Related papers: High-Contrast Chirped-Pulse Amplification Enabled …
The nonlinear optical properties of a plasma due to the relativistic electron motion in an intense laser field are of fundamental importance for current research and the generation of brilliant laser-driven sources of particles and…
It is shown that when relativistically intense ultrashort laser pulses are reflected from the boundary of a plasma with a near-critical density, Doppler frequency shift leads to generation of intense radiation both in the high-frequency, up…
The generation of ultra-strong attosecond pulses through laser-plasma interactions offers the opportunity to surpass the intensity of any known laboratory radiation source, giving rise to new experimental possibilities, such as quantum…
This dissertation explores the interaction between high-intensity lasers and plasmas to accelerate electrons and produce radiation via experimental and computational efforts. The laser pulses used in this dissertation have ultrashort…
In a laser plasma accelerator (LPA), a short and intense laser pulse propagating in a plasma drives a wakefield (a plasma wave with a relativistic phase velocity) that can sustain extremely large electric fields, enabling compact…
A series of simple and low-cost devices for switching, amplifying, and chirping diode lasers based on current modulation are presented. Direct modulation of diode laser currents is rarely sufficient to establish precise amplitude and phase…
We report the results on theoretical investigation about possible simultaneous laser generation in all, closely spaced modes of chirped photonic crystals layer in all visible region of the spectrum. With the possible ability to control the…
In strong-field physics experiments with intense lasers, it is of paramount importance to single-shot diagnose the temporal contrast between laser pulse peak and its noise pedestal. This allows fast optimization of pulse contrast and…
We present a novel approach for temporal contrast enhancement of energetic laserpulses by filtered SPM broadened spectra. A measured temporal contrast enhancement by at least 7 orders of magnitude in a simple setup has been achieved. This…
We present the state of the art of a compact high-energy mid-infrared laser system for TW-level 8-cycle pulses at 7 um. This system consists of an Er:Tm:Ho:fiber MOPA which serves as the seeder for a ZGP-based OPCPA chain in addition to a…
Using spectral interferometry technique, we measured subpicosecond time-resolved pre-plasma scale lengths and early expansion ($<$ 12 ps) of the plasma produced by a high intensity (2$\times$10$^{18}$ W/cm$^{2}$) pulse with ultra-high…
Hard x-ray emission (20 - 200 keV) from plasmas produced by intense laser pulses on nanoparticle coated targets is compared with that from optically polished targets. The yield enhancement offered by nanoparticles is studied under different…
We present a 10 mJ-class laser system for seeding petawatt-class Ti:Sa lasers based on a hybrid, femtosecond optical parametric and negatively chirped Ti:Sa-based amplification architecture. Output pulses with 13 mJ energy, 14.4 fs…
Detection and identification of lipids are highly coveted for the interrogation of chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Intravascular photoacoustic imaging (IVPA) and deep tissue imaging are modern techniques,…
When a finite contrast petawatt laser pulse irradiates a micron-thick foil, a prepulse (including amplified spontaneous emission) creates a preplasma, where an ultrashort relativistically strong portion of the laser pulse (the main pulse)…
We present a comprehensive model for predicting the full performance of a second harmonic generationoptical parametric amplification system that aims at enhancing the temporal contrast of laser pulses. The model simultaneously takes into…
Attosecond pulses from free-electron lasers have opened the doors to atomic site-specific pumping and probing of quantum systems. Key to their success has been electron beam shaping techniques enabling the generation of sub-femtosecond…
Propagation features of circularly polarized (CP) electromagnetic waves in magnetized plasmas are determined by the plasma density and the magnetic field strength. This property can be applied to design a unique plasma photonic device for…
We report a 1 kHz repetition-rate mid-IR (MIR) optical parametric amplifier (OPA) system operating at a central wavelength of 5.2 $\mu$m with the tail-to-tail spectrum extending over 1.5 $\mu$m and delivering 40 $\mu$J pulses that are…
The acceleration of ions in the interaction of high intensity laser pulses with overdense plasmas is investigated with particle-in-cell simulations. For circular polarization of the laser pulses, high-density ion bunches moving into the…