This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. (September 2022) |
A plasma mirror is an optical mechanism which can be used to specularly reflect high intensity ultrafast laser beams where nonlinear optical effects prevent the usage of conventional mirrors and to improve laser temporal contrast. If a sufficient intensity is reached, a laser beam incident on a substrate (such as fused silica[1]) will cause the substrate to ionize and the resulting plasma will reflect the incoming beam with the qualities of an ordinary mirror. A single plasma mirror can be used only one time, as during the interaction the beam ionizes the substrate and destroys it.
To achieve a specular reflection, the plasma surface has to stay flat during the interaction with the beam. As high intensity ultrafast lasers reach intensities far greater than those required for plasma formation—and in order to prevent plasma formation and expansion during prepulses preceding the main pulse—the laser temporal contrast (ratio of intensities of prepulses to main pulse) has to be maintained at a low value, such that prepulse intensity is below the ionization threshold.[2]
As high intensity light ionizes the substrate and is reflected but low intensity prepulses, generated by amplified spontaneous emission and generally unwanted, are transmitted, the plasma mirror can be used to enhance the intensity contrast of beams, in a process termed self-induced plasma shuttering.[3] This effect is useful, as many laser-solid experiments are impeded by the presence of intense prepulses.[4] In some setups, to improve contrast two plasma mirrors are used.[5]
Plasma mirrors exhibit high harmonic generation and have been used to produce attosecond extreme ultra-violet pulses.[6][7] Further applications include electron acceleration and generation of light orbital angular momentum using a spatial phase plate design.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ Ziener, Ch.; Foster, P. S.; Divall, E. J.; Hooker, C. J.; Hutchinson, M. H. R.; Langley, A. J.; Neely, D. (January 2003). "Specular reflectivity of plasma mirrors as a function of intensity, pulse duration, and angle of incidence". Journal of Applied Physics. 93 (1): 768–770. Bibcode:2003JAP....93..768Z. doi:10.1063/1.1525062. ISSN 0021-8979.
- ^ Dromey, B.; Kar, S.; Zepf, M.; Foster, P. (March 2004). "The plasma mirror—A subpicosecond optical switch for ultrahigh power lasers". Review of Scientific Instruments. 75 (3): 645–649. Bibcode:2004RScI...75..645D. doi:10.1063/1.1646737. ISSN 0034-6748.
- ^ Kapteyn, Henry C.; Szoke, Abraham; Falcone, Roger W.; Murnane, Margaret M. (1991). "Prepulse energy suppression for high-energy ultrashort pulses using self-induced plasma shuttering". Optics Letters. 16 (7): 490–492. Bibcode:1991OptL...16..490K. doi:10.1364/OL.16.000490. PMID 19773976.
- ^ Doumy, G.; Quéré, F.; Gobert, O.; Perdrix, M.; Martin, Ph.; Audebert, P.; Gauthier, J. C.; Geindre, J.-P.; Wittmann, T. (2004-02-09). "Complete characterization of a plasma mirror for the production of high-contrast ultraintense laser pulses". Physical Review E. 69 (2): 026402. Bibcode:2004PhRvE..69b6402D. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.69.026402. ISSN 1539-3755. PMID 14995561.
- ^ Lévy, Anna; Ceccotti, Tiberio; D'Oliveira, Pascal; Réau, Fabrice; Perdrix, Michel; Quéré, Fabien; Monot, Pascal; Bougeard, Michel; Lagadec, Hervé; Martin, Philippe; Geindre, Jean-Paul (2007-02-01). "Double plasma mirror for ultrahigh temporal contrast ultraintense laser pulses". Optics Letters. 32 (3): 310–312. Bibcode:2007OptL...32..310L. doi:10.1364/OL.32.000310. ISSN 1539-4794. PMID 17215955.
- ^ Thaury, C.; Quéré, F.; Geindre, J.-P.; Levy, A.; Ceccotti, T.; Monot, P.; Bougeard, M.; Réau, F.; d’Oliveira, P.; Audebert, P.; Marjoribanks, R. (June 2007). "Plasma mirrors for ultrahigh-intensity optics". Nature Physics. 3 (6): 424–429. Bibcode:2007NatPh...3..424T. doi:10.1038/nphys595. ISSN 1745-2481.
- ^ Chen, Zi-Yu; Pukhov, Alexander (2016-08-17). "Bright high-order harmonic generation with controllable polarization from a relativistic plasma mirror". Nature Communications. 7 (1): 12515. arXiv:1601.05923. Bibcode:2016NatCo...712515C. doi:10.1038/ncomms12515. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 4992059. PMID 27531047.
- ^ Porat, Elkana; Lightman, Shlomi; Cohen, Itamar; pomerantz, ishay (2022-06-17). "Spiral phase plasma mirror". Journal of Optics. 24 (8): 085501. Bibcode:2022JOpt...24h5501P. doi:10.1088/2040-8986/ac79ba. ISSN 2040-8978. S2CID 249833351.
- ^ Thévenet, M.; Leblanc, A.; Kahaly, S.; Vincenti, H.; Vernier, A.; Quéré, F.; Faure, J. (April 2016). "Vacuum laser acceleration of relativistic electrons using plasma mirror injectors". Nature Physics. 12 (4): 355–360. arXiv:1511.05936. Bibcode:2016NatPh..12..355T. doi:10.1038/nphys3597. ISSN 1745-2481. S2CID 43182810.