Search Results (32 total)

Tensor properties of the nonlinear-optical response of an ionized atmospheric air are studied by polarization analysis of the four-wave mixing of high-intensity infrared femtosecond laser pulses. Results of these experiments are consistently explained in terms of an isotropic Kleinmann-symmetric cubic nonlinear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ tensor, suggesting that the nonlinear-optical response of an ionized air within the studied range of field intensities is isotropic and features no or a very weak dispersion within the range of wavelengths from 800 to 1400 nm.

A Comment on the Letter by Ai-Hua Liu, Shu-Min Li, and Jamal Berakdar [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 251803 (2007)]. The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.

Ionization-induced change in the refractive index of a gas is shown to give rise to a substantial spectral blueshift of megawatt light pulses transmitted through a gas-filled hollow photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). This effect suggests the ways of controlling not only the rate, but also the sign of the soliton frequency shift for high-peak-power ultrashort light pulses guided in hollow PCFs filled with Raman-active ionizing gases.

While the standard scenario of third-harmonic generation (THG) by a dispersive-wave pump involves the emission of light with a frequency 3ω, thrice the frequency ω of the input pump field, solitons undergoing a continuous shift of their central frequency ω due to the Raman effect in a multimode optical fiber can generate the third harmonic in a different fashion. In the experiments reported here, we provide the first direct experimental evidence of THG by a continuously red-shifting soliton pump by studying the third-harmonic buildup in relation to the spectral evolution of the soliton pump field in a silica photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). We show that solitons excited in a PCF by unamplified femtosecond pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser sweep through the spectral range from 1.25  to  1.63  μm, scanning through a manifold of THG phase-matching resonances with 3ω dispersive waves in PCF modes. As a result, intense third-harmonic peaks build up in the range of wavelengths from 370  to  550  nm at the output of the fiber, making PCF a convenient fiber-format multifrequency source of short-wavelength radiation. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements with photoexcitation provided by the third-harmonic PCF output are presented, demonstrating the high potential of PCF sources for an ultrafast photoexcitation of fluorescent molecular systems in physics, chemistry, and biology.

We consider the particle creation (the Dynamical Casimir effect) in a uniformly contracting ideal one-dimensional cavity nonperturbatively. The exact expression for the energy spectrum of created particles is obtained and its dependence on parameters of the problem is discussed. Unexpectedly, the number of created particles depends on the duration of the cavity contracting nonmonotonously. This is explained by quantum interference of the events of particle creation which are taking place only at the moments of acceleration and deceleration of a boundary, while stable particle states exist (and thus no particles are created) at the time of contracting.

Fundamental advances in experimental nuclear physics will require ion beams with orders of magnitude luminosity increase and temperature reduction. One of the most promising particle accelerator techniques for achieving these goals is electron cooling, where the ion beam repeatedly transfers thermal energy to a copropagating electron beam. The dynamical friction force on a fully ionized gold ion moving through magnetized and unmagnetized electron distributions has been simulated, using molecular dynamics techniques that resolve close binary collisions. We present a comprehensive examination of theoretical models in use by the electron cooling community. Differences in these models are clarified, enabling the accurate design of future electron cooling systems for relativistic ion accelerators.

High-energy electron cooling, presently considered as an essential tool for several applications in high-energy and nuclear physics, requires an accurate description of the friction force which ions experience by passing through an electron beam. Present low-energy electron coolers can be used for a detailed study of the friction force. In addition, parameters of a low-energy cooler can be chosen in a manner to reproduce regimes expected in future high-energy operation. Here, we report a set of dedicated experiments in CELSIUS aimed at a detailed study of the magnetized friction force. Some results of the accurate comparison of experimental data with the friction force formulas are presented.

By thermal oxidation of initially birefringent porous silicon, highly optically transparent films of porous silicon oxide are produced. These films exhibit strong in-plane birefringence, which is twice as high as that of crystalline quartz. The experimentally measured refractive indices for ordinary and extraordinary waves in oxidized porous silicon are explained in terms of an effective-medium model by taking into account the form anisotropy of preferentially oriented pores in a silicon oxide matrix. The third-harmonic generation efficiency studied as a function of the pump wavelength suggests that the form birefringence of porous silicon oxide films can be used to phase match the nonlinear optical interactions.

Hollow photonic-crystal fibers with large core diameters are shown to allow waveguide nonlinear-optical interactions to be scaled to higher pulse peak powers. Phase-matched four-wave mixing is predicted theoretically and demonstrated experimentally for millijoule nanosecond pulses propagating in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber with a core diameter of about 50  μm, suggesting the way to substantially enhance the efficiency of nonlinear-optical spectral transformations and wave mixing of high-power laser pulses in the gas phase.

The problem of the back reaction during the process of electron-positron pair production by a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave propagating in a plasma is investigated. A model based on the relativistic Boltzmann-Vlasov equation with a source term representing the Schwinger formula for the pair creation rate is used. The damping of the wave, the nonlinear up-shift of its frequency due to the plasma density increase, and the effect of the damping on the wave polarization and on the background plasma acceleration are investigated as a function of the wave amplitude.

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers are shown to offer the unique possibility of coherent excitation and probing of Raman-active vibrations in molecules by isolated air-guided modes of electromagnetic radiation. A 3-cm section of a hollow photonic-crystal fiber is used to prepare isolated air-guided modes of pump and probe fields for a coherent excitation of 2331-cm⁻¹ Q-branch vibrations of molecular nitrogen in the gas filling the fiber core, enhancing coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering through these vibrations by a factor of 15 relative to the regime of tight focusing.

We reply to the preceding Comment by Fulling and Unruh criticizing our conclusion that principles of quantum field theory as of now do not give convincing arguments in favor of a universal thermal response of detectors uniformly accelerated in Minkowski space [Phys. Rev. D 65, 025004 (2002)]. We maintain our conclusion and present additional arguments to confirm it.

Resonance-driven collective instabilities of charged-particle beams were extensively studied in connection with high-current transport systems, leading to restrictions imposed on the zero-current phase advance. In this paper, we discuss application of such parametric instabilities to circular machines. This effect is directly related to the space-charge limit in rings and its understanding is of crucial importance. Its relation to the coherent resonance condition of an integer type is explained. Practical application of such resonant responses to both structural and imperfection driven harmonics is addressed.

We present studies of space-charge-induced beam profile broadening at high intensities in the Proton Storage Ring (PSR) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. We investigate the profile broadening through detailed particle-in-cell simulations of several experiments and obtain results in good agreement with the measurements. We interpret these results within the framework of coherent resonance theory. With increasing intensity, our simulations show strong evidence for the presence of a quadrupole-mode resonance of the beam envelope with the lattice in the vertical plane. Specifically, we observe incoherent tunes crossing integer values, and large amplitude, nearly periodic envelope oscillations. At the highest operating intensities, we observe a continuing relaxation of the beam through space charge forces leading to emittance growth. The increase of emittance commences when the beam parameters encounter an envelope stop band. Once the stop band is reached, the emittance growth balances the intensity increase to maintain the beam near the stop band edge. Additionally, we investigate the potential benefit of a stop band correction to the high intensity PSR beam.

We present a particle core model study of the space charge effect on high intensity synchrotron beams, with specific emphasis on the Proton Storage Ring (PSR) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Our particle core model formulation includes realistic lattice focusing and dispersion. We transport both matched and mismatched beams through real lattice structure and compare the results with those of an equivalent uniform-focusing approximation. The effects of lattice structure and finite momentum spread on the resonance behavior are specifically targeted. Stroboscopic maps of the mismatched envelope are constructed and show high-order resonances and stochastic effects that dominate at high mismatch or high intensity. We observe the evolution of the envelope phase-space structure during a high intensity PSR beam accumulation. Finally, we examine the envelope-particle parametric resonance condition and discuss the possibility for halo growth in synchrotron beams due to this mechanism.

A detailed study of the influence of space charge on the crossing of second-order resonances is presented and associated with the space-charge limit of high-intensity rings. Two-dimensional simulation studies are compared with envelope models, which agree in the finding of an increased intensity limit due to the coherent frequency shift. This result is also found for realistic bunched beams with multiturn injection painting. Characteristic features such as the influence of tune splitting, structure resonances, and the role of envelope instabilities are discussed in detail. The theoretical limits are found to be in good agreement with the performance of high-intensity proton machines.

According to Unruh, a detector moving with constant proper acceleration in empty Minkowski spacetime reveals universal—not depending on the inner structure of the detector—thermal response. We have analyzed the Unruh problem using both conventional and algebraic approaches to quantum field theory. It is shown that the Unruh quantization procedure implies setting a boundary condition for the quantum field operator which changes the topological properties and symmetry group of the spacetime and leads to a field theory in two disconnected left and right Rindler spacetimes instead of Minkowski spacetime. Thus we conclude that, in spite of the work over the last 25 years, there still remain serious gaps in grounding of the Unruh effect, and as of now there is no compelling evidence for the universal behavior attributed to all uniformly accelerated detectors.

An atom interacting with a quantized electromagnetic field in a cavity with time-dependent parameters is considered. Variation of the cavity parameters results in nonstationary dynamics of the field which leads, in turn, to excitation of the atom, even if photons were initially absent in the cavity. We distinguish three mechanisms of such excitation: excitation due to absorption of real photons created by the dynamical Casimir effect, excitation due to absorption of virtual photons during the transient process, and excitation due to nonadiabatic parametric modulation of the atomic Lamb shift. The last mechanism has no relation to the dynamical Casimir effect and thus should be considered as a new vacuum QED effect. Normally all these three mechanisms give a contribution to the amplitude of the atom excitation and are accompanied by the creation of photons. Therefore the presence of an atom in the cavity alters the average number of created photons in comparison with the case of an empty non-stationary cavity. Our consideration is based mainly on a simple model of a two-level atom interacting with a single mode of quantized electromagnetic field. However, our results are qualitatively valid for more realistic models.

Space charge presents a fundamental limitation to high intensity circular accelerators. Its effects are especially important in the latest designs for high-intensity proton rings, which require beam losses much smaller than presently achieved in existing facilities. It is therefore necessary to understand the major space-charge effects which could lead to emittance growth and associated beam loss. In this paper, we explore the excitation of high-order collective beam modes and associated instabilities driven by space-charge coupling resonances. Such studies help us to understand energy exchange and emittance growth driven by space-charge coupling. They also have direct application to the choice of a good working point in a high-intensity machine. The studies are performed using an earlier version of the Spallation Neutron Source lattice, which was used as a generic example of a circular machine. In this way, we explore the nature of the observed space-charge coupling effect and its applicability to high-intensity rings in general.

A novel type of the frequency-tunable oscillator based on simultaneous generation of the forward and opposite waves at the same frequency, but at different cyclotron harmonics, is proposed. A spatially periodic helical electron beam allows for strong coupling of the waves. The opposite wave provides the broadband feedback and electron bunching, whereas the forward wave amplifies the arising signal and withdraws the rf power from the interaction region. A 15% efficiency and 5% frequency bandwidth have been achieved in the first experiment.

This paper summarizes the low-loss design for the Spallation Neutron Source accumulator ring [“Spallation Neutron Source Design Manual” (unpublished)]. A hybrid lattice consisting of FODO arcs and doublet straights provides optimum matching and flexibility for injection and collimation. For this lattice, optimization focuses on six design goals: a space-charge tune shift low enough (below 0.15) to avoid strong resonances, adequate transverse and momentum acceptance for efficient beam collimation, injection optimized for desired target beam shape and minimal halo development, compensation of magnet field errors, control of impedance and instability, and prevention against accidental system malfunction. With an expected collimation efficiency of more than 90%, the uncontrolled fractional beam loss is expected to be at the 10^-4 level.

We examine the transverse impedance of a periodic array of cavities in a beam pipe at high frequency. The calculation is an extension of a previous one for the longitudinal impedance of a periodic array of azimuthally symmetric pillboxes, for which only TM modes were needed. In the present case, we must include TE modes as well. In addition, we extend the applicability of the previous calculation by including an extra term in the coupling kernel so that the results are valid for all values of the ratio of the cavity length to the period of the structure (all values of the ratio of iris thickness to structure period). In spite of the presence of TE modes, we find that the high frequency limit of the transverse impedance is simply (2/ka²) times the corresponding limit of the longitudinal impedance, just as it is for the resistive wall impedances, a relation which occurs frequently for azimuthally symmetric structures. Finally, we present numerical results as well as approximate expressions for the impedance per period, valid for all ratios of cavity length to structure period.

Beam halo formation issues are important for the design of high current linear ion accelerators. Various mechanisms can potentially cause beam halo. Some recent studies suggested that Coulomb collisions in the beam bunch can contribute significantly to beam bunch growth and halo development in linear accelerators. Despite the general belief that collisions are not important, it is clear that a rigorous treatment of this question is needed. In an effort to explore this issue in detail we have undertaken an analysis of the effects of Coulomb scattering between ions in a self-consistent spherical bunch.

A realistic treatment of halo formation must take into account 3D beam bunches and 6D phase space distributions. We recently constructed, analytically and numerically, a new class of self-consistent 6D phase space stationary distributions, which allowed us to study the halo development mechanism without being obscured by the effect of beam redistribution. In this paper we consider nonstationary distributions and study how the halo characteristics compare with those obtained using the stationary distribution. We then discuss the effect of redistribution on the halo development mechanism. In contrast to bunches with a large aspect ratio, we find that the effect of coupling between the r and z planes is especially important as the bunch shape becomes more spherical.