Optical and x-ray characterization of the Daedalus ultrafast x-ray imager.

The Daedalus ultrafast x-ray imager is the latest generation in Sandia's hybrid CMOS detector family. With three frames along an identical line of sight, 1 ns minimum integration time, a higher full well than Icarus, and added features, Daedalus brings exciting new capabilities to diagnostic applications in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density science. In this work, we present measurements of time response, dynamic range, spatial uniformity, pixel cross-talk, and absolute x-ray sensitivity using pulsed optical and x-ray sources. We report a measured 1.5 Me- full well, pixel sensitivity at 9.58 × 10-7 V/e-, and an estimate of spatial uniformity at ∼5% across the sensor array.

Measurement of nonlinear refractive index and ionization rates in air using a wavefront sensor.

A wavefront sensor has been used to measure the Kerr nonlinear focal shift of a high intensity ultrashort pulse beam in a focusing beam geometry while accounting for the effects of plasma-defocusing. It is shown that plasma-defocusing plays a major role in the nonlinear focusing dynamics and that measurements of Kerr nonlinearity and ionization are coupled. Furthermore, this coupled effect leads to a novel way that measures the laser ionization rates in air under atmospheric conditions as well as Kerr nonlinearity. The measured nonlinear index n2 compares well with values found in the literature and the measured ionization rates could be successfully benchmarked to the model developed by Perelomov, Popov, and Terentev (PPT model) [Sov. Phys. JETP 50, 1393 (1966)].

X-ray characterization of the Icarus ultrafast x-ray imager.

Ultrafast x-ray imagers developed at Sandia National Laboratories are a transformative diagnostic tool in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics experiments. The nanosecond time scales on which these devices operate are a regime with little precedent, and applicable characterization procedures are still developing. This paper presents pulsed x-ray characterization of the Icarus imager under a variety of illumination levels and timing modes. Results are presented for linearity of response, absolute sensitivity, variation of response with gate width, and image quality.

Properties of optical breakdown in BK7 glass induced by an extended-cavity femtosecond laser oscillator.

Using an extended-cavity femtosecond oscillator, we investigated optical breakdown in BK7 glass caused by the accumulated action of many laser pulses. By using a pump-probe experiment and collecting the transmitted pump along with the reflected pump and the broadband light generated by the optical breakdown, we measured the build-up time to optical breakdown as a function of the pulse energy, and we also observed the instability of the plasma due to the effect of defocusing and shielding created by the electron gas. The spectrum of the broadband light emitted by the optical breakdown and the origin of the material modification in BK7 glass was studied. We developed a simple model of electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma that is consistent with the observed behavior of the reflection, absorption, and transmission of the laser light.

Extremely simple single-prism ultrashort- pulse compressor.

We have designed and demonstrated a very simple and compact ultrashort-pulse compressor using a single prism and a corner-cube. Our design is significantly easier to align and tune compared with previous designs. Angle-tuning the prism wavelength-tunes, and translating the corner cube varies the group-delay dispersion over a wide range. When tuned, the device automatically maintains zero angular dispersion, zero pulse-front tilt, zero spatial chirp, and unity magnification. The device can easily be built so that its output beam remains collinear with the input beam, and when the input beam or pulse compressor moves, the input and output beams remain collinear.

Extremely simple device for measuring 1.5-microm ultrashort laser pulses.

We have demonstrated an experimentally very simple and sensitive GRENOUILLE device for measuring the intensity and phase vs. time and spatio-temporal distortions of 100-fs to few-ps 1.5-microm pulses using the nonlinear-optical crystal Proustite. We show that the dispersive and nonlinear-optical characteristics of Proustite are critical for achieving very simple and reliable measurements of such pulses from fiber lasers and optical parametric amplifiers.

Measuring spatial chirp in ultrashort pulses using single-shot Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating.

We show that the spatio-temporal distortion, spatial chirp, is naturally and easily measured by single-shot versions of second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (SHG FROG) (including the extremely simple version, GRENOUILLE);. While SHG FROG traces are ordinarily symmetrical, a pulse with spatial chirp yields a trace with a shear that is approximately twice the pulse spatial chirp. As a result, the trace shear unambiguously reveals both the magnitude and sign of the pulse spatial chirp. The effects of spatial chirp can then be removed from the trace and the intensity and phase vs. time also retrieved, yielding a full description of the spatially chirped pulse in space and time.

Measuring pulse-front tilt in ultrashort pulses using GRENOUILLE.

We show that the spatio-temporal distortion, pulse-front tilt, is naturally, easily, and sensitively measured by the recently demonstrated, extremely simple variation of single-shot second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (SHG FROG): GRENOUILLE. While GRENOUILLE traces are ordinarily centered on the zero of delay, a pulse with pulse-front tilt yields a trace whose center is shifted to a nonzero delay that is proportional to the pulse-front tilt. As a result, the trace-center shift reveals both the magnitude and sign of the pulse-front tilt-independent of the temporal pulse intensity and phase. The effects of pulse-front tilt can then easily be removed from the trace and the intensity and phase vs. time also retrieved, yielding a full description of the pulse in space and time.

Measurement of the intensity and phase of attojoule femtosecond light pulses using Optical-Parametric-Amplification Cross-Correlation Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating.

We use the combination of ultrafast gating and high parametric gain available with Difference-Frequency Generation (DFG) and Optical Parametric Amplification (OPA) to achieve the complete measurement of ultraweak ultrashort light pulses. Specifically, spectrally resolving such an amplified gated pulse vs. relative delay yields the complete pulse intensity and phase vs. time. This technique is a variation of Cross-correlation Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (XFROG), and using it, we measure the intensity and phase of a train of attenuated white light continuum containing only a few attojoules per pulse. Unlike interferometric methods, this method can measure pulses with poor spatial coherence and random absolute phase, such as fluorescence.

Experimental studies of the coherence of microstructure-fiber supercontinuum.

The phase coherence of supercontinuum generation in microstructure fiber is quantified by performing a Young's type interference experiment between independently generated supercontinua from two separate fiber segments. Analysis of the resulting interferogram yields the wavelength dependence of the magnitude of the mutual degree of coherence, and a comparison of experimental results with numerical simulations suggests that the primary source of coherence degradation is the technical noise-induced fluctuations in the injected peak power.

Measuring several-cycle 1.5-m pulses using frequency-resolved optical gating.

We demonstrate frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) for measuring the full intensity and phase of several-optical-cycle 1.5-m pulses generated from a Kerr-lens mode-locked (KLM) Cr4+:YAG laser. This involves the use of an angle-dithered second-harmonic-generation crystal to achieve the full pulse bandwidth despite the use of a relatively thick nonlinear crystal.

Cross-correlation frequency resolved optical gating analysis of broadband continuum generation in photonic crystal fiber: simulations and experiments.

Numerical simulations are used to study the temporal and spectral characteristics of broadband supercontinua generated in photonic crystal fiber. In particular, the simulations are used to follow the evolution with propagation distance of the temporal intensity, the spectrum, and the cross-correlation frequency resolved optical gating (XFROG) trace. The simulations allow several important physical processes responsible for supercontinuum generation to be identified and, moreover, illustrate how the XFROG trace provides an intuitive means of interpreting correlated temporal and spectral features of the supercontinuum. Good qualitative agreement with preliminary XFROG measurements is observed.

Characterizing plasma mirrors near breakdown.

Experiments dedicated to the characterization of plasma mirrors with a high energy, single shot short-pulse laser were performed at the 100 TW target area of the Z-Backlighter Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. A suite of beam diagnostics was used to characterize a high energy laser pulse with a large aperture through focus imaging setup. By varying the fluence on the plasma mirror around the plasma ignition threshold, critical performance parameters were determined and a more detailed understanding of the way in which a plasma mirror works could be deduced. It was found, that very subtle variations in the laser near field profile will have strong effects on the reflected pulse if the maximum fluence on the plasma mirror approaches the plasma ignition threshold.

Extremely simple device for measuring 20-fs pulses.

We demonstrate an extremely simple frequency-resolved optical-gating device (GRENOUILLE) capable of measuring pulses with spectra wider than 100 nm. Its nearly all-reflective geometry minimizes the material dispersion, allowing accurate measurement of pulses as short as 19 fs.

Frequency-resolved optical gating and single-shot spectral measurements reveal fine structure in microstructure-fiber continuum.

Cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating with an angle-dithered nonlinear-optical crystal permits measurement of the intensity and the phase of the ultrabroadband (as much as 1200 nm wide) continuum generated from microstructure optical fiber. Retrieval revealed fine-scale structure in the continuum spectrum. Simulations and single-shot spectrum measurements confirmed that the fine structure does exist on a single-shot basis but washes out when many shots are averaged.