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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Room-temperature Fe{sup 2+}:ZnS single crystal laser pumped by an electric-discharge HF laser

A room-temperature laser based on a Fe{sup 2+}:ZnS single crystal has been studied. The crystal was pumped by a nonchain electric-discharge HF laser with a light pulse FWHM of ∼140 ns. The pump spot diameter on the crystal surface (d) varied from 3.9 to 11.6 mm. The slope efficiency at these values of d was 37% – 39 %, respectively. The maximum laser energy was 380 mJ (at d=11.6 mm) with the total efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump energy of ∼19%. A further increase in the laser energy was not achieved because the crystal was destroyed at an incident pump energy and power of 3.4 J and ∼24 MW, respectively. The damaged region has a form of a long narrow channel shifted from the entrance surface inside the active element. (lasers)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transversely diode-pumped Q-switched Nd : YAG laser with injection of radiation from a single-frequency semiconductor laser

A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser with a high-power transverse diode pumping and injection of seed radiation generated by a single-frequency semiconductor laser is described. The threshold seed radiation power at which the Q-switched Nd : YAG switches to the single-frequency mode is 0.44 mW (radiation intensity 5.6×10{sup −2} W cm{sup −2}). With increasing injection power, the spectral and power characteristics of the Q-switched laser almost do not change at a constant excitation of its active medium. The spectral linewidth of the Q-switched Nd : YAG laser with injection from a TLD-1060-14BF single-frequency semiconductor laser module does not exceed 90 MHz (wavelength 1064 nm). (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Betatron x-ray radiation in the self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration regime: prospects for a novel probe at large scale laser facilities

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study of betatron x-ray radiation from laser wakefield acceleration in the self-modulated regime. Our experiments use picosecond duration laser pulses up to 150 J, for plasmas with electronic densities on the order of 10 19 cm -3 . In the self-modulated regime, electrons accelerated in the wake of the laser pulse are subject to both the longitudinal plasma and transverse laser electrical fields. As a result, they undergo oscillations and radiate a synchrotron-like spectrum. In our experimental configuration, electrons accelerated up to about 300 MeV, as well as betatron x-ray spectra with energies of 10 s of keV and photon fluxes between 10 8 –10 10 photons/eV/Sr are reported here. Our experiments open the prospect of using betatron x-ray radiation for applications, and the source could be competitive with current x-ray backlighting methods on multi-kilojoule laser systems used for high energy density or fusion sciences.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Role of Laser Wavelength on the Early-stage Electron Density Evolution in Laser-Produced Plasma

In this study, a laser-produced plasma (LPP) was generated by focusing fundamental (1064 nm), second (532nm), and fourth (266 nm) harmonic radiation from a 6 ns Nd:YAG laser at a laser intensity of 10 GW/cm2 onto a copper target placed in vacuum. The early time evolution of the plasma between 0-70 ns following laser ablation was then analyzed using Nomarski interferometry. The dependence of plasma properties such as the electron density distribution, plume velocity, and plume morphology on the laser wavelength are discussed.

(280.5395) Plasma Diagnostics, (140.3440) Laser-in↗
DOE OSTI2025

Towards Portable Laser Desorption Postionization Mass Spectrometry Utilizing Microchip Laser Pulses

A 355 nm, 1.5 ns, up to 1 kHz microchip laser system has been tested to both yield ablation spots and postionize material within a plasma plume. A 30 µJ pulse energy microchip laser successfully ablated all samples: 6601 aluminum, 316 and 304 stainless steel, and Mo metal. While visible ablation craters were observed on all samples mentioned above, the stainless-steel samples displayed visible color changes in the resolidified iron, indicating ionization with the 355 nm pulses during ablation. Additionally, when used to intercept a plasma plume of Cs 2 CO 3 made with a separate laser system, the microchip laser pulses yielded Cs + emission signal otherwise not observed. With these experiments completed, the microchip laser has been successfully verified for readiness to be integrated into the front end of a mass spectrometer system as the ion source.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of laser power on roughness and porosity in laser powder bed fusion of stainless steel 316L alloys measured by X-ray tomography

The quality of metal objects fabricated via laser powder bed fusion are highly affected by process parameters, and their influence on final products is yet to be fully explored. In this work, pyrometry signals of the melt pool were collected from a set of stainless-steel samples during manufacturing and the effect of laser power on porosity and roughness of final printed parts was analyzed. Results show that the melt pool pyrometry signal of contours increases with higher laser power, whereas it is lower and decreases for the infilled part. Post-built X-ray computed tomography imaging reveals that porosity decreases while sample roughness increases upon increasing laser power. The decrease in porosity with increasing laser power is attributed to the larger size of the contour welds that were printed first, leading to an increase in dimension of the final products.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

An Investigation of Oxides of Tantalum Produced by Pulsed Laser Ablation and Continuous Wave Laser Heating

Recent progress has seen multiple Ta 2 O 5 polymorphs generated by different synthesis techniques. However, discrepancies arise when these polymorphs are produced in widely varying thermodynamic conditions and characterized using different techniques. This work aimed to characterize and compare Ta 2 O 5 particles formed at high and low temperatures using nanosecond pulsed laser ablation (PLA) and continuous wave (CW) laser heating of a local area of tantalum in either air or an 18 O 2 atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy of the micrometer-sized particles generated by PLA were consistent with either a localized amorphous Ta 2 O 5 phase or a similar, but not identical, crystalline β-Ta 2 O 5 phase. The Raman spectrum of the material formed at the point of CW laser impingement was in good agreement with the previously established ceramic “H-Ta 2 O 5 ” phase. TEM and electron diffraction analysis of these particles indicated the phase structure matched an oxygen-vacated superstructure of monoclinic H-Ta 2 O 5 . Further from the point of laser impingement, CW heating produced particles with a Raman spectrum that matched β-Ta 2 O 5 . We confirmed that the high-temperature ceramic phase characterized in previous work by Raman spectroscopy was the same monoclinic phase characterized in different work by TEM and could be produced by direct laser heating of metal in air.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2022

Orbiting Laser Configuration and Sky Coverage: Coherent Reference for Breakthrough Starshot Ground-based Laser Array

We present the concept of using an orbiting laser as a coherent optical reference to phase a several kilometer diameter array of ground-based lasers designed to accelerate interstellar nano-spacecraft to 20% light-speed using laser propulsion. We investigate the geometrical and temporal constraints for the initial case of the target star Proxima b in the Alpha Centauri system using a laser ground site in the southern hemisphere. Based on these constraints, we detail requirements for the mission architecture for an orbiting laser to be used as an optical reference. We then present two orbits that can meet all given requirements and represent a range of engagement times and days between engagements. We also present a range of orbits with periods from 3 to 4 days and engagement times from 660 to 800 s. If desired, the orbit can be matched to the sidereal day, so each orbit period, the beacon can align with the ground station and the same target star without maneuvers. A discussion of the tradeoff between the Earth-based site latitude, time on engagement, and days between engagements is presented.

Breakthrough Starshot; interstellar spacecraft; co↗
DOE OSTI2014

The interaction of 193 nm excimer laser radiation with single-crystal zinc oxide: Generation of long lived highly excited particles with evidence of Zn Rydberg formation

In past studies, we have observed copious emissions of ionic and atomic Zn from single-crystal ZnO accompanying irradiation of single-crystal ZnO with 193-nm excimer laser irradiation at fluences below the onset of optical breakdown. The Zn{sup +} and ground state Zn° are studied using time-of-flight techniques and are mass selected using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Simultaneously, we have observed emitted particles that are detectable with a Channeltron electron multiplier but cannot be mass selected. It is a reasonable hypothesis that these particles correspond to a neutral atom or molecule in highly excited long lived states. We provide strong evidence that they correspond to high lying Rydberg states of atomic Zn. We propose a production mechanism involving laser excitation via a two photon resonance excitation of Zn°.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Laser Ablation Molecular Isotopic Spectrometry for Molecules Formation Chemistry in Femtosecond-Laser Ablated Plasmas

Recently, laser ablated molecular isotopic spectrometry (LAMIS) has expanded its capability to explore molecules formation mechanism in laser-induced plasma in addition to isotope analysis. LAMIS is a powerful tool for tracking the origination of atoms that is involved in formation of investigated molecules by labeling atoms with their isotopic substitution. The evolutionary formation pathways of organic molecules, especially of C 2 dimers and CN radicals, were frequently reported. However, very little is known about the formation pathways for metallic radicals and heterodimers in laser ablated plasma. This research focuses on elucidating the formation pathways of AlO radicals in femtosecond laser ablated plasma from 18 O-labeled Al 2 O 3 pellet. Plasmas expanding with strong forward bias in the direction normal to the sample surface were generated in the wake of a weakly ionized channel created by a femtosecond laser. The formation mechanism of AlO and influence of air were investigated with multiple plasma diagnostic methods such as monochromatic fast gating imaging, spatiotemporal resolved optical emission spectroscopy, and LAMIS. An advanced LAMIS fitting procedure was used to deduce the spatiotemporal distributions of Al 18 O and Al 16 O number densities and also their ratios. We found that the Al 16 O/Al 18 O number density ratio is higher for plasma portion closer to the sample surface, which suggests that chemical reactions between the plasma plume and ambient air are more intense at the tail of the plasma. The results also reveals that direct association of free Al and O atoms is the main mechanism for the formation of AlO at the early stage of the plasma. Finally, to the contrast, chemical reactions between plasma materials and ambient oxygen molecules and the isotope exchange effect are the dominant mechanisms of the formation of AlO and evolution of Al 16 O/Al 18 O number density ratio at the late stage of the plasma.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Stable and tunable MeV $$\gamma$$-ray generation via dual-laser inverse Thomson scattering from a laser-plasma accelerator

Abstract Inverse Thomson scattering from laser-plasma accelerators offers a pathway to compact, tunable MeV $$\gamma$$ -ray sources for reduced-dose radiography and enhanced performance in nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF)-based isotope identification. However, photon yield and spectral quality are often limited by constraints on interaction geometry and scatter-laser tunability. Here we demonstrate a MeV $$\gamma$$ -ray source based on a dual-laser inverse Thomson scattering configuration driven by a 100-TW laser-plasma accelerator. Electron beams tunable from 122 to 204 MeV with $$<5$$ mrad divergence and $$<1$$ mrad pointing stability generate $$\gamma$$ rays with peak energies from 276 keV to 1.2 MeV and yields up to $$2\times 10^{7}$$ photons per shot. By independently controlling the interaction position and the scatter-pulse duration, we experimentally match the scatter pulse to the walk-off-limited interaction length. Extending the scatter pulse to 200 fs increases photon production by approximately $$15\%$$ while maintaining operation in the linear Thomson regime, thereby preserving narrow spectral bandwidth and controlled radiation divergence. Radiographic characterization demonstrates MeV-level penetration and $$\approx 0.1$$ mm spatial resolution, while stable operation is sustained over multi-hour timescales across multiple days. These results show that interaction-length optimization provides a scalable strategy for improving photon yield, spectral control, and operational stability in compact laser-plasma-accelerator-driven $$\gamma$$ -ray sources.

Tsai, Hai-En↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of the laser light absorption by the colloid on the properties of silver nanoparticles produced by laser ablation in stirred and stationary liquid

Silver nanoparticles were produced by nanosecond pulsed-laser ablation at 1064 nm of Ag in pure water. These experiments were performed using an alternative ablation cell design where a cylindrical shaped Ag target was horizontally irradiated, while the liquid was stirred by a stir rod coaxially arranged to the target. The repeatability of the generated colloids properties (extinction and size distribution) is assessed by statistical tools. The colloids properties prepared under stationary liquid are found to be unpredictable, while they are highly repeatable at high stirring speed. At the same time, electronic microscopy examinations of the irradiated Ag targets revealed that the width of the laser-machined grooves exponentially decays in stationary liquid and almost linearly under high stirring speed as the ablation proceeds. In the latter case, the decay rate was found to be constant from one experiment to the other, while it was not repeatable stationary liquid. We show that the decay of the groove width is due to an attenuation of the laser energy reaching the target surface due to the formation of a more or less dense NPs layer in front of the target as the ablation proceeds. Using the ablation time-dependence of the groove width, we can quantify the attenuation factor of the laser energy with exposure time. Finally, the relationship between the laser energy attenuation, stirring speed, and repeatability of the colloids properties is interpreted and discussed in terms of mass transfer.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Combined laser ultrasonics, laser heating, and Raman scattering in diamond anvil cell system

Here, we developed a multi-functional in situ measurement system under high pressure equipped with a laser ultrasonics (LU) system, Raman device, and laser heating system (LU-LH) in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The system consists of four components: (1) a LU-DAC system (probe and pump lasers, photodetector, and oscilloscope) and DAC; (2) a fiber laser, which is designed to allow precise control of the total power in the range from 2 to 100 W by changing the diode current, for heating samples; (3) a spectrometer for measuring the temperature of the sample (using black body radiation), fluorescence spectrum (spectrum of the ruby for pressure measurement), and Raman scattering measurements inside a DAC under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) conditions; and (4) an optical system to focus laser beams on the sample and image it in the DAC. The system is unique and allows us to do the following: (a) measure the shear and longitudinal velocities of non-transparent materials under HPHT; (b) measure temperature in a DAC under HPHT conditions using Planck’s law; (c) measure pressure in a DAC using a Raman signal; and (d) measure acoustical properties of small flat specimens removed from the DAC after HPHT treatment. In this report, we demonstrate that the LU-LH-DAC system allows measurements of velocities of the skimming waves in iron at 2580 K and 22 GPa.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Direct laser acceleration of electrons in the plasma bubble by tightly focused laser pulses

We present an analytical theory that reveals the importance of the longitudinal laser electric field in the course of the resonant acceleration of relativistic electrons by a tightly confined laser beam. It is shown that this laser field component always counteracts the transverse one and effectively decreases the final energy gain of electrons via the direct laser acceleration (DLA) mechanism. This effect is demonstrated by carrying out particle-in-cell simulations of the DLA of the electrons injected into the accelerating phase of the plasma wake. It is shown that the electron energy gain from the wakefield is substantially compensated by the quasiresonant energy loss to the longitudinal laser field component. The analytically obtained scalings and estimates are in good agreement with the results of the numerical simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Particle-in-cell simulation of laser wakefield accelerators with oblique lasers in quasicylindrical geometry

In the studies of optical injections in laser or beam-driven wakefield accelerators, there is a frequent demand for using obliquely propagating assistant lasers in particle-in-cell simulations. In conventional methods, this is only possible in either two- or three-dimensional Cartesian geometries, which have the drawbacks of either lack of fidelity for the actual situation or requiring a huge amount of computational resources. In this work, we develop a new method that uses an expression-defined oblique laser field to simulate such situations in quasicylindrical geometry particle-in-cell simulations, having the advantages of both maintaining good fidelity and saving computational resources. As an example, we use this method in the scissor-cross ionization injection scheme for the optimization of the injected beam quality. This method is widely applicable to particle injections with assistant lasers in wakefield accelerators, as long as the assistant lasers only influence the injected particles during the injection process. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Ma, Minghao (ORCID:0009000602317775)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pulse duration dependent effects of ultrafast laser induced damage on a 1030 nm multi-layer dielectric mirror for high repetition rate, high average power laser systems

High repetition rate, high peak, and average power laser systems are crucial for next-generation particle accelerators, inertial confinement fusion, and secondary particle sources. These applications demand durable laser optics, particularly interference coatings on optics lasting millions of shots at high fluence. This study focuses on designing, testing, and simulating multi-layer dielectric (MLD) mirrors for pulse durations of 260 fs, 77 fs, and 25 fs at 1030 nm wavelength and 45-degree incidence angle with p -polarization. S-on-1 laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) for varying pulse numbers were determined, with single-shot LIDT values of 0.98 Jcm -2 , 1.63 Jcm -2 , and 2.3 Jcm -2 for 25 fs, 77 fs, and 260 fs respectively. A strong correlation between blister shape and local fluence was observed, implying that the layer expansion in a blister depends on local fluence. We have also examined mechanisms responsible for laser-induced stress generation and energy release rates in blister formation. Damage mechanisms are further explored by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, incorporating Keldysh strong field ionization, whose predictions were in excellent agreement with the onset of damage determined experimentally. These findings offer insights for enhancing MLD coating technology, promising more efficient and resilient laser systems for diverse scientific and industrial applications.

Noor, Mohamed Yaseen (ORCID:000000021036644X)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Scaling of laser-driven electron and proton acceleration as a function of laser pulse duration, energy, and intensity in the multi-picosecond regime

A scaling study of short-pulse laser-driven proton and electron acceleration was conducted as a function of pulse duration, laser energy, and laser intensity in the multi-picosecond (ps) regime (∼0.8 ps–20 ps). Maximum proton energies significantly greater than established scaling laws were observed, consistent with observations at other multi-ps laser facilities. In addition, maximum proton energies and electron temperatures in this regime were found to be strongly dependent on the laser pulse duration and preplasma conditions. A modified proton scaling model is presented that is able to better represent the accelerated proton characteristics in this multi-ps regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗