Related papers: Particle acceleration in sub-cycle optical cells
The ion acceleration driven by a laser pulse at intensity $I = 10^{20} - 10^{22} $W/cm$^2\times(\mu$m$/\lambda)^2$ from a double layer target is investigated with multi-parametric Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations. For targets with a wide…
In this article, we derive analytically the complex optical spectrum of a pulsed laser source obtained when a frequency comb generated by phase modulation is input into a synchronized intensity modulator. We then show how this knowledge of…
We report a new type of vulnerability in practical implementations of quantum key distribution systems. We show that it is possible to increase the pulse energy of a source laser diode not only by injection-locking it by external light near…
We propose a method to generate femtosecond, relativistic and high-charge electron bunches using few-cycle and tightly focused radially polarized laser pulses. In this scheme, the incident laser pulse reflects off an overdense plasma that…
It is shown that when an few-cycle, relativistically intense, p-polarized laser pulse is obliquely incident on overdense plasma, the surface electrons may form ultra-thin, highly compressed layers, with a width of a few nanometers. These…
We theoretically describe the quasi one-dimensional transverse spreading of a light pulse propagating in a defocusing nonlinear optical material in the presence of a uniform background light intensity. For short propagation distances the…
Ultrashort light pulses are ubiquitous in modern research, but the electromagnetic field of the optical cycles is usually not easy to obtain as a function of time. Field-resolved pulse characterization requires either a nonlinear-optical…
The effect of laser focusing conditions on the evolution of relativistic plasma waves in laser wakefield accelerators is studied both experimentally and with particle-in-cell simulations. For short focal length ($w_0 < \lambda_p$)…
We discuss the scattering of a light pulse by a single atom in free space using a purely semi-classical framework. The atom is treated as a linear elastic scatterer allowing to treat each spectral component of the incident pulse separately.…
Laser wakefield acceleration, characterized by the extremely high electric field gradient exceeding 100GV/m, is regarded as a compact and cost affordable technology for the next generation of particle colliders and light sources. However,…
We report an asymmetric behavior of optical pulses during their propagation through a time-varying linear optical medium. The refractive index of the medium is considered to be varying with time and complex such that a sufficient amount of…
The development of high-intensity ultrashort laser pulses unlocks the potential of pump-probe spectroscopy in sub-femtosecond timescale. Notably, subcycle pump pulses can generate electronic states unreachable by conventional multicycle…
We review recent PIC simulation results which show that double-sided irradiaton of a thin overdense plasma slab by ultra-intense laser pulses from both sides can lead to sustained comoving acceleration of surface electrons to energies much…
The interaction of an obliquely incident laser pulse with a flat TNSA target is known to enhance the cut-off energy of protons/ions as compared to a normally incident laser pulse, mostly owing to Brunnel absorption. However, it is not well…
The excitation of surface plasmons with ultra-intense ($I\sim 5\times 10^{19}$ W/cm$^2$), high contrast ($\sim 10^{12}$) laser pulses on periodically-modulated solid targets has been recently demonstrated to produce collimated bunches of…
The nonlinear optical dynamics of nano-materials comprised of plasmons interacting with quantum emitters is investigated by a self-consistent model based on the coupled Maxwell-Liouville-von Neumann equations. It is shown that ultra-short…
A planar laser pulse propagating in vacuum can exhibit an extremely large ponderomotive force. This force, however, cannot impart net energy to an electron: As the pulse overtakes the electron, the initial impulse from its rising edge is…
Electromagnetic pulses with tilted pulse fronts are instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of many light-matter interaction processes, with prominent examples including terahertz generation by optical rectification, dielectric laser…
Electromagnetically induced transparency in an optically thick, cold medium creates a unique system where pulse-propagation velocities may be orders of magnitude less than $c$ and optical nonlinearities become exceedingly large. As a…
Using the Brink-Axel hypothesis we derive the rate $R$ for nuclear dipole excitation by a laser pulse carrying $N \gg 1$ photons with average energy $\hbar \omega_0 \approx 5$ MeV. As expected $R \propto (\hbar \omega_0)^3$. The rate is…