The rise time of intense radiation determines the maximum field strength atoms can be exposed to before their polarizability dramatically drops due to the detachment of an outer electron. Recent progress in ultrafast optics has allowed the generation of ultraintense light pulses comprising merely a few field oscillation cycles. The arising intensity gradient allows electrons to survive in their bound atomic state up to external field strengths many times higher than the binding Coulomb field and gives rise to ionization rates comparable to the light frequency, resulting in a significant extension of the frontiers of nonlinear optics and (nonrelativistic) high-field physics. Implications include the generation of coherent harmonic radiation up to kiloelectronvolt photon energies and control of the atomic dipole moment on a subfemtosecond $(1{\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s}=10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}15}\mathrm{}\mathrm{s})$ time scale. This review presents the landmarks of the 30-odd-year evolution of ultrashort-pulse laser physics and technology culminating in the generation of intense few-cycle light pulses and discusses the impact of these pulses on high-field physics. Particular emphasis is placed on high-order harmonic emission and single subfemtosecond extreme ultraviolet/x-ray pulse generation. These as well as other strong-field processes are governed directly by the electric-field evolution, and hence their full control requires access to the (absolute) phase of the light carrier. We shall discuss routes to its determination and control, which will, for the first time, allow access to the electromagnetic fields in light waves and control of high-field interactions with never-before-achieved precision.

Intense few-cycle laser fields: Frontiers of nonlinear optics

We summarize the problem of measuring an ultrashort laser pulse and describe in detail a technique that completely characterizes a pulse in time: frequency-resolved optical gating. Emphasis is placed on the choice of experimental beam geometry and the implementation of the iterative phase-retrieval algorithm that together yield an accurate measurement of the pulse time-dependent intensity and phase over a wide range of circumstances. We compare several commonly used beam geometries, displaying sample traces for each and showing where each is appropriate, and we give a detailed description of the pulse-retrieval algorithm for each of these cases.

Measuring ultrashort laser pulses in the time-frequency domain using frequency-resolved optical gating

CONTENTS 1. Introduction 609 2. Geometrical Optics of a Nonlinear Medium (Equations, Focal Points, Nonlinear Aberrations, Nonstationary Processes) 617 3. Wave Optics of a Nonlinear Medium (Diffraction Corrections to the Self-focusing Length, Formation of Proper Optical Waveguide, Nonstationary Processes) 624 4. Nonlinear Optical Effects in the Field of Self-focusing Beams (Stimulated Scattering in Liquids, Experimental Data, Self-focusing and Parametric Amplification) 629 5. Conclusion (Unsolved Problems, Diffraction in Nonlinear Interactions) 632 Cited Literature 634

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/PU1968v010n05ABEH005849/pdf

Self-focusing and diffraction of light in a nonlinear medium

With well-defined coherent light pulses of several ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ sec duration we are in a position to investigate a variety of ultrafast vibrational processes in liquids and solids. Several new experimental techniques have been devised to study directly the dynamics of different vibrational modes and molecules in the electronic ground state. A first light pulse excites the vibrational system via stimulated Raman scattering or by resonant infrared absorption. A second interrogating pulse allows one to determine the instantaneous state of the excited system. Using a coherent probing technique one can measure the dephasing time of homogeneously broadened vibrational transitions and a collective beating of multiple isotope levels. In addition, one can investigate inhomogeneously broadened vibrational modes and observe the dephasing time of a small molecular subgroup. Different information is obtained when the coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering of the probe pulse is measured. The population lifetime of known vibrational modes can be investigated and evidence for inter- and intra-molecular interactions is obtained. In a third probing technique, the vibrationally excited jolecules are promoted to the first electronic state by a second pulse and the fluorescence is measured. In this way it is possible to see the very rapid change of population of the primary excited vibrational mode. The article gives a detailed theoretical treatment of different excitation and probing processes. Several experimental techniques successfully applied in the authors investigations are outlined and a variety of results is presented and discussed. New information, not available from other experimental methods, is obtained.

Vibrational dynamics of liquids and solids investigated by picosecond light pulses

In the 2015 review paper 'Petawatt Class Lasers Worldwide' a comprehensive overview of the current status of highpower facilities of >200 TW was presented. This was largely based on facility specifications, with some description of their uses, for instance in fundamental ultra-high-intensity interactions, secondary source generation, and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). With the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded to Professors Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou for the development of the technique of chirped pulse amplification (CPA), which made these lasers possible, we celebrate by providing a comprehensive update of the current status of ultra-high-power lasers and demonstrate how the technology has developed. We are now in the era of multi-petawatt facilities coming online, with 100 PW lasers being proposed and even under construction. In addition to this there is a pull towards development of industrial and multidisciplinary applications, which demands much higher repetition rates, delivering high-average powers with higher efficiencies and the use of alternative wavelengths: mid-IR facilities. So apart from a comprehensive update of the current global status, we want to look at what technologies are to be deployed to get to these new regimes, and some of the critical issues facing their development.

/pdf/petawatt-and-exawatt-class-lasers-worldwide-10zgtun6jp.pdf

Petawatt and exawatt class lasers worldwide

Intense Light Bursts in the Stimulated Raman Effect

This paper describes in detail the initiation and growth of backward-traveling stimulated Raman-Stokes pulses. The radiation-transfer equations for the pulse development are derived, and a general analytic solution is given in the rate-equation approximation. Special solutions are given for a variety of pulse-initiation conditions. It is shown that in the presence of residual linear absorption, a steady-state Stokes pulse is expected, and its characteristics are described. Extensive experimental observations in C${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ of the properties of the backward pulse and the forward emission are reported, including measurements of the pulse energy as a function of position in the cell, the pulse duration as measured by the intensity-autocorrelation technique, and the time sequence of the emission of the forward and backward pulses. Various experimental results indicate the dominant role played by self-focusing in the initiation of the backward pulse and the role of competing processes. The growth of the pulse energy is found to be consistent with the theory; a minimum pulse duration of 30 psec and a peak pulse power 20 times the instantaneous laser pump power are reported, indicating substantial depletion of the incident laser pump light.

Backward Stimulated Raman Scattering

The transient and steady-state behavior of stimulated Brillouin scattering in amplifiers was investigated theoretically and experimentally. There is good agreement between calculations and measurements with high time resolution. Direct methods for measuring phonon lifetimes are presented.

W. Kaiser

Papers

Intense Light Bursts in the Stimulated Raman Effect

Backward Stimulated Raman Scattering

Phonon Lifetimes Measured in Amplifiers for Brillouin Radiation

Self-focusing of optical beams in absorbing media

Experimental Observation of Stimulated Thermal Brillouin Scattering