Modeling the propagation of a high-average-power train of ultrashort laser pulses.

We investigate the interpulse thermal interaction of a train of ultrashort laser pulses and develop a model to describe the isobaric heating of air by a train of pulses undergoing filamentation. We calculate the heating of air from a single laser pulse and the resulting refractive index perturbation encountered by subsequent pulses, and use this to simulate the propagation of a high-power pulse train. The simulations show deflection of laser filaments by the thermal refractive index consistent with previous experimental measurements.

Benchmarking background oriented schlieren against interferometric measurement using open source tools.

Gas flow from an under-expanding jet nozzle is measured using synchronized background oriented schlieren and interferometry diagnostics. The gas density distribution is obtained from a shift vector field of the background oriented schlieren and compared to the interferometric data. The comparison makes use of a simple calibration routine and open source Python recipes.

Pair Creation with Strong Laser Fields, Compton Scale X Rays, and Heavy Nuclei.

Electron-positron pair creation is considered when intense laser pulses collide head-on with <1 MeV x-ray photons in the presence of stationary Coulomb charges Z(-e). The analysis employs Coulomb-corrected Volkov states and is not limited to Born's approximation in Z. The cross section and the yield increase dramatically with increasing Z, potentially enabling (i) measurable yields with petawatt lasers and (ii) sensitive tests of strong-field QED.

Lensing properties of rotational gas flow: erratum.

This erratum includes additional references relevant to rotational gas flow negative lenses that were omitted in Appl. Opt.57, 9392 (2018)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.57.009392.

Lensing properties of rotational gas flow.

A negative lens comprising a gas in steady axisymmetric flow is demonstrated experimentally and analyzed. The lens has potential applications in high-intensity laser optics and presents the possibility of adjusting the focusing properties on a submillisecond time scale. It can be operated in environments where conventional optical elements are vulnerable.

Laser beam self-focusing in turbulent dissipative media.

A high-power laser beam propagating through a dielectric in the presence of fluctuations is subject to diffraction, dissipation, and optical Kerr nonlinearity. A method of moments was applied to a stochastic, nonlinear enveloped wave equation to analyze the evolution of the long-term spot radius. For propagation in atmospheric turbulence described by a Kolmogorov-von Kármán spectral density, the analysis was benchmarked against field experiments in the low-power limit and compared with simulation results in the high-power regime. Dissipation reduced the effect of self-focusing and led to chromatic aberration.

First Benchmark of Relativistic Photoionization Theories against 3D ab initio Simulation.

Photoelectron spectra and ionization rates encompassing relativistic intensities and hydrogenlike ions with relativistic binding energies are obtained using a quasiclassical S-matrix approach. These results, along with those based on the imaginary time method, are compared with three-dimensional, ½-period ab initio simulations for a wide range of ionization potentials and electric field amplitudes. Significant differences between the three results are demonstrated. Time-dependent simulations indicate that the peak ionization current can occur before the peak of the electric field.

High-power lasers for directed-energy applications: reply.

The comment by Vorontsov and Weyrauch [Appl. Opt.55, 9950 (2016)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.55.009950] is aimed at rebutting the critiques in Sprangle et al. [Appl. Opt.54, F201 (2015)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.54.00F201] and Nelson et al. [Appl. Opt.55, 1757 (2016)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.55.001757]. In the comment, Vorontsov and colleagues describe their experiments aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of coherent combining of lasers on a distant target, using relatively low-power lasers and a cooperative retro-reflective target. The Naval Research Laboratory has demonstrated the capability to project high power on a distant target by making use of an incoherent combining architecture. The proof-of-concept experiments were performed in a realistic environment without employing cooperative targets and without sophisticated adaptive optics instrumentation.

Reciprocity breaking during nonlinear propagation of adapted beams through random media.

Adaptive optics (AO) systems rely on the principle of reciprocity, or symmetry with respect to the interchange of point sources and receivers. These systems use the light received from a low power emitter on or near a target to compensate phase aberrations acquired by a laser beam during linear propagation through random media. If, however, the laser beam propagates nonlinearly, reciprocity is broken, potentially undermining AO correction. Here we examine the consequences of this breakdown, providing the first analysis of AO applied to high peak power laser beams. While discussed for general random and nonlinear media, we consider specific examples of Kerr-nonlinear, turbulent atmosphere.

Stimulated Raman scattering and nonlinear focusing of high-power laser beams propagating in water.

The physical processes associated with propagation of a high-power (power > critical power for self-focusing) laser beam in water include nonlinear focusing, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), optical breakdown, and plasma formation. The interplay between nonlinear focusing and SRS is analyzed for cases where a significant portion of the pump power is channeled into the Stokes wave. Propagation simulations and an analytical model demonstrate that the Stokes wave can re-focus the pump wave after the power in the latter falls below the critical power. It is shown that this novel focusing mechanism is distinct from cross-phase focusing. The phenomenon of gain-focusing discussed here for propagation in water is expected to be of general occurrence applicable to any medium supporting nonlinear focusing and stimulated Raman scattering.

Determination of absorption coefficient based on laser beam thermal blooming in gas-filled tube.

Thermal blooming of a laser beam propagating in a gas-filled tube is investigated both analytically and experimentally. A self-consistent formulation taking into account heating of the gas and the resultant laser beam spreading (including diffraction) is presented. The heat equation is used to determine the temperature variation while the paraxial wave equation is solved in the eikonal approximation to determine the temporal and spatial variation of the Gaussian laser spot radius, Gouy phase (longitudinal phase delay), and wavefront curvature. The analysis is benchmarked against a thermal blooming experiment in the literature using a CO2 laser beam propagating in a tube filled with air and propane. New experimental results are presented in which a CW fiber laser (1 µm) propagates in a tube filled with nitrogen and water vapor. By matching laboratory and theoretical results, the absorption coefficient of water vapor is found to agree with calculations using MODTRAN (the MODerate-resolution atmospheric TRANsmission molecular absorption database) and HITRAN (the HIgh-resolution atmospheric TRANsmission molecular absorption database).

Origin and control of the subpicosecond pedestal in femtosecond laser systems.

The picosecond time scale pedestal of a multiterawatt femtosecond laser pulse is investigated experimentally and analytically. The origin of the pedestal is related to the finite bandwidth of the laser system. By deliberately introducing a modulated spectrum with minima that match this limited bandwidth, the pedestal can be reduced, with no deleterious effect on the main pulse. Using this technique, we experimentally demonstrate a subpicosecond scale order of magnitude enhancement of contrast ratio while preserving the energy in the main pulse.

Laser heating of uncoated optics in a convective medium.

Powerful, long-pulse lasers have a variety of applications. In many applications, optical elements are employed to direct, focus, or collimate the beam. Typically the optic is suspended in a gaseous environment (e.g., air) and can cool by convection. The variation of the optic temperature with time is obtained by combining the effects of laser heating, thermal conduction, and convective loss. Characteristics of the solutions in terms of the properties of the optic material, laser beam parameters, and the environment are discussed and compared with measurements at the Naval Research Laboratory, employing kW-class, 1 µm wavelength, continuous wave lasers and optical elements made of fused silica or BK7 glass. The calculated results are in good agreement with the measurements, given the approximations in the analysis and the expected variation in the absorption coefficients of the glasses used in the experiments.

Nonlinear conversion of photon spin to photon orbital angular momentum.

A relativistically intense, ultrashort laser pulse with purely spin angular momentum produces second-harmonic radiation with equal parts of both spin and orbital angular momentum when focused into a plasma. The orbital contribution is due to an azimuthal phase variation that arises in the nonlinear current density. This phase variation is associated with the radial nonuniformity driven by ponderomotive blowout.

Transmission of intense femtosecond laser pulses into dielectrics.

The interaction of intense, femtosecond laser pulses with a dielectric medium is examined using a numerical simulation. The simulation uses the one-dimensional electromagnetic wave equation to model laser pulse propagation. In addition, it includes multiphoton ionization, electron attachment, Ohmic heating of free electrons, and temperature-dependent collisional ionization. Laser pulses considered in this study are characterized by peak intensities approximately 10(12) -10(14) W/cm(2) and pulse durations approximately 10-100 fsec . These laser pulses interacting with fused silica are shown to produce above-critical plasma densities and electron energy densities sufficient to attain experimentally measured damage thresholds. Significant transmission of laser energy is observed even in cases where the peak plasma density is above the critical density for reflection. A damage fluence based on absorbed laser energy is calculated for various pulse durations. The calculated damage fluence threshold is found to be consistent with recent experimental results.

Quasimonoenergetic electrons from unphased injection into channel guided laser wakefield accelerators.

A high-quality electron beam can be extracted from a channel guided laser wakefield accelerator without confining the injected particles to a small region of phase. By careful choice of the injection energy, a regime can be found where uniformly phased particles are quickly bunched by the accelerator itself and subsequently accelerated to high energy. The process is particularly effective in a plasma channel because of a favorable phase shift that occurs in the focusing fields. Furthermore, particle-in-cell simulations show that the self-fields of the injected bunches actually tend to reduce the energy spread on the final beam. The final beam characteristics can be calculated using a computationally inexpensive Hamiltonian formulation when beam-loading effects are minimal.

Stable laser-pulse propagation in plasma channels for GeV electron acceleration

To achieve multi-GeV electron energies in the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) it is necessary to propagate an intense laser pulse long distances in plasma without disruption. A 3D envelope equation for a laser pulse in a tapered plasma channel is derived, which includes wakefields and relativistic and nonparaxial effects, such as finite pulse length and group velocity dispersion. It is shown that electron energies of approximately GeV in a plasma-channel LWFA can be achieved by using short pulses where the forward Raman and modulation nonlinearities tend to cancel. Further energy gain can be achieved by tapering the plasma density to reduce electron dephasing.

Apparent superluminal propagation of a laser pulse in a dispersive medium.

The distortion of a laser pulse propagating in a dispersive gain/absorptive medium is analyzed. The relationship between the distortion of the pulse and superluminal propagation is discussed. We present an analytical approach based on the laser envelope equation that is readily applicable to arbitrary input pulse shapes. This analysis is used to interpret recent experiments that claim to have observed distortionless superluminal laser pulse propagation.

Propagation of intense short laser pulses in the atmosphere.

The propagation of short, intense laser pulses in the atmosphere is investigated theoretically and numerically. A set of three-dimensional (3D), nonlinear propagation equations is derived, which includes the effects of dispersion, nonlinear self-focusing, stimulated molecular Raman scattering, multiphoton and tunneling ionization, energy depletion due to ionization, relativistic focusing, and ponderomotively excited plasma wakefields. The instantaneous frequency spread along a laser pulse in air, which develops due to various nonlinear effects, is analyzed and discussed. Coupled equations for the power, spot size, and electron density are derived for an intense ionizing laser pulse. From these equations we obtain an equilibrium for a single optical-plasma filament, which involves a balancing between diffraction, nonlinear self-focusing, and plasma defocusing. The equilibrium is shown to require a specific distribution of power along the filament. It is found that in the presence of ionization a self-guided optical filament is not realizable. A method for generating a remote spark in the atmosphere is proposed, which utilizes the dispersive and nonlinear properties of air to cause a low-intensity chirped laser pulse to compress both longitudinally and transversely. For optimally chosen parameters, we find that the transverse and longitudinal focal lengths can be made to coincide, resulting in rapid intensity increase, ionization, and white light generation in a localized region far from the source. Coupled equations for the laser spot size and pulse duration are derived, which can describe the focusing and compression process in the low-intensity regime. More general examples involving beam focusing, compression, ionization, and white light generation near the focal region are studied by numerically solving the full set of 3D, nonlinear propagation equations.

Stimulated Raman scattering of intense laser pulses in air.

Stimulated rotational Raman scattering (SRRS) is known to be one of the processes limiting the propagation of high-power laser beams in the atmosphere. In this paper, SRRS, Kerr nonlinearity effects, and group velocity dispersion of short laser pulses and pulse trains are analyzed and simulated. Fully time-dependent, three-dimensional, nonlinear propagation equations describing the Raman interaction, optical Kerr nonlinearity due to bound electrons, and group velocity dispersion are presented and discussed. The effective time-dependent nonlinear refractive index containing both Kerr and Raman processes is derived. Linear stability analysis is used to obtain growth rates and phase matching conditions for the SRRS, modulational, and filamentation instabilities. Numerical solutions of the propagation equations in three dimensions show the detailed evolution of the Raman scattering instability for various pulse formats. The dependence of the growth rate of SRRS on pulse duration is examined and under certain conditions it is shown that short (approximately psec) laser pulses are stable to the SRRS instability. The interaction of pulses in a train through the Raman polarization field is also illustrated.