Related papers: Theoretical simulation and experimental verificati…
In this letter, cutting-edge 3D Particle-In-Cell simulations are used to demonstrate that so-called relativistic plasma mirrors irradiated by PetaWatt (PW) lasers and naturally curved by laser radiation pressure can be used to tightly focus…
We present a simple technique to produce active Q-switching in various types of fiber amplifiers by active integration of an electrostatic actuated deformable metallic micro-mirror. The optical MEMS (MOEMS) device acts as one of the laser…
The question of electromagnetic field intensification towards the values typical for strong field Quantum Electrodynamics is of fundamental importance. One of the most promising intensification schemes is based on the relativistic-flying…
The need for high dynamic range imaging is crucial in many astronomical fields, such as extra-solar planet direct detection, extra-galactic science and circumstellar imaging. Using a high quality coronograph, dynamic ranges of up to…
This letter is the first demonstration of material modification using tightly focused femtosecond laser vortex beams. Double-charge femtosecond vortices were synthesized with the polarization-singularity beam converter described in Ref [1]…
Control over intensity, shape, direction, and phase of coherent light is essential in numerous fields, reaching from gravitational wave astronomy over quantum metrology and ultrafast sciences to semi-conductor fabrication. Modern laser…
By using the optical design software Zemax, on the basis of geometric optics and primary aberration theory, the optimal design method of collimating mirror is discussed and proposed, which eliminates the influence of conical concave…
This letter is the first demonstration of material modification using tightly focused femtosecond laser vortex beams. Double-charge femtosecond vortices were synthesized with the polarization-singularity beam converter described in Ref [1]…
High-power lasers have numerous scientific and industrial applications. Some key areas include laser cutting and welding in manufacturing, directed energy in fusion reactors or defense applications, laser surgery in medicine, and advanced…
A mechanical beam chopper consists of a rotating disc of regularly spaced wide slits which allow light to pass through them. A continuous light beam, after passing through the rotating disc, is switched-on and switched-off periodically, and…
The ray dynamics of optical cavities exhibits bifurcation points: special geometries at which ray trajectories switch abruptly between stable and unstable. A prominent example is the Fabry-Perot cavity with two planar mirrors, which is…
The relativistic flying parabolic mirror can provide a higher laser intensity than the intensity a current laser system can reach via the optical-focusing scheme. A weakly-relativistic laser intensity (1.8$\times$10$^{17}$ W/cm$^2$, $\eta$…
Controlling the intensity distribution of laser pulses in the focal region is essential for optimizing optically generated plasma waveguides and enabling advanced plasma acceleration techniques, including dephasingless wakefield…
The need for both high quality images and lightweight structures is one of the main drivers in space telescope design. An efficient wavefront control system will become mandatory in future large observatories, retaining performance while…
We present a new kind of varifocal mirror with independently adjustable curvatures in the major directions. For actuation we use two stacked piezo bending actuators with crossed in-plane polarization. This mirror can be used for example as…
High-order harmonic generation via single-slit diffraction of relativistic laser pulses is investigated. Using fully kinetic 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations, we show that interesting optical phenomena emerge, including the generation…
The interaction of light with objects and media moving at relativistic and superluminal speeds enables unconventional phenomena such as Fresnel drag, Hawking radiation, and light amplification. Synthetic motion, facilitated by modulated…
In the past two decades, tremendous efforts have been exerted to understand and control the delivery of ultrashort laser pulses into various types of transparent materials ranging from glass and crystal to polymer and even bio-materials.…
We introduce a simple and practical method to create ultrashort intense optical vortices for applications involving high-intensity lasers. Our method utilizes femtosecond laser pulses to laser-etch grating lines into laser-quality gold…
We develop a comprehensive approach to simulate the deformation of mirrors and lenses due to thermal and mechanical stresses that couples efficiently to photon-based optics simulations. This expands upon previous work where we demonstrated…