasers using both quantum mechanical models (theoretical) and spectroscopy (experimental) techniques. Only the best candidates are chosen for laser studies. The capabilities of modeling materials, experimental challenges, material properties, spectroscopy, and prospects for lanthanide-doped mid-infrared solid-state laser devices will be presented. - Highlights: • We discuss mid infrared lasers and laser materials. • We discuss applications to remote sensing. • We survey the lanthanide ions in low phonon materials for potential. • We present examples of praseodymium mid infrared spectroscopy and laser design.

Stoichiometric transfer of material in the infrared pulsed laser deposition of yttrium doped Bi-2212 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Vero, Jeffrey C.; Blanca, Glaiza Rose S.; Vitug, Jaziel R.; Garcia, Wilson O.; Sarmago, Roland V.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → This work describes the stoichiometric transfer of Y-doped Bi-2212 during IR-PLD. → As-deposited films show spheroidal morphology with similar composition as the target. Relatively flat and highly c-axis oriented films were obtained after heat treatment. → IR-PLD can be a viable technique in growing other high Tc superconducting materials. - Abstract: Films of Y-doped Bi-2212 were successfully grown on MgO (1 0 0) substrates by infrared pulsed laser deposition (IR-PLD). With post-heat treatments, smooth and highly c-axis oriented films were obtained. The average compositions of the films have the same stoichiometry as the target. Y content is also preserved on the grown films at all doping levels. The electrical properties of the grown Y-doped Bi-2212 films exhibit the expected electrical properties of the bulk Y-doped Bi-2212. This is attributed to the stoichiometric transfer of material by IR-PLD.

DNA fragmentation and nuclear phenotype in tendons exposed to low-intensity infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

de Paoli, Flavia; Ramos Cerqueira, Larissa; Martins Ramos, Mayara; Campos, Vera M.; Ferreira-Machado, Samara C.; Geller, Mauro; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson

2015-03-01

Clinical protocols are recommended in device guidelines outlined for treating many diseases on empirical basis. However, effects of low-intensity infrared lasers at fluences used in clinical protocols on DNA are controversial. Excitation of endogenous chromophores in tissues and free radicals generation could be described as a consequence of laser used. DNA lesions induced by free radicals cause changes in DNA structure, chromatin organization, ploidy degrees and cell death. In this work, we investigated whether low-intensity infrared laser therapy could alter the fibroblasts nuclei characteristics and induce DNA fragmentation. Tendons of Wistar rats were exposed to low-intensity infrared laser (830 nm), at different fluences (1, 5 and 10 J/cm2), in continuous wave (power output of 10mW, power density of 79.6 mW/cm2). Different frequencies were analyzed for the higher fluence (10 J/cm2), at pulsed emission mode (2.5, 250 and 2500 Hz), with the laser source at surface of skin. Geometric, densitometric and textural parameters obtained for Feulgen-stained nuclei by image analysis were used to define nuclear phenotypes. Significant differences were observed on the nuclear phenotype of tendons after exposure to laser, as well as, high cell death percentages was observed for all fluences and frequencies analyzed here, exception 1 J/cm2 fluence. Our results indicate that low-intensity infrared laser can alter geometric, densitometric and textural parameters in tendon fibroblasts nuclei. Laser can also induce DNA fragmentation, chromatin lost and consequently cell death, using fluences, frequencies and emission modes took out from clinical protocols.

Pulse length of ultracold electron bunches extracted from a laser cooled gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. G. H. Franssen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We present measurements of the pulse length of ultracold electron bunches generated by near-threshold two-photon photoionization of a laser-cooled gas. The pulse length has been measured using a resonant 3 GHz deflecting cavity in TM110 mode. We have measured the pulse length in three ionization regimes. The first is direct two-photon photoionization using only a 480 nm femtosecond laser pulse, which results in short (∼15 ps but hot (∼104 K electron bunches. The second regime is just-above-threshold femtosecond photoionization employing the combination of a continuous-wave 780 nm excitation laser and a tunable 480 nm femtosecond ionization laser which results in both ultracold (∼10 K and ultrafast (∼25 ps electron bunches. These pulses typically contain ∼103 electrons and have a root-mean-square normalized transverse beam emittance of 1.5 ± 0.1 nm rad. The measured pulse lengths are limited by the energy spread associated with the longitudinal size of the ionization volume, as expected. The third regime is just-below-threshold ionization which produces Rydberg states which slowly ionize on microsecond time scales.

Laser pulse heating of steel mixing with WC particles in a irradiated region

Science.gov (United States)

Shuja, S. Z.; Yilbas, B. S.; Ali, H.; Karatas, C.

2016-12-01

Laser pulse heating of steel mixing with tungsten carbide (WC) particles is carried out. Temperature field in the irradiated region is simulated in line with the experimental conditions. In the analysis, a laser pulse parameter is introduced, which defines the laser pulse intensity distribution at the irradiated surface. The influence of the laser parameter on the melt pool size and the maximum temperature increase in the irradiated region is examined. Surface temperature predictions are compared with the experimental data. In addition, the distribution of WC particles and their re-locations in the treated layer, due to combination of the natural convection and Marangoni currents, are predicted. The findings are compared to the experimental data. It is found that surface temperature predictions agree well with the experimental data. The dislocated WC particles form a streamlining in the near region of the melt pool wall, which agree with the experimental findings. The Gaussian distribution of the laser pulse intensity results in the maximum peak temperature and the maximum flow velocity inside the melt pool. In this case, the melt pool depth becomes the largest as compared to those corresponding to other laser pulse intensity distributions at the irradiated surface.

Towards a petawatt-class few-cycle infrared laser system via dual-chirped optical parametric amplification.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Yuxi; Midorikawa, Katsumi; Takahashi, Eiji J

2018-05-16

Expansion of the wavelength range for an ultrafast laser is an important ingredient for extending its range of applications. Conventionally, optical parametric amplification (OPA) has been employed to expand the laser wavelength to the infrared (IR) region. However, the achievable pulse energy and peak power have been limited to the mJ and the GW level, respectively. A major difficulty in the further energy scaling of OPA results from a lack of suitable large nonlinear crystals. Here, we circumvent this difficulty by employing a dual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) scheme. We successfully generate a multi-TW IR femtosecond laser pulse with an energy of 100 mJ order, which is higher than that reported in previous works. We also obtain excellent energy scaling ability, ultrashort pulses, flexiable wavelength tunability, and high-energy stability, which prove that DC-OPA is a superior method for the energy scaling of IR pulses to the 10 J/PW level.

Ultrashort laser pulses and electromagnetic pulse generation in air and on dielectric surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprangle, P.; Penano, J.R.; Hafizi, B.; Kapetanakos, C.A.

2004-01-01

Intense, ultrashort laser pulses propagating in the atmosphere have been observed to emit sub-THz electromagnetic pulses (EMPS). The purpose of this paper is to analyze EMP generation from the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with air and with dielectric surfaces and to determine the efficiency of conversion of laser energy to EMP energy. In our self-consistent model the laser pulse partially ionizes the medium, forms a plasma filament, and through the ponderomotive forces associated with the laser pulse, drives plasma currents which are the source of the EMP. The propagating laser pulse evolves under the influence of diffraction, Kerr focusing, plasma defocusing, and energy depletion due to electron collisions and ionization. Collective effects and recombination processes are also included in the model. The duration of the EMP in air, at a fixed point, is found to be a few hundred femtoseconds, i.e., on the order of the laser pulse duration plus the electron collision time. For steady state laser pulse propagation the flux of EMP energy is nonradiative and axially directed. Radiative EMP energy is present only for nonsteady state or transient laser pulse propagation. The analysis also considers the generation of EMP on the surface of a dielectric on which an ultrashort laser pulse is incident. For typical laser parameters, the power and energy conversion efficiency from laser radiation to EMP radiation in both air and from dielectric surfaces is found to be extremely small, -8 . Results of full-scale, self-consistent, numerical simulations of atmospheric and dielectric surface EMP generation are presented. A recent experiment on atmospheric EMP generation is also simulated

Infrared laser induced organic reactions. 2. Laser vs. thermal inducment of unimolecular and hydrogen bromide catalyzed bimolecular dehydration of alcohols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danen, W.C.

1979-01-01

It has been demonstrated that a mixture of reactant molecules can be induced by pulsed infrared laser radiation to react via a route which is totally different from the pathway resulting from heating the mixture at 300 0 C. The high-energy unimolecular elimination of H 2 O from ethanol in the presence of 2-propanol and HBr can be selectively induced with a pulsed CO 2 laser in preference to either a lower energy bimolecular HBr-catalyzed dehydration or the more facile dehydration of 2-propanol. Heating the mixture resulted in the almost exclusive reaction of 2-propanol to produce propylene. It was demonstrated that the bimolecular ethanol + HBr reaction cannot be effectively induced by the infrared laser radiation as evidenced by the detrimental effect on the yield of ethylene as the HBr pressure was increased. The selective, nonthermal inducement of H 2 O elimination from vibrationally excited ethanol in the presence of 2-propanol required relatively low reactant pressures. At higher pressures intermolecular V--V energy transfer allowed the thermally more facile dehydration from 2-propanol to become the predominant reaction channel

Infrared response of YBa2Cu3O7-δ films to pulsed, broadband synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, G.L.; Quijada, M.; Tanner, D.B.; Etemad, S.; DeRosa, F.; Venkatesan, T.; Dutta, B.; Hemmick, D.; Xi, X.

1990-01-01

We report studies of a thin high T c film operating as a fast bolometric detector of infrared radiation. The film has a response of infrared radiation. The film has a response of several mV when exposed to a 1 W, 1 ns duration broadband infrared pulse. The decay after the pulse was about 4 ns. The temperature dependence of the response accurately tracked dR/dT. A thermal model, in which the film's temperature varies relative to the substrate, provides a good description of the response. We find no evidence for other (non-bolometric) response mechanisms for temperatures near or well below T c . 13 refs., 4 figs

Studies of calorimeter absorbers for CW and pulsed CO2 lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunn, S.R.

1975-01-01

Solid and liquid absorbers, used in calorimeters to measure the power and energy of cw and pulsed CO 2 lasers, have been studied from 9.24 to 10.76 μm (cw) and near 10.588 μm (pulsed). The principal materials used were magnesium oxide, lithium fluoride, polystyrene, polytetrafluorethylene, carbon tetrachloride and kerosene. (U.S.)

Development of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers and their applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishii, Nobuhisa

2006-11-21

In this work, optical pulse amplification by parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) has been applied to the generation of high-energy, few-cycle optical pulses in the near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) spectral regions. Amplification of such pulses is ordinarily difficult to achieve by existing techniques of pulse amplification based on standard laser gain media followed by external compression. Potential applications of few-cycle pulses in the IR have also been demonstrated. The NIR OPCPA system produces 0.5-terawatt (10 fs,5 mJ) pulses by use of noncollinearly phase-matched optical parametric amplification and a down-chirping stretcher and up-chirping compressor pair. An IR OPCPA system was also developed which produces 20-gigawatt (20 fs,350 {mu}J) pulses at 2.1 {mu}m. The IR seed pulse is generated by optical rectification of a broadband pulse and therefore it exhibits a self-stabilized carrier-envelope phase (CEP). In the IR OPCPA a common laser source is used to generate the pump and seed resulting in an inherent sub-picosecond optical synchronization between the two pulses. This was achieved by use of a custom-built Nd:YLF picosecond pump pulse amplifier that is directly seeded with optical pulses from a custom-built ultrabroadband Ti:sapphire oscillator. Synchronization between the pump and seed pulses is critical for efficient and stable amplification. Two spectroscopic applications which utilize these unique sources have been demonstrated. First, the visible supercontinuum was generated in a solid-state media by the infrared optical pulses and through which the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the driving pulse was measured with an f-to-3f interferometer. This measurement confirms the self-stabilization mechanism of the CEP in a difference frequency generation process and the preservation of the CEP during optical parametric amplification. Second, high-order harmonics with energies extending beyond 200 eV were generated with the few

Development and application of a far infrared laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, Kazuya; Okajima, Shigeki; Kawahata, Kazuo

2011-01-01

There has been a 40 years history on the application of an infrared laser to interference, polarization and scattering light sources in fusion plasma diagnostics. It is one of important light sources in ITER plasma diagnostics too. In the present review, authors recall the history of the infrared laser development especially of cw infrared lasers. In addition, the state-of-the-art technology for infrared lasers, infrared components and its applications to plasma diagnostics are discussed. (J.P.N.)

Analysis of picosecond pulsed laser melted graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinbeck, J.; Braunstein, G.; Speck, J.; Dresselhaus, M.S.; Huang, C.Y.; Malvezzi, A.M.; Bloembergen, N.

1986-01-01

A Raman microprobe and high resolution TEM have been used to analyze the resolidified region of liquid carbon generated by picosecond pulse laser radiation. From the relative intensities of the zone center Raman-allowed mode for graphite at 1582 cm -1 and the disorder-induced mode at 1360 cm -1 , the average graphite crystallite size in the resolidified region is determined as a function of position. By comparison with Rutherford backscattering spectra and Raman spectra from nonosecond pulsed laser melting experiments, the disorder depth for picosecond pulsed laser melted graphite is determined as a function of irradiating energy density. Comparisons of TEM micrographs for nanosecond and picosecond pulsed laser melting experiments show that the structure of the laser disordered regions in graphite are similar and exhibit similar behavior with increasing laser pulse fluence

Characterisation of beams of low power infrared lasers for medical uses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welch, M.; Ramsay, D.

1996-01-01

Full text: The initial aim of this work was to investigate the power stability, both temporally and spatially, of the beams of low power infrared diode lasers of the type used by physiotherapists and vascular surgeons. Most of the lasers in this category are small, handheld devices, often with on/off switches which are manually held on while the laser is running. Two of those tested were larger, on stands, and could be set to run for a nominated time. Measurements made by one of us prior to the project had indicated that the power output of at least one of the lasers in use at Westmead Hospital was varying significantly over the treatment time. It is not at present known whether or not uniformity of power output is a significant factor in low power laser therapy, which has been shown to have beneficial effects for conditions ranging from torn muscles and arthritis to birth marks. Dramatic improvement in the healing of skin ulcers and wounds such as amputation scars has also been recorded. Equipment was chosen and a set of techniques developed for analysing the laser beams (some of which operated in continuous wave mode, some in pulsed mode, and some in both) with respect to: power output over time; power distribution within the beam, ie., beam profile; beam divergence; and pulse repetition frequency and pulse shape, if applicable. The fact that some of the lasers were continuous wave, some were pulsed and that some had very high pulse repetition frequencies placed restrictions on the type of power meter which could be used. Eventually a surface absorbing thermal power meter, responsive over a wide range of wavelengths, was chosen for temporal power measurements. Pulse repetition rates and pulse shapes were shown on a CRO; and spatial power distribution, beam shape, power distribution and divergence were recorded via a CCD camera and Spiricon laser beam analyser. 3D printouts from the Spiricon were made showing distribution of beam power. Nine lasers were analysed

Single-mode pulsed dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a long pulse width

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Jong Hoon; Kim, Jin Tae; Moon, Hee Jong; Rho, Si Pyo; Han, Jae Min; Rhee, Yong Joo; Lee, Jong Min

1999-01-01

The lasing characteristics of a single-mode dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) with a high repetition rate is described. A 45-mm-long Nd:YAG rod was pumped by three CW diode arrays and it was acousto-optically Q-switched. A KTP crystal was used for intracavity frequency doubling. The pulse width of the laser ranged from 90 ns to 200 ns, depending on the diode current and the Q-switching frequency. The single-mode dye laser had a grazing incidence configuration. The pulse width of the dye laser was reduced to about 1/8 of the pumping laser pulse width. The effects of the DPSSL Q-switching frequency, the driving current, and the cavity loss on the dye laser pulse width were investigated by using a simple plane-parallel cavity. From the measured pulse width of the dye laser as a function of the reflectivity of the dye laser output coupler, we found that the cavity loss due to the frequency selection elements and the output coupler should be less than 70 % in order to avoid a drastically reduced pulse width

Effect of pulse repetition rate and number of pulses in the analysis of polypropylene and high density polyethylene by nanosecond infrared laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leme, Flavio O. [Laboratorio de Quimica Analitica ' Henrique Bergamin Filho' , Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Centenario 303, 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP (Brazil); Godoi, Quienly [Laboratorio de Quimica Analitica ' Henrique Bergamin Filho' , Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Centenario 303, 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP (Brazil); Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Kiyataka, Paulo H.M. [Centro de Tecnologia de Embalagens, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Av. Brasil 2880, 13070-178 Campinas, SP (Brazil); Santos, Dario [Departamento de Ciencias Exatas e da Terra, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Rua Prof. Artur Riedel 275, 09972-270 Diadema, SP (Brazil); Agnelli, Jose A.M. [Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); and others

2012-02-01

Pulse repetition rates and the number of laser pulses are among the most important parameters that do affect the analysis of solid materials by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, and the knowledge of their effects is of fundamental importance for suggesting analytical strategies when dealing with laser ablation processes of polymers. In this contribution, the influence of these parameters in the ablated mass and in the features of craters was evaluated in polypropylene and high density polyethylene plates containing pigment-based PbCrO{sub 4}. Surface characterization and craters profile were carried out by perfilometry and scanning electron microscopy. Area, volume and profile of craters were obtained using Taylor Map software. A laser induced breakdown spectroscopy system consisted of a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 5 ns) and an Echelle spectrometer equipped with ICCD detector were used. The evaluated operating conditions consisted of 10, 25 and 50 laser pulses at 1, 5 and 10 Hz, 250 mJ/pulse (85 J cm{sup -2}), 2 {mu}s delay time and 6 {mu}s integration time gate. Differences in the topographical features among craters of both polymers were observed. The decrease in the repetition rate resulted in irregular craters and formation of edges, especially in polypropylene sample. The differences in the topographical features and ablated masses were attributed to the influence of the degree of crystallinity, crystalline melting temperature and glass transition temperature in the ablation process of the high density polyethylene and polypropylene. It was also observed that the intensities of chromium and lead emission signals obtained at 10 Hz were two times higher than at 5 Hz by keeping the number of laser pulses constant.

Comparison of therapeutic effects between pulsed and continuous wave 810-nm wavelength laser irradiation for traumatic brain injury in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiro Ando

Full Text Available Transcranial low-level laser therapy (LLLT using near-infrared light can efficiently penetrate through the scalp and skull and could allow non-invasive treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI. In the present study, we compared the therapeutic effect using 810-nm wavelength laser light in continuous and pulsed wave modes in a mouse model of TBI.TBI was induced by a controlled cortical-impact device and 4-hours post-TBI 1-group received a sham treatment and 3-groups received a single exposure to transcranial LLLT, either continuous wave or pulsed at 10-Hz or 100-Hz with a 50% duty cycle. An 810-nm Ga-Al-As diode laser delivered a spot with diameter of 1-cm onto the injured head with a power density of 50-mW/cm(2 for 12-minutes giving a fluence of 36-J/cm(2. Neurological severity score (NSS and body weight were measured up to 4 weeks. Mice were sacrificed at 2, 15 and 28 days post-TBI and the lesion size was histologically analyzed. The quantity of ATP production in the brain tissue was determined immediately after laser irradiation. We examined the role of LLLT on the psychological state of the mice at 1 day and 4 weeks after TBI using tail suspension test and forced swim test.The 810-nm laser pulsed at 10-Hz was the most effective judged by improvement in NSS and body weight although the other laser regimens were also effective. The brain lesion volume of mice treated with 10-Hz pulsed-laser irradiation was significantly lower than control group at 15-days and 4-weeks post-TBI. Moreover, we found an antidepressant effect of LLLT at 4-weeks as shown by forced swim and tail suspension tests.The therapeutic effect of LLLT for TBI with an 810-nm laser was more effective at 10-Hz pulse frequency than at CW and 100-Hz. This finding may provide a new insight into biological mechanisms of LLLT.

Near-Infrared Wireless Optical Communication with Particulates In-Suspension over the Underwater Channel

KAUST Repository

Lee, It Ee; Guo, Yong; Ng, Tien Khee; Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ooi, Boon S.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate a gigabit near-infrared-based underwater wireless optical communication link using an 808-nm laser diode to mitigate the particle scattering effect in turbid medium. An improvement in the error performance is observed with increasing

Pulsed-laser deposition and growth studies of Bi3Fe5O12 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lux, Robert; Heinrich, Andreas; Leitenmeier, Stephan; Koerner, Timo; Herbort, Michael; Stritzker, Bernd

2006-01-01

Magneto-optical garnets are attractive because of their high Faraday rotation and low optical loss in the near infrared. Therefore their use is generally in nonreciprocal devices, i.e., as optical isolators in optical communication. In this paper we present data concerning the deposition of Bi 3 Fe 5 O 12 (BIG) thin films on (100) and (111) Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 substrates using pulsed-laser deposition. Laser-induced processes on the surface of the oxide target used for ablation were analyzed and numerous films were deposited. We found the BIG film quality to be strongly affected by oxygen pressure, laser energy density, and the Bi/Fe film ratio, whereas temperature had a minor influence. We also investigated the BIG-film deposition using a target pressed from metallic Bi and Fe powders and found information on the growth behavior of BIG. We report on details of the film deposition and film properties determined by environmental scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. In addition, we determined the Faraday rotation of the films

Characterization of ethylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose thin films deposited by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palla-Papavlu, A., E-mail: apalla@nipne.ro [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, PO Box MG-36, Magurele, RO-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Rusen, L.; Dinca, V.; Filipescu, M. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, PO Box MG-36, Magurele, RO-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Lippert, T. [Paul Scherrer Institut, General Energy Research Department, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Dinescu, M. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, PO Box MG-36, Magurele, RO-077125 Bucharest (Romania)

2014-05-01

In this study is reported the deposition of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and ethylcellulose (EC) by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). Both HPMC and EC were deposited on silicon substrates using a Nd:YAG laser (266 nm, 5 ns laser pulse and 10 Hz repetition rate) and then characterized by atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that for laser fluences up to 450 mJ/cm{sup 2} the structure of the deposited HPMC and EC polymer in the thin film resembles to the bulk. Morphological investigations reveal island features on the surface of the EC thin films, and pores onto the HPMC polymer films. The obtained results indicate that MAPLE may be an alternative technique for the fabrication of new systems with desired drug release profile.

Characterization of ethylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose thin films deposited by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Palla-Papavlu, A.; Rusen, L.; Dinca, V.; Filipescu, M.; Lippert, T.; Dinescu, M.

2014-05-01

In this study is reported the deposition of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and ethylcellulose (EC) by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). Both HPMC and EC were deposited on silicon substrates using a Nd:YAG laser (266 nm, 5 ns laser pulse and 10 Hz repetition rate) and then characterized by atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that for laser fluences up to 450 mJ/cm2 the structure of the deposited HPMC and EC polymer in the thin film resembles to the bulk. Morphological investigations reveal island features on the surface of the EC thin films, and pores onto the HPMC polymer films. The obtained results indicate that MAPLE may be an alternative technique for the fabrication of new systems with desired drug release profile.

Low-intensity red and infrared laser effects at high fluences on Escherichia coli cultures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barboza, L.L.; Campos, V.M.A.; Magalhaes, L.A.G. [Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Departamento de Biofisica e Biometria; Paoli, F. [Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Morfologia; Fonseca, A.S., E-mail: adnfonseca@ig.com.br [Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Departamento de Ciencias Fisiologicas

2015-10-15

Semiconductor laser devices are readily available and practical radiation sources providing wavelength tenability and high monochromaticity. Low-intensity red and near-infrared lasers are considered safe for use in clinical applications. However, adverse effects can occur via free radical generation, and the biological effects of these lasers from unusually high fluences or high doses have not yet been evaluated. Here, we evaluated the survival, filamentation induction and morphology of Escherichia coli cells deficient in repair of oxidative DNA lesions when exposed to low-intensity red and infrared lasers at unusually high fluences. Cultures of wild-type (AB1157), endonuclease III-deficient (JW1625-1), and endonuclease IV-deficient (JW2146-1) E. coli, in exponential and stationary growth phases, were exposed to red and infrared lasers (0, 250, 500, and 1000 J/cm{sup 2}) to evaluate their survival rates, filamentation phenotype induction and cell morphologies. The results showed that low-intensity red and infrared lasers at high fluences are lethal, induce a filamentation phenotype, and alter the morphology of the E. coli cells. Low-intensity red and infrared lasers have potential to induce adverse effects on cells, whether used at unusually high fluences, or at high doses. Hence, there is a need to reinforce the importance of accurate dosimetry in therapeutic protocols. (author)

Near-Infrared Wireless Optical Communication with Particulates In-Suspension over the Underwater Channel

KAUST Repository

Lee, It Ee

2017-05-08

We demonstrate a gigabit near-infrared-based underwater wireless optical communication link using an 808-nm laser diode to mitigate the particle scattering effect in turbid medium. An improvement in the error performance is observed with increasing concentrations.

Near infrared laser stimulation of human neural stem cells into neurons on graphene nanomesh semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhavan, Omid; Ghaderi, Elham; Shirazian, Soheil A

2015-02-01

Reduced graphene oxide nanomeshes (rGONMs), as p-type semiconductors with band-gap energy of ∼ 1 eV, were developed and applied in near infrared (NIR) laser stimulation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into neurons. The biocompatibility of the rGONMs in growth of hNSCs was found similar to that of the graphene oxide (GO) sheets. Proliferation of the hNSCs on the GONMs was assigned to the excess oxygen functional groups formed on edge defects of the GONMs, resulting in superhydrophilicity of the surface. Under NIR laser stimulation, the graphene layers (especially the rGONMs) exhibited significant cell differentiations, including more elongations of the cells and higher differentiation of neurons than glia. The higher hNSC differentiation on the rGONM than the reduced GO (rGO) was assigned to the stimulation effects of the low-energy photoexcited electrons injected from the rGONM semiconductors into the cells, while the high-energy photoelectrons of the rGO (as a zero band-gap semiconductor) could suppress the cell proliferation and/or even cause cell damages. Using conventional heating of the culture media up to ∼ 43 °C (the temperature typically reached under the laser irradiation), no significant differentiation was observed in dark. This further confirmed the role of photoelectrons in the hNSC differentiation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of Xe and Kr impurities on x-ray yield from debris-free plasma x-ray sources with an Ar supersonic gas jet irradiated by femtosecond near-infrared-wavelength laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Kantsyrev, V. L.; Schultz, K. A.; Shlyaptseva, V. V.; Petrov, G. M.; Safronova, A. S.; Petkov, E. E.; Moschella, J. J.; Shrestha, I.; Cline, W.; Wiewior, P.; Chalyy, O.

2016-11-01

Many aspects of physical phenomena occurring when an intense laser pulse with subpicosecond duration and an intensity of 1018-1019W /cm2 heats an underdense plasma in a supersonic clustered gas jet are studied to determine the relative contribution of thermal and nonthermal processes to soft- and hard-x-ray emission from debris-free plasmas. Experiments were performed at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Leopard laser operated with a 15-J, 350-fs pulse and different pulse contrasts (107 or 105). The supersonic linear (elongated) nozzle generated Xe cluster-monomer gas jets as well as jets with Kr-Ar or Xe-Kr-Ar mixtures with densities of 1018-1019cm-3 . Prior to laser heating experiments, all jets were probed with optical interferometry and Rayleigh scattering to measure jet density and cluster distribution parameters. The supersonic linear jet provides the capability to study the anisotropy of x-ray yield from laser plasma and also laser beam self-focusing in plasma, which leads to efficient x-ray generation. Plasma diagnostics included x-ray diodes, pinhole cameras, and spectrometers. Jet signatures of x-ray emission from pure Xe gas, as well as from a mixture with Ar and Kr, was found to be very different. The most intense x-ray emission in the 1-9 KeV spectral region was observed from gas mixtures rather than pure Xe. Also, this x-ray emission was strongly anisotropic with respect to the direction of laser beam polarization. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (Non-LTE) models have been implemented to analyze the x-ray spectra to determine the plasma temperature and election density. Evidence of electron beam generation in the supersonic jet plasma was found. The influence of the subpicosecond laser pulse contrast (a ratio between the laser peak intensity and pedestal pulse intensity) on the jets' x-ray emission characteristics is discussed. Surprisingly, it was found that the x-ray yield was not sensitive to the prepulse contrast ratio.

Proposals of electronic-vibrational energy relaxation studies by using laser pulses synchronized with IR-SR pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagawa, Hideyuki

2000-01-01

Synchrotron radiation is expected to be the sharp infrared light source for the advanced experiments on IR and FIR spectroscopy in wide research fields. Especially, synchronized use of SR with VIS and/or UV laser light is to be a promising technique for the research on the dynamical properties of the photo-excited states in condensed materials. Some proposals are attempted for high resolution IR spectroscopy to elucidate fine interaction of molecular ions in crystalline solids with their environmental field and for time-resolved IR spectroscopic studies on the electronic and vibrational energy relaxation by using laser pulses synchronized with IR-SR pulses. Several experimental results are presented in relevance to the subjects; on high-resolution FTIR spectra of cyanide ions and metal cyanide complexes in cadmium halide crystals, on the energy up-conversion process among the vibrational levels of cyanide ions in alkali halide crystals, and on the electronic-to-vibrational energy conversion process in metal cyanide complexes. (author)

Diode-pumped solid state laser. (Part V). ; Short pulse laser oscillation. Handotai laser reiki kotai laser. 5. ; Tan pulse hasshin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuwabara, M.; Bando, N. (Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan))

1991-12-25

A semiconductor laser (LD) excited solid state laser using an LD as an excited light source is under discussion for its practical applications to measurements, processing, communications, office automation, and medical areas. This paper describes the discussions given on the short pulse transmission using AOQ switching elements in the LD excited solid state laser with a long wave length band (1.3{mu}m), which is expected of its application in the communications and measurements area. Based on a possibility of raising a measurements resolution by making the pluses in the LD excited solid state laser, and experiments were performed using Nd:YLF as a laser host. as a results, it was found that the smaller the effective mode volume V {sub eff},the smaller the pulse width, and that the ratio of number of initial inversion distribution (N{sub i}/N{sub t}), an important parameter to determine pulse widths, can be obtained from the ratio of the LD exciting light to the input power (P{sub in}/P{sub t}). 7 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

Near-infrared diode laser absorption diagnostic for temperature and water vapor in a scramjet combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Jonathan T.C.; Rieker, Gregory B.; Jeffries, Jay B.; Gruber, Mark R.; Carter, Campbell D.; Mathur, Tarun; Hanson, Ronald K.

2005-01-01

Tunable diode laser absorption measurements of gas temperature and water concentration were made at the exit of a model scramjet combustor fueled on JP-7. Multiplexed, fiber-coupled, near-infrared distributed feedback lasers were used to probe three water vapor absorption features in the 1.34-1.47 μm spectral region (2v1and v1+ v3overtone bands). Ratio thermometry was performed using direct-absorption wavelength scans of isolated features at a 4-kHz repetition rate, as well as 2f wavelength modulation scans at a 2-kHz scan rate. Large signal-to-noise ratios demonstrate the ability of the optimally engineered optical hardware to reject beam steering and vibration noise. Successful measurements were made at full combustion conditions for a variety of fuel/air equivalence ratios and at eight vertical positions in the duct to investigate spatial uniformity. The use of three water vapor absorption features allowed for preliminary estimates of temperature distributions along the line of sight. The improved signal quality afforded by 2f measurements, in the case of weak absorption, demonstrates the utility of a scanned wavelength modulation strategy in such situations

Comparison of laser-based mitigation of fused silica surface damage using mid- versus far-infrared lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, S T; Matthews, M J; Elhadj, S; Cooke, D; Guss, G M; Draggoo, V G; Wegner, P J

2009-12-16

Laser induced growth of optical damage can limit component lifetime and therefore operating costs of large-aperture fusion-class laser systems. While far-infrared (IR) lasers have been used previously to treat laser damage on fused silica optics and render it benign, little is known about the effectiveness of less-absorbing mid-IR lasers for this purpose. In this study, they quantitatively compare the effectiveness and efficiency of mid-IR (4.6 {micro}m) versus far-IR (10.6 {micro}m) lasers in mitigating damage growth on fused silica surfaces. The non-linear volumetric heating due to mid-IR laser absorption is analyzed by solving the heat equation numerically, taking into account the temperature-dependent absorption coefficient {alpha}(T) at {lambda} = 4.6 {micro}m, while far-IR laser heating is well-described by a linear analytic approximation to the laser-driven temperature rise. In both cases, the predicted results agree well with surface temperature measurements based on infrared radiometry, as well as sub-surface fictive temperature measurements based on confocal Raman microscopy. Damage mitigation efficiency is assessed using a figure of merit (FOM) relating the crack healing depth to laser power required, under minimally-ablative conditions. Based on their FOM, they show that for cracks up to at least 500 {micro}m in depth, mitigation with a 4.6 {micro}m mid-IR laser is more efficient than mitigation with a 10.6 {micro}m far-IR laser. This conclusion is corroborated by direct application of each laser system to the mitigation of pulsed laser-induced damage possessing fractures up to 225 {micro}m in depth.

Laser engineering of microbial systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yusupov, V. I.; Gorlenko, M. V.; Cheptsov, V. S.; Minaev, N. V.; Churbanova, E. S.; Zhigarkov, V. S.; Chutko, E. A.; Evlashin, S. A.; Chichkov, B. N.; Bagratashvili, V. N.

2018-06-01

A technology of laser engineering of microbial systems (LEMS) based on the method of laser-induced transfer of heterogeneous mixtures containing microorganisms (laser bioprinting) is described. This technology involves laser printing of soil microparticles by focusing near-infrared laser pulses on a specially prepared gel/soil mixture spread onto a gold-coated glass plate. The optimal range of laser energies from the point of view of the formation of stable jets and droplets with minimal negative impact on living systems of giant accelerations, laser pulse irradiation, and Au nanoparticles was found. Microsamples of soil were printed on glucose-peptone-yeast agar plates to estimate the LEMS process influence on structural and morphological microbial diversity. The obtained results were compared with traditionally treated soil samples. It was shown that LEMS technology allows significantly increasing the biodiversity of printed organisms and is effective for isolating rare or unculturable microorganisms.

Shot-Noise-Limited Dual-Beam Detector for Atmospheric Trace-Gas Monitoring with Near-Infrared Diode Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Durry, Georges; Pouchet, Ivan; Amarouche, Nadir; Danguy, Théodore; Megie, Gerard

2000-10-01

A dual-beam detector is used to measure atmospheric trace species by differential absorption spectroscopy with commercial near-infrared InGaAs laser diodes. It is implemented on the Spectrom tre Diodes Laser Accordables, a balloonborne tunable diode laser spectrometer devoted to the in situ monitoring of CH 4 and H 2 O. The dual-beam detector is made of simple analogical subtractor circuits combined with InGaAs photodiodes. The detection strategy consists in taking the balanced analogical difference between the reference and the sample signals detected at the input and the output of an open optical multipass cell to apply the full dynamic range of the measurements (16 digits) to the weak molecular absorption information. The obtained sensitivity approaches the shot-noise limit. With a 56-m optical cell, the detection limit obtained when the spectra is recorded within 8 ms is 10 4 (expressed in absorbance units). The design and performances of both a simple substractor and an upgraded feedback substractor circuit are discussed with regard to atmospheric in situ CH 4 absorption spectra measured in the 1.653- m region. Mixing ratios are obtained from the absorption spectra by application of a nonlinear least-squares fit to the full molecular line shape in conjunction with in situ P and T measurements.

Design challenges for matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation and infrared resonant laser evaporation equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Greer, James A.

2011-11-01

Since the development of the Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) process by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in the late 1990s, MAPLE has become an active area of research for the deposition of a variety of polymer, biological, and organic thin films. As is often the case with advancements in thin-film deposition techniques new technology sometimes evolves by making minor or major adjustments to existing deposition process equipment and techniques. This is usually the quickest and least expensive way to try out new ideas and to "push the envelope" in order to obtain new and unique scientific results as quickly as possible. This process of "tweaking" current equipment usually works to some degree, but once the new process is further refined overall designs for a new deposition tool based on the critical attributes of the new process typically help capitalize more fully on the all the salient features of the new and improved process. This certainly has been true for the MAPLE process. In fact the first MAPLE experiments the polymer/solvent matrix was mixed and poured into a copper holder held at LN2 temperature on a laboratory counter top. The holder was then quickly placed onto a LN2 cooled reservoir in a vacuum deposition chamber and placed in a vertical position on a LN2 cooled stage and pumped down as quickly as possible. If the sample was not placed into the chamber quickly enough the frozen matrix would melt and drip into the bottom of the chamber onto the chambers main gate valve making a bit of a mess. However, skilled and motivated scientists usually worked quickly enough to make this process work most of the time. The initial results from these experiments were encouraging and led to several publications which sparked considerable interest in this newly developed technique Clearly this approach provided the vision that MAPLE was a viable deposition process, but the equipment was not optimal for conducting MAPLE experiments on a regular basis

Stable, tunable, quasimonoenergetic electron beams produced in a laser wakefield near the threshold for self-injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Banerjee

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Stable operation of a laser-plasma accelerator near the threshold for electron self-injection in the blowout regime has been demonstrated with 25–60 TW, 30 fs laser pulses focused into a 3–4 millimeter length gas jet. Nearly Gaussian shape and high nanosecond contrast of the focused pulse appear to be critically important for controllable, tunable generation of 250–430 MeV electron bunches with a low-energy spread, ∼10  pC charge, a few-mrad divergence and pointing stability, and a vanishingly small low-energy background. The physical nature of the near-threshold behavior is examined using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Simulations indicate that properly locating the nonlinear focus of the laser pulse within the plasma suppresses continuous injection, thus reducing the low-energy tail of the electron beam.

Laser Ablation of Biological Tissue Using Pulsed CO2 Laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashishin, Yuichi; Sano, Shu; Nakayama, Takeyoshi

2010-01-01

Laser scalpels are currently used as a form of laser treatment. However, their ablation mechanism has not been clarified because laser excision of biological tissue occurs over a short time scale. Biological tissue ablation generates sound (laser-induced sound). This study seeks to clarify the ablation mechanism. The state of the gelatin ablation was determined using a high-speed video camera and the power reduction of a He-Ne laser beam. The aim of this study was to clarify the laser ablation mechanism by observing laser excision using the high-speed video camera and monitoring the power reduction of the He-Ne laser beam. We simulated laser excision of a biological tissue by irradiating gelatin (10 wt%) with radiation from a pulsed CO 2 laser (wavelength: 10.6 μm; pulse width: 80 ns). In addition, a microphone was used to measure the laser-induced sound. The first pulse caused ablation particles to be emitted in all directions; these particles were subsequently damped so that they formed a mushroom cloud. Furthermore, water was initially evaporated by laser irradiation and then tissue was ejected.

Simulation of condensed matter dynamics in strong femtosecond laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wachter, G.

2014-01-01

Ultrashort custom-tailored laser pulses can be employed to observe and control the motion of electrons in atoms and small molecules on the (sub-) femtosecond time scale. Very recently, efforts are underway to extend these concepts to solid matter. This monograph theoretically explores first applications of electron control by ultrashort laser pulses in three paradigmatic systems of solid-state density: a metal nano-structure (nanometric metal tip), a bulk dielectric (quartz glass), and the buckminsterfullerene molecule (C60) as arguably the smallest possible nano-particle. The electron motion is resolved on the atomic length and time scale by ab-initio simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory. Our quantum simulations are complemented by classical and semi-classical models elucidating the underlying mechanisms. We compare our results to experiments where already available and find good agreement. With increasing laser intensity, we find a transition from vertical photoexcitation to tunneling-like excitation. For nanostructures, that leads to temporally confined electron photoemission and thereby to quantum interferences in the energy spectra of emitted electrons. Similarly, tunneling can be induced between neighboring atoms inside an insulator. This provides a mechanism for ultrafast light-field controlled currents and modification of the optical properties of the solid, promising to eventually realize light-field electronic devices operating on the femtosecond time scale and nanometer length scale. Electron-electron interaction leads to near field enhancement and spatial localization of the non-linear response and is investigated both classically by solving the Maxwell equations near a nanostructure as well as quantum mechanically for the fullerene molecule. For the latter, we discuss scrutiny of the molecular near-field by the attosecond streaking technique. Our results demonstrate that ultrashort laser pulses can be employed to steer the

Infrared laser system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantrell, C.D.; Carbone, R.J.

1977-01-01

An infrared laser system and method for isotope separation may comprise a molecular gas laser oscillator to produce a laser beam at a first wavelength, Raman spin flip means for shifting the laser to a second wavelength, a molecular gas laser amplifier to amplify said second wavelength laser beam to high power, and optical means for directing the second wavelength, high power laser beam against a desired isotope for selective excitation thereof in a mixture with other isotopes. The optical means may include a medium which shifts the second wavelength high power laser beam to a third wavelength, high power laser beam at a wavelength coincidental with a corresponding vibrational state of said isotope and which is different from vibrational states of other isotopes in the gas mixture

Single-mode pulsed dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a long pulse width

CERN Document Server

Yi, J H; Moon, H J; Rho, S P; Han, J M; Rhee, Y J; Lee, J M

1999-01-01

The lasing characteristics of a single-mode dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) with a high repetition rate is described. A 45-mm-long Nd:YAG rod was pumped by three CW diode arrays and it was acousto-optically Q-switched. A KTP crystal was used for intracavity frequency doubling. The pulse width of the laser ranged from 90 ns to 200 ns, depending on the diode current and the Q-switching frequency. The single-mode dye laser had a grazing incidence configuration. The pulse width of the dye laser was reduced to about 1/8 of the pumping laser pulse width. The effects of the DPSSL Q-switching frequency, the driving current, and the cavity loss on the dye laser pulse width were investigated by using a simple plane-parallel cavity. From the measured pulse width of the dye laser as a function of the reflectivity of the dye laser output coupler, we found that the cavity loss due to the frequency selection elements and the output coupler should be less than 70 % in order to avoid a drast...

Boron distribution in silicon after multiple pulse excimer laser annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monakhov, E.V.; Svensson, B.G.; Linnarsson, M.K.; La Magna, A.; Italia, M.; Privitera, V.; Fortunato, G.; Cuscuna, M.; Mariucci, L.

2005-01-01

We have studied B redistribution in Si after excimer laser annealing (ELA) with multiple laser pulses. B was implanted with energies of 1 and 10 keV and doses of 1x10 14 and 1x10 15 cm -2 . ELA with the number of pulses from 1 to 100 was performed at room temperature and 450 deg. C in vacuum. Irrespective of the implantation parameters and the ELA conditions used, a pile-up in the B concentration is observed near the maximum melting depth after ten pulses of ELA. Moreover, a detailed study has revealed that B accumulates at the maximum melt depth gradually with the number of ELA pulses. Besides, an increase in the carrier concentration is observed at the maximum melt depth, suggesting electrical activity of the accumulated B. Formation of Si-B complexes and vacancy accumulation during multiple ELA are discussed as possible mechanisms for the B build-up

Microencapsulation of silicon cavities using a pulsed excimer laser

KAUST Repository

Sedky, Sherif M.

2012-06-07

This work presents a novel low thermal-budget technique for sealing micromachined cavities in silicon. Cavities are sealed without deposition, similar to the silicon surface-migration sealing process. In contrast to the 1100°C furnace anneal required for the migration process, the proposed technique uses short excimer laser pulses (24ns), focused onto an area of 23mm 2, to locally heat the top few microns of the substrate, while the bulk substrate remains near ambient temperature. The treatment can be applied to selected regions of the substrate, without the need for special surface treatments or a controlled environment. This work investigates the effect of varying the laser pulse energy from 400 mJ cm 2to 800 mJ cm 2, the pulse rate from 1Hz to 50Hz and the pulse count from 200 to 3000 pulses on sealing microfabricated cavities in silicon. An analytical model for the effect of holes on the surface temperature distribution is derived, which shows that much higher temperatures can be achieved by increasing the hole density. A mechanism for sealing the cavities is proposed, which indicates how complete sealing is feasible. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Wavelength stabilized high pulse power laser diodes for automotive LiDAR

Science.gov (United States)

Knigge, A.; Klehr, A.; Wenzel, H.; Zeghuzi, A.; Fricke, J.; Maaßdorf, A.; Liero, A.; Tränkle, G.

2018-03-01

Diode lasers generating optical pulses with high peak power and lengths in the nanosecond range are key components of systems for free-space communication, metrology, material processing, spectroscopy, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) as needed for object detection and autonomous driving. Automotive LiDAR systems demand additionally a good beam quality and low wavelength shift with temperature due to the wide operating temperature span. We present here internally wavelength stabilized lasers emitting ns optical pulses from an emission aperture between 30 μm and 100 μm with peak powers of tens of Watts at wavelengths around 905 nm. The vertical structure based on AlGaAs (confinement and cladding layers) and InGaAs (active quantum well) is especially optimized for pulsed operation with respect to the implementation of a surface Bragg grating with a high reflectivity. The fabricated 6 mm long distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) broad area (BA) lasers are electrically driven by an in-house developed high-speed unit generating 3 to 10 ns long nearly rectangular shaped current pulses with amplitudes of up to 250 A. Such lasers emit optical pulses with a peak power of more than 30 W at 95 A pulse current up to a temperature of 85°C with a wavelength shift as low as 65 pm/K and a lateral beam propagation factor less than 10. The influence of the lateral aperture width and the pulse length on the beam quality will be shown. A monolithic integration of 3 DBR BA lasers on a single chip whose emission can be combined into a single beam raises the output power to more than 100 W.

Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation of GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trelenberg, T.W.; Dinh, L.N.; Saw, C.K.; Stuart, B.C.; Balooch, M.

2004-01-01

The properties of femtosecond-pulsed laser deposited GaAs nanoclusters were investigated. Nanoclusters of GaAs were produced by laser ablating a single crystal GaAs target in vacuum or in a buffer gas using a Ti-sapphire laser with a 150 fs minimum pulse length. For in-vacuum deposition, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the average cluster size was approximately 7 nm for laser pulse lengths between 150 fs and 25 ps. The average cluster size dropped to approximately 1.5 nm at a pulse length of 500 ps. It was also observed that film thickness decreased with increasing laser pulse length. A reflective coating, which accumulated on the laser admission window during ablation, reduced the amount of laser energy reaching the target for subsequent laser shots and developed more rapidly at longer pulse lengths. This observation indicates that non-stoichiometric (metallic) ablatants were produced more readily at longer pulse lengths. The angular distribution of ejected material about the target normal was well fitted to a bi-cosine distribution of cos 47 θ+ cos 4 θ for ablation in vacuum using 150 fs pulses. XPS and AES revealed that the vacuum-deposited films contained excess amorphous Ga or As in addition to the stoichiometric GaAs nanocrystals seen with XRD. However, films containing only the GaAs nanocrystals were produced when ablation was carried out in the presence of a buffer gas with a pressure in excess of 6.67 Pa. At buffer gas pressure on the order of 1 Torr, it was found that the stoichiometry of the ablated target was also preserved. These experiments indicate that both laser pulse length and buffer gas pressure play important roles in the formation of multi-element nanocrystals by laser ablation. The effects of gas pressure on the target's morphology and the size of the GaAs nanocrystals formed will also be discussed

Boron distribution in silicon after excimer laser annealing with multiple pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monakhov, E.V.; Svensson, B.G.; Linnarsson, M.K.; La Magna, A.; Italia, M.; Privitera, V.; Fortunato, G.; Cuscuna, M.; Mariucci, L.

2005-01-01

We have studied B re-distribution in Si after excimer laser annealing (ELA) with multiple laser pulses. B was implanted using both B and BF 2 ions with energies from 1 to 20 keV and doses of 1 x 10 14 and 1 x 10 15 cm -2 . ELA with the number of pulses from 1 to 100 was performed in vacuum with the sample kept at room temperature and 450 deg. C. Independently of the implantation parameters and the ELA conditions used, a peak in the B concentration is observed near the maximum melting depth after 10 pulses of ELA. A detailed study has revealed that B accumulates at the maximum melt depth gradually with the number of ELA pulses. An increase in the carrier concentration at the maximum melt depth is observed after ELA with 100 pulses. No structural defects have been detected by transmission electron microscopy in the region of the B accumulation

Infrared emission from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) excited by ultraviolet laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherchneff, I.; Barker, J.R.

1989-01-01

The infrared fluorescence spectrum from the C-H stretch modes of vibrationally excited azulene (C10H8), a PAH was measured in the laboratory. PAHs are candidates as carriers of the unidentified infrared emission bands that are observed in many astronomical objects associated with dust and ultraviolet light. In the present experiment, gas phase azulene was excited with light from a 308 nm pulsed laser, and the infrared emission spectrum was time-resolved and wavelength-resolved. Moreover, the infrared absorption spectrum of gas phase azulene was obtained using an FTIR spectrometer. The laboratory emission spectrum resembles observed infrared emission spectra from the interstellar medium, providing support for the hypothesis that PAHs are the responsible carriers. The azulene C-H stretch emission spectrum is more asymmetric than the absorption spectrum, probably due to anharmonicity of levels higher than nu = 1. 36 refs

Mid-Infrared Lasers

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Mid infrared solid state lasers for Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) systems required for understanding atmospheric chemistry are not available. This program...

Energy and dose characteristics of ion bombardment during pulsed laser deposition of thin films under pulsed electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fominski, V.Yu.; Nevolin, V.N.; Smurov, I.

2004-01-01

Experiments on pulsed laser deposition of Fe films on Si substrates were performed with the aim to analyze the role of factors determining the formation of an energy spectrum and a dose of ions bombarding the film in strong pulsed electric fields. The amplitude of the high-voltage pulse (-40 kV) applied to the substrate and the laser fluence at the Fe target were fixed during the deposition. Owing to the high laser fluence (8 J/cm 2 ) at a relatively low power (20 mJ), the ionization of the laser plume was high, but the Fe vapor pressure near the substrate was low enough to avoid arcing. Electric signals from a target exposed to laser radiation were measured under different conditions (at different delay times) of application of electric pulses. The Si(100) substrates were analyzed using Rutherford ion backscattering/channeling spectrometry. The ion implantation dose occurred to be the highest if the high-voltage pulse was applied at a moment of time when the ion component of the plume approached the substrate. In this case, the implanted ions had the highest energy determined by the amplitude of the electric pulse. An advance or delay in applying a high-voltage pulse caused the ion dose and energy to decrease. A physical model incorporating three possible modes of ion implantation was proposed for the interpretation of the experimental results. If a laser plume was formed in the external field, ions were accelerated from the front of the dense plasma, and the ion current depended on the gas-dynamic expansion of the plume. The application of a high-voltage pulse, at the instant when the front approached the substrate, maintained the mode that was characteristic of the traditional plasma immersion ion implantation, and the ion current was governed by the dynamics of the plasma sheath in the substrate-to-target gap. In the case of an extremely late application of a high-voltage pulse, ions retained in the entire volume of the experimental chamber (as a result of the

Low-intensity infrared laser effects on zymosan-induced articular inflammatory response

Science.gov (United States)

Januária dos Anjos, Lúcia Mara; da Fonseca, Adenilson d. S.; Gameiro, Jacy; de Paoli, Flávia

2015-03-01

Low-level therapy laser is a phototherapy treatment that involves the application of low power light in the red or infrared wavelengths in various diseases such as arthritis. In this work, we investigated whether low-intensity infrared laser therapy could cause death by caspase-6 apoptosis or DNA damage pathways in cartilage cells after zymosaninduced articular inflammatory process. Inflammatory process was induced in C57BL/6 mouse by intra-articular injection of zymosan into rear tibio-tarsal joints. Thirty animals were divided in five groups: (I) control, (II) laser, (III) zymosan-induced, (IV) zymosan-induced + laser and (V). Laser exposure was performed after zymosan administration with low-intensity infrared laser (830 nm), power 10 mW, fluence 3.0 J/cm2 at continuous mode emission, in five doses. Twenty-four hours after last irradiation, the animals were sacrificed and the right joints fixed and demineralized. Morphological analysis was observed by hematoxylin and eosin stain, pro-apoptotic (caspase-6) was analyzed by immunocytochemistry and DNA fragmentation was performed by TUNEL assay in articular cartilage cells. Inflammatory process was observed in connective tissue near to articular cartilage, in IV and V groups, indicating zymosan effect. This process was decreased in both groups after laser treatment and dexamethasone. Although groups III and IV presented higher caspase-6 and DNA fragmentation percentages, statistical differences were not observed when compared to groups I and II. Our results suggest that therapies based on low-intensity infrared lasers could reduce inflammatory process and could not cause death by caspase-6 apoptosis or DNA damage pathways in cartilage cells after zymosan-induced articular inflammatory process.

Simultaneous fabrication of laser-active colour centres and permanent microgratings in lithium fluoride by a single femtosecond pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurobori, Toshio; Kawamura, Ken-ichi; Hirano, Masahiro; Hosono, Hideo

2003-01-01

We report, for the first time, simultaneous fabrication of laser-active F 2 and F 3 + colour centres in lithium fluoride and permanent periodic gratings with fringe spacings as fine as sub-micron size by two interfering infrared femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. In particular, the optical properties (absorption and luminescence) of F 2 and F 3 + colour centres produced by a single fs laser pulse are compared with those created by damage from radiation such as x-rays. The present technique of simultaneously fabricating laser-active colour centres and functional fine-periodic structures in photo-insensitive transparent materials may well be a useful method for making miniaturized optical devices. (letter to the editor)

Propagating Characteristics of Pulsed Laser in Rain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Guo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To understand the performance of laser ranging system under the rain weather condition, we need to know the propagating characteristics of laser pulse in rain. In this paper, the absorption and attenuation coefficients were calculated based on the scattering theories in discrete stochastic media, and the propagating characteristics of laser pulse in rain were simulated and analyzed using Monte-Carlo method. Some simulation results were verified by experiments, and the simulation results are well matched with the experimental data, with the maximal deviation not less than 7.5%. The results indicated that the propagating laser beam would be attenuated and distorted due to the scattering and absorption of raindrops, and the energy attenuation and pulse shape distortion strongly depended on the laser pulse widths.

Near-infrared observations of IRAS minisurvey galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carico, D.P.; Soifer, B.T.; Elias, J.H.; Matthews, K.; Neugebauer, G.; Beichman, C.; Persson, C.J.; Persson, S.E.

1987-01-01

Near infrared photometry at J, H, and K was obtained for 82 galaxies from the IRAS minisurvey. The near infrared colors of these galaxies cover a larger range in J-H and H-K than do normal field spiral galaxies, and evidence is presented of a tighter correlation between the near and far infrared emission in far infrared bright galaxies than exists between the far infrared and the visible emission. These results suggest the presence of dust in the far infrared bright galaxies, with hot dust emission contributing to the 2.2 micron emission, and extinction by dust affecting both the near infrared colors and the visible luminosities. In addition, there is some indication that the infrared emission in many of the minisurvey galaxies is coming from a strong nuclear component

Pulse-shaping mechanism in colliding-pulse mode-locked laser diodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bischoff, Svend; Sørensen, Mads Peter; Mørk, J.

1995-01-01

The large signal dynamics of passively colliding pulse mode-locked laser diodes is studied. We derive a model which explains modelocking via the interplay of gain and loss dynamics; no bandwidth limiting element is necessary for pulse formation. It is found necessary to have both fast and slow...... absorber dynamics to achieve mode-locking. Significant chirp is predicted for pulses emitted from long lasers, in agreement with experiment. The pulse width shows a strong dependence on both cavity and saturable absorber length. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics....

Pulse laser ablation at water-air interface

Science.gov (United States)

Utsunomiya, Yuji; Kajiwara, Takashi; Nishiyama, Takashi; Nagayama, Kunihito; Kubota, Shiro

2010-06-01

We studied a new pulse laser ablation phenomenon on a liquid surface layer, which is caused by the difference between the refractive indices of the two materials involved. The present study was motivated by our previous study, which showed that laser ablation can occur at the interface between a transparent material and a gas or liquid medium when the laser pulse is focused through the transparent material. In this case, the ablation threshold fluence is reduced remarkably. In the present study, experiments were conducted in water and air in order to confirm this phenomenon for a combination of two fluid media with different refractive indices. This phenomenon was observed in detail by pulse laser shadowgraphy. A high-resolution film was used to record the phenomenon with a Nd:YAG pulse laser with 10-ns duration as a light source. The laser ablation phenomenon on the liquid surface layer caused by a focused Nd:YAG laser pulse with 1064-nm wavelength was found to be followed by the splashing of the liquid surface, inducing a liquid jet with many ligaments. The liquid jet extension velocity was around 1000 m/s in a typical case. The liquid jet decelerated drastically due to rapid atomization at the tips of the ligaments. The liquid jet phenomenon was found to depend on the pulse laser parameters such as the laser fluence on the liquid surface, laser energy, and laser beam pattern. The threshold laser fluence for the generation of a liquid jet was 20 J/cm2. By increasing the incident laser energy with a fixed laser fluence, the laser focused area increased, which eventually led to an increase in the size of the plasma column. The larger the laser energy, the larger the jet size and the longer the temporal behavior. The laser beam pattern was found to have significant effects on the liquid jet’s velocity, shape, and history.

Realization of double-pulse laser irradiating scheme for laser ion sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhangmin; Jin Qianyu; Liu Wei; Zhang Junjie; Sha Shan; Zhao Huanyu; Sun Liangting; Zhang Xuezhen; Zhao Hongwei

2015-01-01

A double-pulse laser irradiating scheme has been designed and established for the production of highly charged ion beams at Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences. The laser beam output by a Nd : YAG laser is split and combined by a double of beam splitters, between which the split laser beams are transmitted along different optical paths to get certain time delay between each other. With the help of a quarter-wave plate before the first splitter, the energy ratio between the two laser pulses can be adjusted between 3 : 8 to 8 : 3. To testify its feasibility, a preliminary experiment was carried out with the new-developed double-pulse irradiating scheme to produce highly charged carbon ions. Comparing the results with those got from the previous single-pulse irradiating scheme, the differences in the time structure and Charge State Distribution (CSD) of the ion pulse were observed, but its mechanisms and optimization require further studies. (authors)

Phase Noise Comparision of Short Pulse Laser Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. Zhang; S. V. Benson; J. Hansknecht; D. Hardy; G. Neil; Michelle D. Shinn

2006-12-01

This paper describes the phase noise measurement on several different mode-locked laser systems that have completely different gain media and configurations including a multi-kW free-electron laser. We will focus on the state of the art short pulse lasers, especially the drive lasers for photocathode injectors. A comparison between the phase noise of the drive laser pulses, electron bunches and FEL pulses will also be presented.

Model of pulse extraction from a copper laser amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boley, C.D.; Warner, B.E.

1997-03-01

A computational model of pulse propagation through a copper laser amplifier has been developed. The model contains a system of 1-D (in the axial direction), time-dependent equations for the laser intensity and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), coupled to rate equations for the atomic levels. Detailed calculations are presented for a high-power amplifier at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The extracted power agrees with experiment near saturation. At lower input power the calculation overestimates experiment, probably because of increased ASE effects. 6 refs., 6 figs

Comparing predictive ability of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to Near Infrared Spectroscopy for soil texture and organic carbon determination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knadel, Maria; Peng, Yi; Gislum, René

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and texture have a practical value for agronomy and the environment. Thus, alternative techniques to supplement or substitute for the expensive conventional analysis of soil are developed. Here the feasibility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine SOC...... and texture was tested and compared with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique and traditional laboratory analysis. Calibration models were developed on 50 topsoil samples. For all properties except silt, higher predictive ability of LIBS than NIRS models was obtained. Successful calibrations indicate...... that LIBS can be used as a fast and reliable method for SOC and texture estimation....

Photographic infrared spectroscopy and near infrared photometry of Be stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swings, J.P.

1976-01-01

Two topics are tackled in this presentation: spectroscopy and photometry. The following definitions are chosen: photographic infrared spectroscopy (wavelengths Hα<=lambda<1.2 μ); near infrared photometry (wavebands: 1.6 μ<=lambda<=20 μ). Near infrared spectroscopy and photometry of classical and peculiar Be stars are discussed and some future developments in the field are outlined. (Auth.)

High-order harmonic and attosecond pulse generation for a few-cycle laser pulse in modulated hollow fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xiangyun; Sun Zhenrong; Wang Yufeng; Chen Guoliang; Wang Zugeng; Li Ruxin; Zeng Zhinan; Xu Zhizhan

2007-01-01

High harmonic generation from Ar and He atoms by a few-cycle laser pulse in periodic and chirped hollow fibres is investigated theoretically by a self-consistent model. Based on enhanced high harmonics in a periodic hollow fibre, a chirped hollow fibre is proposed to improve quasi-phase matching for the generated harmonics near the cutoff. The results show that the extended and enhanced harmonics near the cutoff are well phase-matched, and a single x-ray pulse with a duration of 279 as in Ar gas and 255 as in He gas can be achieved by frequency synthesizing of high harmonics in the well-selected cutoff bandwidth. The results show that this technique is a potential candidate to generate an intense isolated attosecond pulse in the 'water window' spectrum

High-efficiency electroluminescence and amplified spontaneous emission from a thermally activated delayed fluorescent near-infrared emitter

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae-Hyeon; D'Aléo, Anthony; Chen, Xian-Kai; Sandanayaka, Atula D. S.; Yao, Dandan; Zhao, Li; Komino, Takeshi; Zaborova, Elena; Canard, Gabriel; Tsuchiya, Youichi; Choi, Eunyoung; Wu, Jeong Weon; Fages, Frédéric; Brédas, Jean-Luc; Ribierre, Jean-Charles; Adachi, Chihaya

2018-02-01

Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers could benefit a variety of applications including night-vision displays, sensors and information-secured displays. Organic dyes can generate electroluminescence efficiently at visible wavelengths, but organic light-emitting diodes are still underperforming in the near-infrared region. Here, we report thermally activated delayed fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes that operate at near-infrared wavelengths with a maximum external quantum efficiency of nearly 10% using a boron difluoride curcuminoid derivative. As well as an effective upconversion from triplet to singlet excited states due to the non-adiabatic coupling effect, this donor-acceptor-donor compound also exhibits efficient amplified spontaneous emission. By controlling the polarity of the active medium, the maximum emission wavelength of the electroluminescence spectrum can be tuned from 700 to 780 nm. This study represents an important advance in near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and the design of alternative molecular architectures for photonic applications based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence.

Laser-assisted electron scattering in strong-field ionization of dense water vapor by ultrashort laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilke, M; Al-Obaidi, R; Moguilevski, A; Kothe, A; Engel, N; Metje, J; Kiyan, I Yu; Aziz, E F

2014-01-01

We report on strong-field ionization of dense water gas in a short infrared laser pulse. By employing a unique combination of photoelectron spectroscopy with a liquid micro-jet technique, we observe how the character of electron emission at high kinetic energies changes with the increase of the medium density. This change is associated with the process of laser-assisted electron scattering (LAES) on neighboring particles, which becomes a dominant mechanism of hot electron emission at higher medium densities. The manifestation of this mechanism is found to require densities that are orders of magnitude lower than those considered for heating the laser-generated plasmas via the LAES process. The experimental results are supported by simulations of the LAES yield with the use of the Kroll–Watson theory. (paper)

Concave pulse shaping of a circularly polarized laser pulse from non-uniform overdense plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hur, Min Sup [School of Natural Science, UNIST, BanYeon-Ri 100, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); Kulagin, Victor V. [Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Universitetsky prosp. 13, Moscow, 119992 (Russian Federation); Suk, Hyyong, E-mail: hysuk@gist.ac.kr [Department of Physics and Photon Science, GIST, 123 Cheomdan-gwangiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-712 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-20

Pulse shaping of circularly polarized laser pulses in nonuniform overdense plasmas are investigated numerically. Specifically we show by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations the generation of a concave pulse front of a circularly polarized, a few tens of petawatt laser pulse from a density-tapered, overdense plasma slab. The concept used for the transverse-directional shaping is the differential transmittance depending on the plasma density, and the laser intensity. For suitable selection of the slab parameters for the concave pulse shaping, we studied numerically the pulse transmittance, which can be used for further parameter design of the pulse shaping. The concavely shaped circularly polarized pulse is expected to add more freedom in controlling the ion-beam characteristics in the RPDA regime. - Highlights: • Laser pulse shaping for a concave front by non-uniform overdense plasma was studied. • Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations were used for the investigation. • A laser pulse can be shaped by a density-tapered overdense plasma. • The concave and sharp pulse front are useful in many laser–plasma applications. • They are important for ion acceleration, especially in the radiation pressure dominant regime.

Calculation of femtosecond pulse laser induced damage threshold for broadband antireflective microstructure arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Jing, Xufeng; Shao, Jianda; Zhang, Junchao; Jin, Yunxia; He, Hongbo; Fan, Zhengxiu

2009-12-21

In order to more exactly predict femtosecond pulse laser induced damage threshold, an accurate theoretical model taking into account photoionization, avalanche ionization and decay of electrons is proposed by comparing respectively several combined ionization models with the published experimental measurements. In addition, the transmittance property and the near-field distribution of the 'moth eye' broadband antireflective microstructure directly patterned into the substrate material as a function of the surface structure period and groove depth are performed by a rigorous Fourier model method. It is found that the near-field distribution is strongly dependent on the periodicity of surface structure for TE polarization, but for TM wave it is insensitive to the period. What's more, the femtosecond pulse laser damage threshold of the surface microstructure on the pulse duration taking into account the local maximum electric field enhancement was calculated using the proposed relatively accurate theoretical ionization model. For the longer incident wavelength of 1064 nm, the weak linear damage threshold on the pulse duration is shown, but there is a surprising oscillation peak of breakdown threshold as a function of the pulse duration for the shorter incident wavelength of 532 nm.

Channeling and stability of laser pulses in plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprangle, P.; Krall, J.; Esarey, E.

1995-01-01

A laser pulse propagating in a plasma is found to undergo a combination of hose and modulation instabilities. The coupled equations for the laser beam envelope and centroid are derived and solved for a laser pulse of finite length propagating through either a uniform plasma or preformed plasma density channel. The laser envelope equation describes the pulse self-focusing and optical guiding in plasmas and is used to analyze the self-modulation instability. The laser centroid equation describes the transverse motion of the laser pulse (hosing) in plasmas. Significant coupling between the centroid and envelope motion as well as harmonic generation in the envelope can occur. In addition, the transverse profile of the generated wake field is strongly affected by the laser hose instability. Methods to reduce the laser hose instability are demonstrated. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering and hyper-Raman scattering of dye-adsorbed silver nanoparticles induced by a focused continuous-wave near-infrared laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Tamitake; Ozaki, Yukihiro; Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki; Ihama, Takashi; Masuhara, Hiroshi

2006-01-01

We report that hyper-Rayleigh scattering, surface-enhanced hyper-Raman scattering, and two-photon excited luminescence occur intermittently by focusing a continuous-wave near-infrared (cw-NIR) laser into a colloidal silver solution including rhodamine 6G (R6G) and sodium chloride (NaCl). On the other hand, continuous hyper-Rayleigh scattering is observed from colloidal silver free from R6G and NaCl, demonstrating that hyper-Raman scattering and two-photon excited luminescence are attributed to R6G and their intermittent features are dependent on the colloidal dispersion. These results suggest that the cw-NIR laser has three roles; the source of the nonlinear response, optical trapping of nanoparticles, and making nanoparticle aggregates possessing the high activity for the nonlinear response

Direct pumping of ultrashort Ti:sapphire lasers by a frequency doubled diode laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, André; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Unterhuber, Angelika

2011-01-01

electro-optical efficiency of the diode laser. Autocorrelation measurements show that pulse widths of less than 20 fs can be expected with an average power of 52 mW when using our laser. These results indicate the high potential of direct diode laser pumped Ti: sapphire lasers to be used in applications....... When using our diode laser system, the optical conversion efficiencies from green to near-infrared light reduces to 75 % of the values achieved with the commercial pump laser. Despite this reduction the overall efficiency of the Ti: sapphire laser is still increased by a factor > 2 due to the superior...... like retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) or pumping of photonic crystal fibers for CARS (coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy) microscopy....

Rydberg excitation of neutral nitric oxide molecules in strong UV and near-IR laser fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv Hang; Zhang Jun-Feng; Zuo Wan-Long; Xu Hai-Feng; Jin Ming-Xing; Ding Da-Jun

2015-01-01

Rydberg state excitations of neutral nitric oxide molecules are studied in strong ultraviolet (UV) and near-infra-red (IR) laser fields using a linear time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer with the pulsed electronic field ionization method. The yield of Rydberg molecules is measured as a function of laser intensity and ellipticity, and the results in UV laser fields are compared with those in near-IR laser fields. The present study provides the first experimental evidence of neutral Rydberg molecules surviving in a strong laser field. The results indicate that a rescattering-after-tunneling process is the main contribution to the formation of Rydberg molecules in strong near-IR laser fields, while multi-photon excitation may play an important role in the strong UV laser fields. (paper)

Molecular dynamics study of lubricant depletion by pulsed laser heating

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Young Woo; Rosenkranz, Andreas; Talke, Frank E.

2018-05-01

In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to numerically investigate the effect of pulsed laser heating on lubricant depletion. The maximum temperature, the lubricant depletion width, the number of evaporated lubricant beads and the number of fragmented lubricant chains were studied as a function of laser peak power, pulse duration and repetition rate. A continuous-wave laser and a square pulse laser were simulated and compared to a Gaussian pulse laser. With increasing repetition rate, pulsed laser heating was found to approach continuous-wave laser heating.

Regimes of self-pulsing in photonic crystal Fano lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thorsten Svend; Yu, Yi; Mørk, Jesper

2017-01-01

Laser self-pulsing was a property exclusive to macroscopic laser systems until recently, where self-pulsing laser operation was demonstrated experimentally and theoretically in a microscopic photonic crystal Fano laser [1]. We now provide a detailed theoretical analysis of the self......-pulsing mechanism and laser characteristics with numerical simulations to demonstrate the parameter dependence of the self-pulsing regime and its limitations, indicating how the design may be optimised for applications in e.g. integrated on-chip communication systems....

High energy HF pulsed lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, E.L.; Gerber, R.A.

1976-01-01

Recent experiments show that pulsed HF lasers are capable of producing high energy with good efficiency. Preliminary experiments show that the laser radiation from the high-gain medium can be controlled with a low-power probe laser beam or with low-level feedback. These results indicate that the HF laser may have potential for second-generation laser fusion experiments

Control of laser pulse waveform in longitudinally excited CO2 laser by adjustment of excitation circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Kazuyuki; Jitsuno, Takahisa

2018-05-01

In a longitudinally excited CO2 laser that had a 45 cm-long discharge tube with a 1:1:2 mixture of CO2/N2/He gas at a pressure of 3.0 kPa, we realized the generation of a short laser pulse with a spike pulse width of about 200 ns and a pulse tail length of several tens of microseconds, control of the energy ratio of the spike pulse part to the pulse tail part in the short laser pulse, the generation of a long laser pulse with a pulse width of several tens of microseconds, and control of the pulse width in the long laser pulse, by using four types of excitation circuits in which the capacitance was adjusted. In the short laser pulse, the energy ratio was in the range 1:14-1:112. In the long laser pulse, the pulse width was in the range 25.7-82.7 μs.

Effects of laser wavelengths and pulse energy ratio on the emission enhancement in dual pulse LIBS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Rizwan; Iqbal, Javed; Baig, M Aslam

2015-01-01

We present new studies on the effects of laser wavelengths, pulse energy ratio and interpulse delay between two laser pulses in the collinear dual pulse configuration of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) on an iron sample in air using the fundamental (1064 nm) and the second harmonics (532 nm) of Nd:YAG lasers. In the dual pulse LIBS, an optimum value of interpulse delay with an appropriate combination of laser wavelengths, and laser pulse energy ratio, yields a 30 times signal intensity enhancement in the neutral iron lines as compared with single pulse LIBS. A comparison in the spatial variations of electron temperature along the axis of the plume expansion in single and double pulse LIBS has also been studied. (letter)

Active mode locking of quantum cascade lasers in an external ring cavity.

Science.gov (United States)

Revin, D G; Hemingway, M; Wang, Y; Cockburn, J W; Belyanin, A

2016-05-05

Stable ultrashort light pulses and frequency combs generated by mode-locked lasers have many important applications including high-resolution spectroscopy, fast chemical detection and identification, studies of ultrafast processes, and laser metrology. While compact mode-locked lasers emitting in the visible and near infrared range have revolutionized photonic technologies, the systems operating in the mid-infrared range where most gases have their strong absorption lines, are bulky and expensive and rely on nonlinear frequency down-conversion. Quantum cascade lasers are the most powerful and versatile compact light sources in the mid-infrared range, yet achieving their mode-locked operation remains a challenge, despite dedicated effort. Here we report the demonstration of active mode locking of an external-cavity quantum cascade laser. The laser operates in the mode-locked regime at room temperature and over the full dynamic range of injection currents.

Investigation of laser plasma instabilities using picosecond laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kline, J L; Montgomery, D S; Yin, L; Flippo, K A; Shimada, T; Johnson, R P; Rose, H A; Albright, B J; Hardin, R A

2008-01-01

A new short-pulse version of the single-hot-spot configuration has been implemented to enhance the performance of experiments to understand Stimulated Raman Scattering. The laser pulse length was reduced from ∼200 to ∼3 ps. The reduced pulse length improves the experiment by minimizing effects such as plasma hydrodynamic evolution and ponderomotive filamentation of the interaction beam. In addition, the shortened laser pulses allow full length 2D particle-in-cell simulations of the experiments. Using the improved single-hot-spot configuration, a series of experiments to investigate kλ D scaling of SRS has been performed. Details of the experimental setup and initial results will be presented

Mid-infrared beam splitter for ultrashort pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Somma, Carmine; Reimann, Klaus; Woerner, Michael; Kiel, Thomas; Busch, Kurt; Braun, Andreas; Matalla, Mathias; Ickert, Karina; Krüger, Olaf

2017-08-01

A design is presented for a beam splitter suitable for ultrashort pulses in the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral range consisting of a structured metal layer on a diamond substrate. Both the theory and experiment show that this beam splitter does not distort the temporal pulse shape.

Acute effects of vascular modifying agents in solid tumors assessed by noninvasive laser Doppler flowmetry and near infrared spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kragh, Michael; Quistorff, Bjørn; Horsman, Michael R

2002-01-01

LDF, using a 41 degrees C heated custom-built LDF probe with four integrated laser/receiver units, and tumor blood volume was estimated by NIRS, using light guide coupled reflectance measurements at 800+/-10 nm. FAA, DMXAA, CA4DP, and HDZ significantly decreased tumor perfusion by 50%, 47%, 73......The potential of noninvasive laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect acute effects of different vascular-modifying agents on perfusion and blood volume in tumors was evaluated. C3H mouse mammary carcinomas (approximately 200 mm(3)) in the rear foot of CDF1 mice......%, and 78%, respectively. In addition, FAA, DMXAA, and HDZ significantly reduced the blood volume within the tumor, indicating that these compounds to some degree shunted blood from the tumor to adjacent tissue, HDZ being most potent. CA4DP caused no change in the tumor blood volume, indicating...

The Application of Cryogenic Laser Physics to the Development of High Average Power Ultra-Short Pulse Lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David C. Brown

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrafast laser physics continues to advance at a rapid pace, driven primarily by the development of more powerful and sophisticated diode-pumping sources, the development of new laser materials, and new laser and amplification approaches such as optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification. The rapid development of high average power cryogenic laser sources seems likely to play a crucial role in realizing the long-sought goal of powerful ultrafast sources that offer concomitant high peak and average powers. In this paper, we review the optical, thermal, thermo-optic and laser parameters important to cryogenic laser technology, recently achieved laser and laser materials progress, the progression of cryogenic laser technology, discuss the importance of cryogenic laser technology in ultrafast laser science, and what advances are likely to be achieved in the near-future.

Effect of laser pulse parameters on the size and fluorescence of nanodiamonds formed upon pulsed-laser irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai, Peikang; Hu, Shengliang; Zhang, Taiping; Sun, Jing; Cao, Shirui

2010-01-01

The size of nanodiamonds formed upon laser irradiation could be easily controlled over simply adjusting laser pulse parameters. The stable size and structure of nanodiamonds were mostly determined by laser power density and pulse width. Both large nanodiamonds with multiply twinning structure (MTS) and small nanodiamonds with single crystalline structure (SCS) emitted strong visible light after surface passivation, and their fluorescence quantum yield (QY) was 4.6% and 7.1%, respectively.

Effect of laser pulse parameters on the size and fluorescence of nanodiamonds formed upon pulsed-laser irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bai, Peikang [School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051 (China); Hu, Shengliang, E-mail: hsliang@yeah.net [Key Laboratory of Instrumentation Science and Dynamic Measurement (North University of China), Ministry of Education, National Key Laboratory Science and Technology on Electronic Test and Measurement, Taiyuan 030051 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051 (China); Zhang, Taiping; Sun, Jing [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Cao, Shirui [School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051 (China)

2010-07-15

The size of nanodiamonds formed upon laser irradiation could be easily controlled over simply adjusting laser pulse parameters. The stable size and structure of nanodiamonds were mostly determined by laser power density and pulse width. Both large nanodiamonds with multiply twinning structure (MTS) and small nanodiamonds with single crystalline structure (SCS) emitted strong visible light after surface passivation, and their fluorescence quantum yield (QY) was 4.6% and 7.1%, respectively.

Applications of ultrashort laser pulses in science and technology; Proceedings of the Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, Mar. 12, 13, 1990

Science.gov (United States)

Antonetti, Andre (Editor)

1990-01-01

Topics discussed are on the generation of high-intensity femtosecond lasers, the high-repetition and infrared femtosecond pulses, and physics of semiconductors and applications. Papers are presented on the femtosecond pulse generation at 193 nm; the generation of intense subpicosecond and femtosecond pulses; intense tunable subpicosecond and femtosecond pulses in the visible and infrared, generated by optical parametric oscillators; a high-efficiency high-energy optical amplifier for femtosecond pulses; and the generation of solitons, periodic pulsing, and nonlinearities in GaAs. Other papers are on ultrafast relaxation dynamics of photoexcited carriers in GaAs, high-order optical nonlinear susceptibilities of transparent glasses, subnanosecond risetime high-power pulse generation using photoconductive bulk GaAs devices, femtosecond studies of plasma formation in crystalline and amorphous silicon, and subpicosecond dynamics of hot carrier relaxation in InP and GaAs.

Mid-infrared, long wave infrared (4-12 μm) molecular emission signatures from pharmaceuticals using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Clayton S-C; Brown, Ei E; Kumi-Barimah, Eric; Hommerich, Uwe H; Jin, Feng; Trivedi, Sudhir B; Samuels, Alan C; Snyder, A Peter

2014-01-01

In an effort to augment the atomic emission spectra of conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and to provide an increase in selectivity, mid-wave to long-wave infrared (IR), LIBS studies were performed on several organic pharmaceuticals. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy signature molecular emissions of target organic compounds are observed for the first time in the IR fingerprint spectral region between 4-12 μm. The IR emission spectra of select organic pharmaceuticals closely correlate with their respective standard Fourier transform infrared spectra. Intact and/or fragment sample molecular species evidently survive the LIBS event. The combination of atomic emission signatures derived from conventional ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared LIBS with fingerprints of intact molecular entities determined from IR LIBS promises to be a powerful tool for chemical detection.

High-power pulsed lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzrichter, J.F.

1980-01-01

The ideas that led to the successful construction and operation of large multibeam fusion lasers at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are reviewed. These lasers are based on the use of Nd:glass laser materials. However, most of the concepts are applicable to any laser being designed for fusion experimentation. This report is a summary of lectures given by the author at the 20th Scottish University Summer School in Physics, on Laser Plasma Interaction. This report includes basic concepts of the laser plasma system, a discussion of lasers that are useful for short-pulse, high-power operation, laser design constraints, optical diagnostics, and system organization

Microstructured silicon created with a nanosecond neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandeville, W.J. [MITRE Corporation, Colorado Springs, CO (United States); Shaffer, M.K.; Lu, Yalin; O' Keefe, D.; Knize, R.J. [United States Air Force Academy, USAFA, CO (United States)

2011-08-15

We produce microstructured silicon using frequency doubled, nanosecond Nd:YAG pulses in SF{sub 6} gas. The micro-penitentes formed are up to 20 {mu}m tall with a sulfur concentration of 0.5% near the surface. The infrared absorption is increased to near unity and extends well below the original bandgap far into the infrared. These data are similar to results reported by others using more complicated and less economical femtosecond titanium sapphire and picosecond and nanosecond excimer lasers. (orig.)

Three-dimensional laser pulse intensity diagnostic for photoinjectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heng Li

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Minimizing the electron-beam emittance of photoinjectors is an important task for maximizing the brightness of the next-generation x-ray facilities, such as free-electron lasers and energy recovery linacs. Optimally shaped laser pulses can significantly reduce emittance. A reliable diagnostic for the laser pulse intensity is required for this purpose. We demonstrate measurement of three-dimensional spatiotemporal intensity profiles, with spatial resolution of 20  μm and temporal resolution of 130 fs. The capability is illustrated by measurements of stacked soliton pulses and pulses from a dissipative-soliton laser.

Electron acceleration by a self-diverging intense laser pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, K.P.; Gupta, D.N.; Tripathi, V.K.; Gupta, V.L.

2004-01-01

Electron acceleration by a laser pulse having a Gaussian radial and temporal profile of intensity has been studied. The interaction region is vacuum followed by a gas. The starting point of the gas region has been chosen around the point at which the peak of the pulse interacts with the electron. The tunnel ionization of the gas causes a defocusing of the laser pulse and the electron experiences the action of a ponderomotive deceleration at the trailing part of the pulse with a lower intensity rather than an acceleration at the rising part of the laser pulse with a high intensity, and thus gains net energy. The initial density of the neutral gas atoms should be high enough to properly defocus the pulse; otherwise the electron experiences some deceleration during the trailing part of the pulse and the net energy gain is reduced. The rate of tunnel ionization increases with the increase in the laser intensity and the initial density of neutral gas atoms, and with the decreases in the laser spot size, which causes more defocusing of the laser pulse. The required initial density of neutral gas atoms decreases with the increase in the laser intensity and also with the decrease in the laser spot size

New infrared solid state laser materials for CALIOPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeLoach, L.D.; Page, R.H.; Wilke, G.D.

1994-01-01

Tunable infrared laser light may serve as a useful means by which to detect the presence of the targeted effluents. Since optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) have proven to be a versatile method of generating coherent light from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, this technology is a promising choice by which to service the CALIOPE applications. In addition, since some uncertainty remains regarding the precise wavelengths and molecules that will be targeted, the deployment of OPOs retains the greatest amount of wavelength flexibility. Another approach that the authors are considering is that of generating tunable infrared radiation directly with a diode-pumped solid state laser (DPSSL). One important advantage of a DPSSL is that it offers flexible pulse format modes that can be tailored to meet the needs of a particular application and target molecule. On the other hand, direct generation by a tunable DPSSL will generally be able to cover a more limited wavelength range than is possible with OPO technology. In support of the CALIOPE objectives the authors are exploring the potential for laser action among a class of materials comprised of transition metal-doped zinc chalcogenide crystals (i.e., ZnS, ZnSe and ZnTe). The Cr 2+ , Co 2+ and Ni 2+ dopants were selected as the most favorable candidates, on the basis of their documented spectral properties in the scientific literature. Thus far, the authors have characterized the absorption and emission properties of these ions in the ZnS and ZnSe crystals. The absorption spectra are used to determine the preferred wavelength at which the crystal should be pumped, while the emission spectra reveal the extent of the tuning range potentially offered by the material. In addition, measurements of the emission lifetime as a function of temperature turn out to be quite useful, since this data is suggestive of the room temperature emission yield

Pulsed-laser atom-probe field-ion microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kellogg, G.L.; Tsong, T.T.

1980-01-01

A time-of-flight atom-probe field-ion microscope has been developed which uses nanosecond laser pulses to field evaporate surface species. The ability to operate an atom-probe without using high-voltage pulses is advantageous for several reasons. The spread in energy arising from the desorption of surface species prior to the voltage pulse attaining its maximum amplitude is eliminated, resulting in increased mass resolution. Semiconductor and insulator samples, for which the electrical resistivity is too high to transmit a short-duration voltage pulse, can be examined using pulsed-laser assisted field desorption. Since the electric field at the surface can be significantly smaller, the dissociation of molecular adsorbates by the field can be reduced or eliminated, permitting well-defined studies of surface chemical reactions. In addition to atom-probe operation, pulsed-laser heating of field emitters can be used to study surface diffusion of adatoms and vacancies over a wide range of temperatures. Examples demonstrating each of these advantages are presented, including the first pulsed-laser atom-probe (PLAP) mass spectra for both metals (W, Mo, Rh) and semiconductors (Si). Molecular hydrogen, which desorbs exclusively as atomic hydrogen in the conventional atom probe, is shown to desorb undissociatively in the PLAP. Field-ion microscope observations of the diffusion and dissociation of atomic clusters, the migration of adatoms, and the formation of vacancies resulting from heating with a 7-ns laser pulse are also presented

Comparison of retina damage thresholds simulating the femtosecond-laser in situ keratomileusis (fs-LASIK) process with two laser systems in the CW- and fs-regime

Science.gov (United States)

Sander, M.; Minet, O.; Zabarylo, U.; Müller, M.; Tetz, M. R.

2012-04-01

The femtosecond-laser in situ keratomileusis procedure affords the opportunity to correct ametropia by cutting transparent corneal tissue with ultra-short laser pulses. Thereby the tissue cut is generated by a laser-induced optical breakdown in the cornea with ultra-short laser pulses in the near-infrared range. Compared to standard procedures such as photorefractive keratectomy and laser in-situ keratomileusis with the excimer laser, where the risk potential for the eye is low due to the complete absorption of ultraviolet irradiation from corneal tissue, only a certain amount of the pulse energy is deposited in the cornea during the fs-LASIK process. The remaining energy propagates through the eye and interacts with the retina and the strong absorbing tissue layers behind. The objective of the presented study was to determine and compare the retina damage thresholds during the fs-LASIK process simulated with two various laser systems in the CW- and fs-regime.

Soft x-ray generation in gases with an ultrashort pulse laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ditmire, Todd Raymond [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

1996-01-08

An experimental investigation of soft x-ray production resulting from the interaction of intense near infra-red laser radiation with gases is presented in this thesis. Specifically, soft x-ray generation through high order harmonic generation or exploiting intense inverse bremsstrahlung heating is examined. Most of these studies are conducted with femtosecond, terawatt class Cr:LiSrAlF₆ (LiSAF) laser, though results derived from studies with other laser systems are presented as well. The majority of this work is devoted to experimental investigations, however, theoretical and computational models are developed to interpret the data. These studies are motivated by the possibility of utilizing the physics of intense laser/matter interactions as a potential compact source of bright x-rays. Consequently, the thrust of many of the experiments conducted is aimed at characterizing the x-rays produced for possible use in applications. In general, the studies of this manuscript fall into three categories. First, a unique 130 fs, 8 TW laser that is based on chirped pulse amplification, is described, and its performance is evaluated. The generation of x-rays through high order harmonics is then discussed with emphasis on characterizing and optimizing harmonic generation. Finally, the generation of strong, incoherent x-ray radiation by the intense irradiation of large (>1,000 atom) clusters in gas jets, is explored. The physics of laser energy absorption by clusters illuminated with intensities of 10¹⁵ to 10¹⁷ W/cm² is considered in detail. X-ray spectroscopy of the hot plasmas that result from the irradiation of the clusters is conducted, and energy transport and kinetics issues in these plasmas are discussed.

Testing of a femtosecond pulse laser in outer space

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joohyung; Lee, Keunwoo; Jang, Yoon-Soo; Jang, Heesuk; Han, Seongheum; Lee, Sang-Hyun; Kang, Kyung-In; Lim, Chul-Woo; Kim, Young-Jin; Kim, Seung-Woo

2014-01-01

We report a test operation of an Er-doped fibre femtosecond laser which was conducted for the first time in outer space. The fibre-based ultrashort pulse laser payload was designed to meet space-use requirements, undergone through ground qualification tests and finally launched into a low-earth orbit early in 2013. Test results obtained during a one-year mission lifetime confirmed stable mode-locking all the way through although the radiation induced attenuation (RIA) in the Er-doped gain fibre caused an 8.6% reduction in the output power. This successful test operation would help facilitate diverse scientific and technological applications of femtosecond lasers in space and earth atmosphere in the near future. PMID:24875665

Clean Photothermal Heating and Controlled Release From Near Infrared Dye Doped Nanoparticles Without Oxygen Photosensitization

Science.gov (United States)

Guha, Samit; Shaw, Scott K.; Spence, Graeme T.; Roland, Felicia M.; Smith, Bradley D.

2015-01-01

The photothermal heating and release properties of biocompatible organic nanoparticles, doped with a near-infrared croconaine (Croc) dye, were compared with analogous nanoparticles doped with the common near-infrared dyes ICG and IR780. Separate formulations of lipid-polymer-hybrid nanoparticles and liposomes, each containing Croc dye, absorbed strongly at 808 nm and generated clean laser-induced heating (no production of 1O2 and no photobleaching of the dye). In contrast, laser-induced heating of nanoparticles containing ICG or IR780 produced reactive 1O2 leading to bleaching of the dye and also decomposition of co-encapsulated payload such as the drug Doxorubicin. Croc dye was especially useful as a photothermal agent for laser controlled release of chemically sensitive payload from nanoparticles. Solution state experiments demonstrated repetitive fractional release of water soluble fluorescent dye from the interior of thermosensitive liposomes. Additional experiments used a focused laser beam to control leakage from immobilized liposomes with very high spatial and temporal precision. The results indicate that fractional photothermal leakage from nanoparticles doped with Croc dye is a promising method for a range of controlled release applications. PMID:26149326

Nearly penalty-free, less than 4 ps supercontinuum Gbit/s pulse generation over 1535-1560 nm

Science.gov (United States)

Morioka, T.; Kawanishi, S.; Mori, K.; Saruwatari, M.

1994-05-01

Nearly penalty-free less than 4ps supercontinuum WDM pulses are generated at 6.3 Gbit/s over 1535-1560 nm for the first time using a 200 nm superbroadened supercontinuum in an optical fibre pumped by 1.7 W, 3.3 ps, 1542 nm short pulses from an Er(3+)-doped fibre ring laser.

Free-electron laser and related quantum beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minehara, Eisuke J.

2003-01-01

Past, present and future development programs of the JAERI super-conducting rf linac-based FELs and light sources with and without energy recovery have been discussed and introduced briefly. The JAERI FEL group has successfully discovered, and realized the brand-new FEL lasing mode of 255 fs ultra fast pulse, 6-9% high-efficiency, one GW high peak power, a few kW average power, and wide tunability of medium and far infrared wavelength regions at the same time. Using the new lasing, we could realize a powerful and efficient free-electron laser (FEL) for industrial uses near future. In order to realize such a tunable, ultra-short-pulse, high averaged-power FEL, we have needed the efficient and powerful CW FEL driver of the JAERI compact, stand-alone and zero-boil-off super-conducting rf linac with an energy-recovery geometry. The JAERI energy-recovery and/or super-conducting rf linac driver has been developed to use as an industrial electron irradiator, and millimeter-wave, far-infrared, mid-infrared, near-infrared and shorter wavelength quantum beam sources. (author)

Free-electron laser and related quantum beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minehara, Eisuke J [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

2003-07-01

Past, present and future development programs of the JAERI super-conducting rf linac-based FELs and light sources with and without energy recovery have been discussed and introduced briefly. The JAERI FEL group has successfully discovered, and realized the brand-new FEL lasing mode of 255 fs ultra fast pulse, 6-9% high-efficiency, one GW high peak power, a few kW average power, and wide tunability of medium and far infrared wavelength regions at the same time. Using the new lasing, we could realize a powerful and efficient free-electron laser (FEL) for industrial uses near future. In order to realize such a tunable, ultra-short-pulse, high averaged-power FEL, we have needed the efficient and powerful CW FEL driver of the JAERI compact, stand-alone and zero-boil-off super-conducting rf linac with an energy-recovery geometry. The JAERI energy-recovery and/or super-conducting rf linac driver has been developed to use as an industrial electron irradiator, and millimeter-wave, far-infrared, mid-infrared, near-infrared and shorter wavelength quantum beam sources. (author)

Picoseconds pulse generation and pulse width determination processes of a distributed feedback dye laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul Ghani, B.; Hammadi, M.

2004-08-01

A mathematical model has been developed to describe the dynamic emission of Nd-glass, distributed feedback dye laser (DFDL), and periodical grating temperature. The suggested model allows the investigation of the time behavior of Nd-glass laser and DFDL pulsed. Moreover, it allows studying the effect of the laser input parameters of Nd-glass laser on the spectral characteristics of the output DFDL pulses such as pulse width, delay time, and time separation

Short pulse laser systems for biomedical applications

CERN Document Server

Mitra, Kunal

2017-01-01

This book presents practical information on the clinical applications of short pulse laser systems and the techniques for optimizing these applications in a manner that will be relevant to a broad audience, including engineering and medical students as well as researchers, clinicians, and technicians. Short pulse laser systems are useful for both subsurface tissue imaging and laser induced thermal therapy (LITT), which hold great promise in cancer diagnostics and treatment. Such laser systems may be used alone or in combination with optically active nanoparticles specifically administered to the tissues of interest for enhanced contrast in imaging and precise heating during LITT. Mathematical and computational models of short pulse laser-tissue interactions that consider the transient radiative transport equation coupled with a bio-heat equation considering the initial transients of laser heating were developed to analyze the laser-tissue interaction during imaging and therapy. Experiments were first performe...

A comparative study of pulsed dye laser versus long pulsed Nd:YAG laser treatment in recalcitrant viral warts.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Yo Sup; Cho, Eun Byul; Park, Eun Joo; Kim, Kwang Ho; Kim, Kwang Joong

2017-08-01

Viral warts are common infectious skin disease induced by human papillomavirus (HPV). But the treatment of recalcitrant warts is still challenging. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and long pulsed Nd:YAG (LPNY) laser in the treatment of recalcitrant viral warts. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients with recalcitrant warts treated with laser therapy between January 2013 and February 2016. Seventy-two patients with recalcitrant warts were evaluated. Thirty-nine patients were treated with pulsed dye laser and thirty-three patients were treated with LPNY laser. The following parameters were used: PDL (spot size, 7 mm; pulse duration, 1.5 ms; and fluence, 10-14 J/cm 2 ) and LPNY (spot size, 5 mm; pulse duration, 20 ms; and fluence, 240-300 J/cm 2 ). Complete clearance of two patients (5.1%) in PDL group, and three patients (9.1%) in LPNY group were observed without significant side effects. The patients who achieved at least 50% improvement from baseline were 20 (51.3%) in PDL and 22 (66.7%) in LPNY, respectively. This research is meaningful because we compared the effectiveness of the PDL and LPNY in the recalcitrant warts. Both PDL and LPNY laser could be used as a safe and alternative treatment for recalcitrant warts.

Half-period optical pulse generation using a free-electron laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaroszynski, D.A.; Chaix, P.; Piovella, N.

1995-01-01

Recently there has been growth, in interest in non-equilibrium interaction of half-period long optical pulses with matter. To date the optical pulses have been produced by chopping out a half-period long segment from a longer pulse using a semiconductor switch driven by a femtosecond laser. In this paper we present new methods for producing tunable ultra-short optical pulses as short as half an optical period using a free-electron laser driven by electron bunches with a duration a fraction of an optical period. Two different methods relying on the production of coherent spontaneous emission will be described. In the first method we show that when a train of ultra-short optical pulses as short as one half period. We present calculations which show that the small signal gain is unimportant in the early stages of radiation build up in the cavity when the startup process is dominated by coherent spontaneous emission. To support our proposed method we present encouraging experimental results from the FELIX experiment in the Netherlands which show that interference effects between the coherent spontaneous optical pulses at start-up are very important. The second proposed method relies on the fact that coherent spontaneous emission mimics the undulations of electrons as they pass through the undulator. We show that ultra-short optical pulses are produced by coherent spontaneous emission when ultra-short electron bunches pass through an ultra-short undulator. We discuss the interesting case of such undulator radiation in the presence of an optical cavity and show that the optical pulse can be open-quotes tayloredclose quotes by simply adjusting the optical cavity desynchronism. The proposed methods may be realisable using existing rf driven FELs in the far-infrared

Absorption Spectroscopy in Hollow-Glass Waveguides Using Infrared Diode Lasers[4817-25

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blake, Thomas A.; Kelly, James F.; Stewart, Timothy L.; Hartman, John S.; Sharpe, Steven W.; Sams, Robert L.; Alan Fried

2002-01-01

Near- and mid-infrared diode lasers combined with flexible, hollow waveguides hold the promise of light weight, field portable, fast response gas sensors. The advantages of using the waveguides compared to White or Herriott multireflection cells include a small gas volume, a high photon fill factor in the waveguide, which increases molecule-light interactions, and reduction or elimination of optical fringing, which usually sets the practical limit of detectivity in absorption spectroscopy. Though hollow waveguides have been commercially available for several years, relatively few results have been reported in the literature. We present here results from our laboratory where we have injected infrared laser light into straight and coiled lengths of hollow waveguides and performed direct and wavelength modulated absorption spectroscopy on nitrous oxide, ethylene, and nitric oxide. Using a 1 mm bore, 3 meter long coiled waveguide coated for the near infrared, nitrous oxide transitions near 6595 cm-1 were observed under flowing conditions. Signal-to-noise ratios on the order of 1500:1 with RMS noise equal to 2 X 10-5 were measured. In the mid-infrared light from either a 10.1 or 5.3 micron lead salt diode laser was injected into a three meter length of 1 mm bore hollow waveguide coated for the mid-infrared. The waveguide was coiled with one loop at a diameter of 52 cm. Ethylene transitions were observed in the vicinity of 985 cm-1 with a static fill of 0.2 Torr of pure ethylene in the waveguide and nitric oxide transitions were observed in the vicinity of 1906 cm-1 using either a flow or a static fill of 1 ppm NO in nitrogen. In direct absorption the NO transitions are observed to have a signal-to-noise of approximately 5:1 for transitions with absorbances on the order of 10-3. Using wavelength modulated techniques the signal-to-noise ratio improves at least an order of magnitude. These encouraging results indicate that waveguides can be used for in situ gas monitoring

Laser-supported detonation waves and pulsed laser propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kare, J.

1990-01-01

A laser thermal rocket uses the energy of a large remote laser, possibly ground-based, to heat an inert propellant and generate thrust. Use of a pulsed laser allows the design of extremely simple thrusters with very high performance compared to chemical rockets. The temperatures, pressures, and fluxes involved in such thrusters (10 4 K, 10 2 atmospheres, 10 7 w/cm 2 ) typically result in the creation of laser-supported detonation (LSD) waves. The thrust cycle thus involves a complex set of transient shock phenomena, including laser-surface interactions in the ignition of the LSD wave, laser-plasma interactions in the LSD wave itself, and high-temperature nonequilibrium chemistry behind the LSD wave. The SDIO Laser Propulsion Program is investigating these phenomena as part of an overall effort to develop the technology for a low-cost Earth-to-orbit laser launch system. We will summarize the Program's approach to developing a high performance thruster, the double-pulse planar thruster, and present an overview of some results obtained to date, along with a discussion of the many research question still outstanding in this area

Novel doped hydroxyapatite thin films obtained by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duta, L.; Oktar, F.N.; Stan, G.E.; Popescu-Pelin, G.; Serban, N.; Luculescu, C.; Mihailescu, I.N.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► HA coatings synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. ► Comparative study of commercial vs. animal origin materials. ► HA coatings of animal origin were rougher and more adherent to substrates. ► Animal origin films can be considered as promising candidates for implant coatings. - Abstract: We report on the synthesis of novel ovine and bovine derived hydroxyapatite thin films on titanium substrates by pulsed laser deposition for a new generation of implants. The calcination treatment applied to produce the hydroxyapatite powders from ovine/bovine bones was intended to induce crystallization and to prohibit the transmission of diseases. The deposited films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Pull-off adherence and profilometry measurements were also carried out. X-ray diffraction ascertained the polycrystalline hydroxyapatite nature of the powders and films. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy evidenced the vibrational bands characteristic to a hydroxyapatite material slightly carbonated. The micrographs of the films showed a uniform distribution of spheroidal particulates with a mean diameter of ∼2 μm. Pull-off measurements demonstrated excellent bonding strength values between the hydroxyapatite films and the titanium substrates. Because of their physical–chemical properties and low cost fabrication from renewable resources, we think that these new coating materials could be considered as a prospective competitor to synthetic hydroxyapatite used for implantology applications.

Development of pulsed UV lasers and their application in laser spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De la Rosa, M I; Perez, C; Gruetzmacher, K; GarcIa, D; Bustillo, A

2011-01-01

The application of two-photon laser spectroscopy to plasma diagnostics requires tuneable UV-laser spectrometers providing: some mJ pulse energy at ns time scale with spectral quality close to Fourier Transform Limit, good pulse to pulse reproducibility and tuning linearity. We report about two different systems, a first laser specially optimized for the radiation at 243 nm, which is required for the 1S-2S two photon transition of atomic hydrogen, and a second one generating 205 nm suited for the transition 1S - 3S/3D.

Hybrid Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Sawyer; Trujillo, Skyler; Fort Lewis College Laser Group Team

This work concerns the novel design of an inexpensive pulsed Nd:YAG laser, consisting of a hybrid Kerr Mode Lock (KLM) and Q-switch pulse. The two pulse generation systems work independently, non simultaneously of each other, thus generating the ability for the user to easily switch between ultra-short pulse widths or large energy density pulses. Traditionally, SF57 glass has been used as the Kerr medium. In this work, novel Kerr mode-locking mediums are being investigated including: tellurite compound glass (TeO2), carbon disulfide (CS2), and chalcogenide glass. These materials have a nonlinear index of refraction orders of magnitude,(n2), larger than SF57 glass. The Q-switched pulse will utilize a Pockels cell. As the two pulse generation systems cannot be operated simultaneously, the Pockels cell and Kerr medium are attached to kinematic mounts, allowing for quick interchange between systems. Pulse widths and repetition rates will vary between the two systems. A goal of 100 picosecond pulse widths are desired for the mode-locked system. A goal of 10 nanosecond pulse widths are desired for the Q-switch system, with a desired repetition rate of 50 Hz. As designed, the laser will be useful in imaging applications.

Coherent control of D2/H2 dissociative ionization by a mid-infrared two-color laser field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanie, Vincent; Ibrahim, Heide; Beaulieu, Samuel; Thiré, Nicolas; Schmidt, Bruno E; Légaré, François; Deng, Yunpei; Alnaser, Ali S; Litvinyuk, Igor V; Tong, Xiao-Min

2016-01-01

Steering the electrons during an ultrafast photo-induced process in a molecule influences the chemical behavior of the system, opening the door to the control of photochemical reactions and photobiological processes. Electrons can be efficiently localized using a strong laser field with a well-designed temporal shape of the electric component. Consequently, many experiments have been performed with laser sources in the near-infrared region (800 nm) in the interest of studying and enhancing the electron localization. However, due to its limited accessibility, the mid-infrared (MIR) range has barely been investigated, although it allows to efficiently control small molecules and even more complex systems. To push further the manipulation of basic chemical mechanisms, we used a MIR two-color (1800 and 900 nm) laser field to ionize H 2 and D 2 molecules and to steer the remaining electron during the photo-induced dissociation. The study of this prototype reaction led to the simultaneous control of four fragmentation channels. The results are well reproduced by a theoretical model solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the molecular ion, identifying the involved dissociation mechanisms. By varying the relative phase between the two colors, asymmetries (i.e., electron localization selectivity) of up to 65% were obtained, corresponding to enhanced or equivalent levels of control compared to previous experiments. Experimentally easier to implement, the use of a two-color laser field leads to a better electron localization than carrier-envelope phase stabilized pulses and applying the technique in the MIR range reveals more dissociation channels than at 800 nm. (paper)

Pulse power technology application to lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prestwich, K.R.

1975-01-01

Recent developments of intense relativistic electron beam accelerators and the associated pulse power technology are reviewed. The design of specific accelerators for gas laser excitation sources is discussed. A 3 MV, 800 kA, 24 ns electron beam accelerator under development for the electron beam fusion program is described along with the low jitter multichannel oil-dielectric rail switches developed for this application. This technology leads to the design of a 20 kJ, short pulse accelerator optimized gas laser excitation with radially converging electron beams. Other gas laser research requirements have led to the development of an accelerator that will produce a 0.5 MV, 20 kJ, 1 μs electron beam pulse. (auth)

Polarization effects in above-threshold ionization with a mid-infrared strong laser field

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hui-Peng; Xu, Song-Po; Wang, Yan-Lan; Yu, Shao-Gang; Zhao, Xiao-Yun; Hao, Xiao-Lei; Lai, Xuan-Yang; Pfeifer, Thomas; Liu, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Jing; Cheng, Ya; Xu, Zhi-Zhan

2018-05-01

Using a semiclassical approach, we theoretically study the above-threshold ionization of magnesium by intense, mid-infrared laser pulses. The formation of low-energy structures in the photoelectron spectrum is found to be enhanced by comparing with a calculation based on the single-active electron approximation. By performing electron trajectory and recollision-time distribution analysis, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is due to the laser-induced ionic core polarization effects on the recolliding electrons. We also show that the polarization effects should be experimentally detectable. Our finding provides new insight into ultrafast control of strong-field photoionization and imaging of polar molecules.

Laser-pulsed Plasma Chemistry: Laser-initiated Plasma Oxidation Of Niobium

OpenAIRE

Marks R.F.; Pollak R.A.; Avouris Ph.; Lin C.T.; Thefaine Y.J.

1983-01-01

We report the first observation of the chemical modification of a solid surface exposed to an ambient gas plasma initiated by the interaction of laser radiation with the same surface. A new technique, which we designate laser-pulsed plasma chemistry (LPPC), is proposed for activating heterogeneous chemical reactions at solid surfaces in a gaseous ambient by means of a plasma initiated by laser radiation. Results for niobium metal in one atmosphere oxygen demonstrate single-pulse, self-limitin...

Hose-Modulation Instability of Laser Pulses in Plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprangle, P.; Krall, J.; Esarey, E.

1994-01-01

A laser pulse propagating in a uniform plasma or a preformed plasma density channel is found to undergo a combination of hose and modulation instabilities, provided the pulse centroid has an initial tilt. Coupled equations for the laser centroid and envelope are derived and solved for a finite-length laser pulse. Significant coupling between the centroid and the envelope, harmonic generation in the envelope, and strong modification of the wake field can occur. Methods to reduce the growth rate of the laser hose instability are demonstrated

Review of progress in pulsed laser deposition and using Nd:YAG laser in processing of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.W.; Mukherjee, K.

1993-01-01

The current progress in pulsed laser ablation of high-temperature superconductors is reviewed with emphasis on the effect of pulse-width and wavelength, nature of the plasma plume, post-annealing and methods to improve quality of films grown at low temperature. An ion beam assisted millisecond pulsed laser vapor deposition process has been developed to fabricate YBa 2 Cu 3 O x high T. superconductor thin films. Solution to target overheating problem, effects of oxygen ion beam, properties of deposited films, and effect of silver buffer layer on YSZ substrate are presented. A new laser calcining process has been used to produce near single phase high T c superconductors of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 system. The total processing time was reduced to about 100 hours which is about half of that for conventional sintering. For this compound both resistance and magnetic susceptibility data showed an onset of superconducting transition at about 110K. A sharp susceptibility drop was observed above 106K. The zero resistance temperature was about 98K. High T c phase was formed via a different kinetic path in laser calcined sample compare with the conventionally processed sample

Laser-induced down-conversion and infrared phosphorescence emissivity of novel ligand-free perovskite nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, M. A.; Khafagy, Rasha M.; El-sayed, O.

2014-03-01

For the first time, standalone and ligand-free series of novel rare-earth-based perovskite nanomaterials are used as near infrared (NIR) and mid infrared (MIR) emitters. Nano-sized La0.7Sr0.3M0.1Fe0.9O3; where M = 0, Mn2+, Co2+ or Ni2+ were synthesized using the flash auto-combustion method and characterized using FTIR, FT-Raman, SEM and EDX. Photoluminescence spectra were spontaneously recorded during pumping the samples with 0.5 mW of green laser emitting continuously at 532 nm. La0.7Sr0.3FeO3 (where M = 0) did not result in any infrared emissivity, while intense near and mid infrared down-converted phosphorescence was released from the M-doped samples. The released phosphorescence greatly shifted among the infrared spectral region with changing the doping cation. Ni2+-doped perovskite emitted at the short-wavelength near-infrared region, while Mn2+ and Co2+-doped perovskites emitted at the mid-wavelength infrared region. The detected laser-induced spontaneous parametric down-conversion phosphorescence (SPDC) occurred through a two-photon process by emitting two NIR or MIR photons among a cooperative energy transfer between the La3+ cations and the M2+ cations. Combining SrFeO3 ceramic with both a rare earth cation (RE3+) and a transition metal cation (Mn2+, Co2+ or Ni2+), rather than introducing merely RE3+ cations, greatly improved and controlled the infrared emissivity properties of synthesized perovskites through destroying their crystal symmetry and giving rise to asymmetrical lattice vibration and the nonlinear optical character. The existence of SPDC in the M2+-doped samples verifies their nonlinear character after the absence of this character in La0.7Sr0.3FeO3. Obtained results verify that, for the first time, perovskite nanomaterials are considered as nonlinear optical crystals with intense infrared emissivity at low pumping power of visible wavelengths, which nominates them for photonic applications and requires further studies regarding their lasing

Drilling of Copper Using a Dual-Pulse Femtosecond Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chung-Wei Cheng

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The drilling of copper using a dual-pulse femtosecond laser with wavelength of 800 nm, pulse duration of 120 fs and a variable pulse separation time (0.1–150 ps is investigated theoretically. A one-dimensional two-temperature model with temperature-dependent material properties is considered, including dynamic optical properties and the thermal-physical properties. Rapid phase change and phase explosion models are incorporated to simulate the material ablation process. Numerical results show that under the same total laser fluence of 4 J/cm2, a dual-pulse femtosecond laser with a pulse separation time of 30–150 ps can increase the ablation depth, compared to the single pulse. The optimum pulse separation time is 85 ps. It is also demonstrated that a dual pulse with a suitable pulse separation time for different laser fluences can enhance the ablation rate by about 1.6 times.

Nonlinear laser pulse response in a crystalline lens.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, R P; Gupta, Pradeep Kumar; Singh, Ram Kishor; Strickland, D

2016-04-01

The propagation characteristics of a spatial Gaussian laser pulse have been studied inside a gradient-index structured crystalline lens with constant-density plasma generated by the laser-tissue interaction. The propagation of the laser pulse is affected by the nonlinearities introduced by the generated plasma inside the crystalline lens. Owing to the movement of plasma species from a higher- to a lower-temperature region, an increase in the refractive index occurs that causes the focusing of the laser pulse. In this study, extended paraxial approximation has been applied to take into account the evolution of the radial profile of the Gaussian laser pulse. To examine the propagation characteristics, variation of the beam width parameter has been observed as a function of the laser power and initial beam radius. The cavitation bubble formation, which plays an important role in the restoration of the elasticity of the crystalline lens, has been investigated.

Stimulated brillouin backscatter of a short-pulse laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinkel, D.E.; Williams, E.A.; Berger, R.L.

1994-01-01

Stimulated Brillouin backscattering (SBBS) from a short-pulse laser, where the pulse length is short compared to the plasma length, is found to be qualitatively different than in the long pulse regime, where the pulse length is long compared to the plasma length. We find that after an initial transient of order the laser pulse length transit time, the instability reaches a steady state in the variables x' = x - V g t, t' = t, where V g is the pulse group velocity. In contrast, SBBS in a long pulse can be absolutely unstable and grows indefinitely, or until nonlinearities intervene. We find that the motion of the laser pulse induces Doppler related effects that substantially modify the backscattered spectrum at higher intensities, where the instability is strongly coupled (i.e. , has a growth rate large compared to the ion acoustic frequency)

ANALYSIS OF PERIODIC NANOSTRUCTURES FORMATION ON A GOLD SURFACE UNDER EXPOSURE TO ULTRASHORT LASER PULSES NEAR THE MELTING THRESHOLD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. S. Ivanov

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Subject of Study. The mechanism of surface restructuring by ultrashort laser pulses involves a lot of fast, non-equilibrium, and interrelated processes while the solid is in a transient state. As a result, the analysis of the experimental data cannot cover all the mechanisms of nanostructuring. We present a direct comparison of a simulation and experimental results of surface nanomodification induced by a single laser pulse. Method. The experimental results were obtained by using a mask projection setup with a laser wavelength equal to 248 nm and a pulse length equal to 1.6 ps. This setup is used to produce an intensity grating on a gold surface with a sinusoidal shape and a period of 500 nm. The formed structures were analyzed by a scanning and transmission electron microscope, respectively. Then a hybrid atomistic-continuum model capable of capturing the essential mechanisms responsible for the nanostructuring process was used for modeling the interaction of the laser pulse with a thick gold target. Main Results. A good agreement between simulation and experimental data justifies the proposed approach as a powerful tool revealing the physics behind the nanostructuring process at a gold surface and providing a microscopic insight into the dynamics of the structuring processes of metals in general. The presented model, therefore, is an important step towards a new computational tool in predicting materials response to an ultrashort laser pulse on the atomic scale and properties of the modified surfaces. Practical Relevance. This detailed understanding of the dynamics of the process will pave the way towards pre-designed topologies for functionalized surfaces on the nano- and micro-scales.

Femtosecond laser-induced decomposition in triazenepolymer thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonse, J.; Wiggins, S.M.; Solis, J.; Lippert, T.; Sturm, H.

2005-01-01

The damage induced by ultrashort, 130 fs, near-infrared, 800 nm, Ti:sapphire laser pulses in 1 μm thick triazenepolymer films on glass substrates has been investigated. Real-time reflectivity measurements with a ps-resolution streak camera and a ns-resolution photodiode set-up have been performed to study in situ the structural transformation dynamics upon single-pulse excitation with laser fluences above the threshold of permanent damage. Scanning force microscopy has been used to probe ex situ the corresponding surface topography of the ablated spots. Modulated lateral force microscopy (M-LFM) has been applied to observe alterations of the local friction properties within and around the irradiated areas

Fluorescence-pumped photolytic gas laser system for a commercial laser fusion power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monsler, M.J.

1977-01-01

The first results are given for the conceptual design of a short-wavelength gas laser system suitable for use as a driver (high average power ignition source) for a commercial laser fusion power plant. A comparison of projected overall system efficiencies of photolytically excited oxygen, sulfur, selenium and iodine lasers is described, using a unique windowless laser cavity geometry which will allow scaling of single amplifier modules to 125 kJ per aperture for 1 ns pulses. On the basis of highest projected overall efficiency, a selenium laser is chosen for a conceptual power plant fusion laser system. This laser operates on the 489 nm transauroral transition of selenium, excited by photolytic dissociation of COSe by ultraviolet fluorescence radiation. Power balances and relative costs for optics, electrical power conditioning and flow conditioning of both the laser and fluorescer gas streams are discussed for a system with the following characteristics: 8 operating modules, 2 standby modules, 125 kJ per module, 1.4 pulses per second, 1.4 MW total average power. The technical issues of scaling visible and near-infrared photolytic gas laser systems to this size are discussed

Laser-driven hydrothermal process studied with excimer laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Mariella, Raymond; Rubenchik, Alexander; Fong, Erika; Norton, Mary; Hollingsworth, William; Clarkson, James; Johnsen, Howard; Osborn, David L.

2017-08-01

Previously, we discovered [Mariella et al., J. Appl. Phys. 114, 014904 (2013)] that modest-fluence/modest-intensity 351-nm laser pulses, with insufficient fluence/intensity to ablate rock, mineral, or concrete samples via surface vaporization, still removed the surface material from water-submerged target samples with confinement of the removed material, and then dispersed at least some of the removed material into the water as a long-lived suspension of nanoparticles. We called this new process, which appears to include the generation of larger colorless particles, "laser-driven hydrothermal processing" (LDHP) [Mariella et al., J. Appl. Phys. 114, 014904 (2013)]. We, now, report that we have studied this process using 248-nm and 193-nm laser light on submerged concrete, quartzite, and obsidian, and, even though light at these wavelengths is more strongly absorbed than at 351 nm, we found that the overall efficiency of LDHP, in terms of the mass of the target removed per Joule of laser-pulse energy, is lower with 248-nm and 193-nm laser pulses than with 351-nm laser pulses. Given that stronger absorption creates higher peak surface temperatures for comparable laser fluence and intensity, it was surprising to observe reduced efficiencies for material removal. We also measured the nascent particle-size distributions that LDHP creates in the submerging water and found that they do not display the long tail towards larger particle sizes that we had observed when there had been a multi-week delay between experiments and the date of measuring the size distributions. This is consistent with transient dissolution of the solid surface, followed by diffusion-limited kinetics of nucleation and growth of particles from the resulting thin layer of supersaturated solution at the sample surface.

Generation of picosecond pulses and frequency combs in actively mode locked external ring cavity quantum cascade lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wójcik, Aleksander K.; Belyanin, Alexey; Malara, Pietro; Blanchard, Romain; Mansuripur, Tobias S.; Capasso, Federico

2013-01-01

We propose a robust and reliable method of active mode locking of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers and develop its theoretical description. Its key element is the use of an external ring cavity, which circumvents fundamental issues undermining the stability of mode locking in quantum cascade lasers. We show that active mode locking can give rise to the generation of picosecond pulses and phase-locked frequency combs containing thousands of the ring cavity modes

Femtosecond versus picosecond laser pulses for film-free laser bioprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Stephane; Kérourédan, Olivia; Devillard, Raphael; Cormier, Eric

2017-11-01

We investigate the properties of microjets in the context of film-free laser induced forward transfer in the femtosecond and picosecond regimes. The influence of the pulse duration (ranging from 0.4 to 12 ps) and the energy (ranging from 6 to 12 μJ) is systematically studied on the height, diameter, speed, volume, and shape of the jets. The 400 fs pulses generate thin and stable jets compatible with bioprinting, while 14 ps pulses generate more unstable jets. A pulse duration around 8 ps seems, therefore, to be an interesting trade-off to cover many bio-applications of microjets generated by lasers.

The DENIS & 2MASS Near Infrared Surveys

OpenAIRE

Mamon, Gary

1996-01-01

The DENIS and 2MASS near infrared surveys are presented. Their applications in extragalactic astronomy and cosmology are listed. The prospects for a rapid spectroscopic followup survey of a near infrared selected sample of nearly $10^5$ galaxies are illustrated with Monte-Carlo simulations.

Reactive pulsed laser deposition with gas jet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rakowski, R.; Bartnik, A.; Fiedorowicz, H.; Jarocki, R.; Kostecki, J.; Szczurek, M.

2001-01-01

Different metal (Sn, Al, steel, Cu, W) thin films were synthesized by reactive pulsed laser deposition on steel, copper and glass wafers. In our work pulsed Nd:glass (10 J, 800μs) laser system was used. Jet of gas was created by electromagnetic valve perpendicularly to the laser beam. Nitrogen, oxygen and argon were used. We used several to tens laser shots to obtain visible with the naked eye layers. Thin layers were observed under an optical microscope. (author)

Infrared study of the Crab pulsar: The ''shoulder'' pulse and the 3.45 micron pulse profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middleditch, J.; Pennypacker, C.; Burns, M.S.

1983-01-01

Infrared measurements of the Crab pulsar with the NASA IRTF 3.0 m telescope show that the spectrum of the main pulse turns downward for wavelengths longer than 3 μm. The ''shoulder'' pulse discovered by Pennypacker is measured in the 0.9--2.4 μm region, but disappears at 3.5 μm. This pulse rises from 0 to 20% of the height of the main pulse within 1 to 2 ms after the main pulse peak and decays with a 4 to 5 ms time constant. Excess infrared flux also appears after the interpulse. The main peak itself may be narrower at 3.45 μm than in the optical to 2.2 μm band

Dependence of the absorption of pulsed CO2-laser radiation by silane on wavenumber, fluence, pulse duration, temperature, optical path length, and pressure of absorbing and nonabsorbing gases