Oxford Centre for High Energy Density Science (OxCHEDS)

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Light at the end of the tunnel? Femtosecond pulses excite short-wavelength lasers

Optics and Photonics News 8:4 (1997) 21-25

Abstract:

Hooker explores current work in the XUV and soft x-ray spectral region aimed at achieving "table-top" short-wavelength lasers.
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Progress toward ultrahigh intensities with the Titania krypton fluoride laser system

Conference Proceedings - Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Annual Meeting-LEOS 11 (1997) 523

Authors:

GJ Hirst, EJ Divall, CB Edwards, CJ Hooker, MH Key, AK Kidd, JM Knott, JMD Lister, D Neely, PA Norreys, IN Ross, MJ Shaw, BE Wyborn

Abstract:

Titania is the latest series of ultraviolet laser systems developed with the highest laser beam brightness. It can be configured in two alternative modes which can deliver a brightness of <1020 W cm-2 sterad-1. The first mode, used a chirped pulse amplification (CPA) to produce the shortest possible pulses. Values of 300 fs on the target are measured. The energy limitations of the CPA scheme are removed in the alternative architecture based on Raman beam combining. The Titania Raman system is designed to operate optimally with pulses of 30-500 ps duration.
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Time-resolved x-ray diffraction from laser-irradiated crystals

Conference on Quantum Electronics and Laser Science (QELS) - Technical Digest Series 12 (1997) 31

Authors:

J Larsson, E Judd, PH Bucksbaum, PS Schuck, RW Falcone, PA Heimann, HA Padmore, Z Chang, MM Murnane, HC Kapteyn, A Asfaw, RW Lee, A Machacek, J Wark

Abstract:

A switch based on ultrashort pulse laser heating of diffraction crystals provide insights about x-ray diffraction that forms a synchrotron with sub-picosecond time resolution. A change is diffracted intensity results from thermal expansion of the crystal over an x-ray absorption depth. The reduction in diffracted intensity is limited by the laser fluence to about 15%. It also asserts that experiments using an ultrashort pulse Ti:Sapphire laser synchronized to the ring and a laser pump/x-ray probe are possible. With regards to temporal resolution, a higher level of it can be obtained by using an ultrafast streak camera synchronized to the laser.

Vacuum ultraviolet gain measurements in optically pumped LiYF4:Nd3+

Applied Physics B: Lasers and Optics 64:3 (1997) 293-300

Authors:

JS Cashmore, SM Hooker, CE Webb

Abstract:

We present measurements of the net-induced gain on the 5d-4f transition at 186 nm in LiYF4:Nd3+ optically pumped by radiation from a molecular fluorine laser. It is found that for LiYF4: Nd3+ one of a series of potential continuously tunable VUV lasers, relatively strong excited-state absorption results in net-induced loss. The prospects for VUV laser operation being realised in other rare-earth-doped fluorides is discussed.
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X-ray streak camera for ultrafast experiments with use of synchrotron radiation

Conference on Quantum Electronics and Laser Science (QELS) - Technical Digest Series 12 (1997) 30

Authors:

Z Chang, J Larsson, PA Heimann, PH Bucksbaum, RW Falcone, E Judd, HC Kapteyn, RW Lee, X Liu, A Machacek, MM Murnane, HA Padmore, B Shan, PJ Schuck, J Wark

Abstract:

The system of a synchrotron radiation utilizing X-ray streak camera for ultrafast experiments is discussed. The X-ray streak camera includes a short-pulse laser and an ultrafast subpicosecond X-ray detector that are accurately synchronized to the synchrotron. The camera's detector is considered to be the fastest, having a 0.54 ps single shot temporal resolution. The camera also has a pair of meander-type deflection plates found before a magnetic focusing lens which obtains very high sweep speeds on the exit phosphor. The duration of the X-ray beam from the synchrotron source was also measured to be at 5 kev.