0000000001090949
AUTHOR
Vincent Loriot
Measurement of high order Kerr refractive index of major air components: erratum
A clarification is missing concerning the high order Kerr non-linearities deduced from our experimental data published in [Opt. Express 17, 13429-13434 (2009)]. Here, we rectify this omission by making explicit the distinction between cross-Kerr and Kerr effects, and by extrapolating the value of the nonlinear refractive index for the last effect. Since the occurrence of sign inversion in the Kerr effect is not affected, the overall report in [Opt. Express 17, 13429-13434] remains valid.
Measurement of high order Kerr refractive index of major air components
International audience; We measure the instantaneous electronic nonlinear refractive index of N2 , O2 , and Ar at room temperature for a 90 fs and 800 nm laser pulse. Measurements are calibrated by post-pulse molecular alignment through a polarization technique. At low intensity, quadratic coefficients n2 are determined. At higher intensities, a strong negative contribution with a higher nonlinearity appears, which leads to an overall negative nonlinear Kerr refractive index in air above 26 TW/cm2 .
L'alignement moléculaire comme une méthode de calibration pour la détermination de probabilité d'ionisation
Par le biais d'une methode originale, nous avons determine experimentalement la probabilite d'ionisation de l'azote (N 2 ) soumis a un champ laser non resonnant et ultracourt (100 fs). La technique de defocalisation croisee mis en oeuvre dans ce travail est sensible a l'alignement moleculaire post-impulsion et a l'ionisation. L'analyse du signal experimental permet d'extraire une probabilite d'ionisation calibree par une mesure d'alignement.
Strong-field molecular ionization: determination of ionization probabilities calibrated with field-free alignment
International audience; We report an original optical method providing the probability of molecular ionization induced by femtosecond laser pulses. The approach consists of exploiting molecular alignment in order to extract reliable information about ionization. The cross defocusing technique implemented for this purpose reveals a sensitivity with respect to post-pulse alignment, as well as to free electron density induced by the ultra-short laser pulse. The analysis of the resulting signal gives thus access to absolute single-ionization probabilities calibrated through the degree of alignment provided that free electrons are mainly produced from single-ionization. The relevance of the meth…
Field-free molecular alignment for measuring ionization probability
International audience; We have shown in a recent letter (Loriot et al 2006 Opt. Lett. 31 2897) the possibility of determining the ionization probability of linear molecules by using an all-optical technique that takes advantage of post-pulse molecular alignment. To that end, we have implemented a ‘cross-defocusing' technique producing a signal sensitive to both alignment and ionization. The analysis of the signal provides a quantitative measurement of the ionization probability calibrated with molecular alignment. In the present work, the method is discussed in more detail and applied to the measurement of the ionization probability of N2 as well as to the determination of the ionization r…
Spectral dependence of purely-Kerr driven filamentation in air and argon
5 pags, 4 figs.-- PACS number(s): 42.65.Jx, 42.65.Tg, 78.20.Ci. -- Publisher error corrected 27 September 2010, Erratum Phys. Rev. A 82, 039905 (2010): https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.033826
Laser-induced field-free alignment of the OCS molecule
We investigate the dynamical alignment of jet-cooled OCS molecules induced by a short laser pulse. The alignment is measured through the orientational contribution of the optical Kerr effect using a second weak laser pulse as a probe. Maximum alignment is observed at conditions close to saturation of ionization. The results are analysed with a quantum mechanical model solving for the rotational dynamics.
High rate concentration measurement of molecular gas mixtures using a spatial detection technique
International audience; Concentration measurement in molecular gas mixtures using a snapshot spatial imaging technique is reported. The approach consists of measuring the birefringence of the molecular sample when field-free alignment takes place, each molecular component producing a signal with an amplitude depending on the molecular density. The concentration measurement is obtained on a single-shot basis by probing the time-varying birefringence through femtosecond time-resolved optical polarigraphy (FTOP). The relevance of the method is assessed in air.
Higher-order Kerr terms allow ionization-free filamentation in gases.
We show that higher-order nonlinear indices ($n_4$, $n_6$, $n_8$, $n_{10}$) provide the main defocusing contribution to self-channeling of ultrashort laser pulses in air and Argon at 800 nm, in contrast with the previously accepted mechanism of filamentation where plasma was considered as the dominant defocusing process. Their consideration allows to reproduce experimentally observed intensities and plasma densities in self-guided filaments.
Snapshot imaging of postpulse transient molecular alignment revivals
Laser induced field-free alignment of linear molecules is investigated by using a single-shot spatial imaging technique. The measurements are achieved by femtosecond time-resolved optical polarigraphy (FTOP). Individual alignment revivals recorded at high resolution in ${\text{CO}}_{2}$, as well as simultaneous observation of several alignment revivals produced within the rotational period of the ${\text{O}}_{2}$ molecule are reported. The data are analyzed with a theoretical model describing the alignment experienced by each molecule standing within the interaction region observed by the detector. The temporal dynamics, intensity dependence, and degree of alignment are measured and compare…
Alignement moléculaire par impulsions laser ultrabrèves : Mesures & Applications
The interaction of an intense ultrashort laser pulse with a molecular sample leads, after the end of the pulse, to molecular alignment at specific time under field-free conditions. This thesis is dedicated to the measurements and applications of this effect. The degree of alignment is determined through the variation of the refractive index induced by the rearrangement of the molecular dipoles. A two-dimensional technique allowing to measure molecular alignment on a single-shot basis is reported in this document. The alignment is then exploited in order to determine physical quantities which are usually difficult to estimate through others methods. The "cross-defocusing technique" has been …