Oxford Centre for High Energy Density Science (OxCHEDS)

Abstract:

Twisted Laguerre–Gaussian lasers, with orbital angular momentum and characterized by doughnut-shaped intensity profiles, provide a transformative set of tools and research directions in a growing range of fields and applications, from super-resolution microcopy and ultra-fast optical communications to quantum computing and astrophysics. The impact of twisted light is widening as recent numerical calculations provided solutions to long-standing challenges in plasma-based acceleration by allowing for high-gradient positron acceleration. The production of ultra-high-intensity twisted laser pulses could then also have a broad influence on relativistic laser–matter interactions. Here we show theoretically and with ab initio three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations that stimulated Raman backscattering can generate and amplify twisted lasers to petawatt intensities in plasmas. This work may open new research directions in nonlinear optics and high–energy-density science, compact plasma-based accelerators and light sources.

Abstract:

We present simulations of the time and space-resolved transmission of a solid-density aluminium plasma as it is created and probed with the focussed output of an x-ray free-electron-laser with photon energies ranging from the K-edge of the cold material (1560 eV) to 1880 eV. We demonstrate how information about the temporal evolution of the charge states within the system can be extracted from the spatially resolved, yet time-integrated transmission images. We propose that such time-resolved measurements could in principle be performed with recently developed split-and-delay techniques.

Abstract:

Phase retrieval problem occurs in a number of areas in physics and is the subject of continuing investigation [1-15]. One dimensional case, for example, an electron bunch temporal profile reconstruction, is particularly challenging. Frequently applied methods, are reliable if the Blaschke phase [10-12] contribution is negligible. This, however, is neither known a priori nor can it be assumed for an arbitrary profile. In this work we present a novel algorithm with additional constraints which gives reproducible, stable solutions for profiles, both artificial and experimental, otherwise unresolved by existing techniques.