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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Robust Short-Pulse, High-Peak-Power Laser Transmitter for Optical Communications

We report on a pulsed fiber based master oscillator power amplifier laser at 1550 nm to support moderate data rates with high peak powers in a compact package suitable for interplanetary optical communications. To accommodate pulse position modulation, the polarization maintaining laser transmitter generates pulses from 0.1 to 1 ns with variable duty cycle over a pulse repetition frequency range of 10 to 100 MHz.

fiber amplifier↗

Multi-angle multi-pulse time-resolved Thomson scattering on laboratory plasma jets

A single channel sub-nanosecond time-resolved Thomson scattering system used for pulsed power-driven high energy density plasma measurements has been upgraded to give electron temperatures at two different times and from two different angles simultaneously. This system was used here to study plasma jets created from a 15 μm thick radial Al foil load on a 1 MA pulsed power machine. Two laser pulses were generated by splitting the initial 2.3 ns duration, 10 J, 526.5 nm laser beam into two pulses, each with 2.5 J, and delaying one relative to the other by between 3 and 14 ns. Time resolution within each pulse was obtained using a streak camera to record the scattered spectra from the two beams from two scattering angles. Analysis of the scattering profile showed that the electron temperature of the Al jet increased from 20 eV up to as much as 45 eV within about 2 ns by inverse bremsstrahlung for both laser pulses. The Thomson scattering results from jets formed with opposite current polarities showed different laser heating of the electrons, as well as possibly different ion temperatures. The two-angle scattering determined that the electron density of the plasma jet was at least 2 × 10 18 cm -3 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Interference microscopy study of the preplasma formed on an iron target surface exposed to high-power femtosecond laser pulses

The characteristic scale of spread of the plasma formed on the surface of a bulk iron target irradiated by a femtosecond laser pulse with an intensity of 10{sup 16} W cm{sup −2} is measured by time-resolved interference microscopy using femtosecond pulses emitted by a Cr : forsterite laser system with an intensity contrast of 10{sup 7}. The chosen technique is demonstrated to be efficient in such measurements. It is shown experimentally that, as a result of laser pulse impact, the displacement of a plasma layer with a density exceeding critical does not exceed 30 nm. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Analysis of the Angular Distribution of Emission of Neutrons Generated with the Ponderomotive Mechanism of Ion Heating by High-Power Short Laser Pulse Acting on a (CD{sub 2}){sub n} Target

Experiments on the angular distribution of DD neutrons generated in nuclear reactions upon irradiation of a (CD{sub 2}){sub n} target have been performed in the “Neodymium” laser facility. Apart from the main pulse, prepulses were observed in the experiment. Measurements have shown that neutrons have an isotropic angular distribution. Experimental results have been analyzed using hydrodynamic calculations accounting for the ponderomotive force. The ion heating mechanism in a shock wave emerging under the action of the ponderomotive pressure of the main pulse in the supercritical region of the plasma has been considered. It is shown that neutrons are generated mainly in the supercritical plasma heated by the ion heat wave. The time of plasma cooling due to hydrodynamic spreading turns out to be much longer than the isotropization time of the ion velocity distribution function due to Coulomb collisions. In these conditions, the neutron angular distribution must be isotropic.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Impact of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering pulse width on the nucleation, crystallization, microstructure, and ferroelectric properties of hafnium oxide thin films

The impact of the high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) pulse width on the crystallization, microstructure, and ferroelectric properties of undoped HfO 2 films is investigated. HfO 2 films were sputtered from a hafnium metal target in an Ar/O 2 atmosphere, varying the instantaneous power density by changing the HiPIMS pulse width with fixed time-averaged power and pulse frequency. The pulse width is shown to affect the ion-to-neutral ratio in the depositing species with the shortest pulse durations leading to the highest ion fraction. In situ x-ray diffraction measurements during crystallization demonstrate that the HiPIMS pulse width impacts nucleation and phase formation, with an intermediate pulse width of 110 μ s stabilizing the ferroelectric phase over the widest temperature range. Although the pulse width impacts the grain size with the lowest pulse width resulting in the largest grain size, the grain size does not strongly correlate with the phase content or ferroelectric behavior in these films. In conclusion, these results suggest that precise control over the energetics of the depositing species may be beneficial for forming the ferroelectric phase in this material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-power 850-870-nm pulsed lasers based on heterostructures with narrow and wide waveguides

The power and spectral characteristics of pulsed laser diode arrays operating in the spectral range of 850-870 nm and based on heterostructures of two different types (with narrow and wide waveguides) are studied. It is found that the power-current characteristics of the laser arrays of both types are linear within the pump current range of 10-50 A and that the steepness of these characteristics decreases at currents exceeding 80 A. The decrease in the slope efficiency is more noticeable for laser arrays based on heterostructures with wide waveguides. (semiconductor lasers. physics and technology)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Impact Analysis of High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Coupling Effects on Power Grid Protection Relays

Protection relays are important equipment used for protection, control, and metering functions in the power grid. These relays are used to protect critical and difficult-to-replace equipment, like generators, transformers, and capacitor banks. Once the protection devices are disturbed or damaged, a high risk of power generation interruption occurs. Therefore, it is important and necessary to study the relay’s immunity to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events. As a preliminary step toward empirical experimentation on actual equipment, this manuscript outlines an economical and efficient methodology for evaluating the impact of an EMP. An impedance measurement strategy was employed to model the equipment, setting the stage for subsequent immunity analyses. These analyses included the pulse current injection (PCI) method, which utilized an injecting probe to introduce the transient, and frequency domain electromagnetic (FEKO) simulation, which integrated electromagnetic coupling effects into the transient simulation. The impedance measurement and simulation results in this paper provide a reliable basis for gauging equipment performance in the face of HEMP threats. The results obtained using the PCI and FEKO simulations demonstrated the performance of different port responses under a high-altitude EMP, indicating the requirement for some protection to ensure the reliable operation of relays.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Nearly monoenergetic positive ion beam with self-neutralized space charge extracted from a pulsed plasma

Not provided.A nearly monoenergetic Ar + ion beam (100 eV peak energy, 3.5 eV full width at half maximum), with self-neutralized space charge, was extracted from a power modulated (pulsed) inductively coupled plasma (ICP), through a single grounded grid. The beam energy was set by applying a synchronous DC bias voltage to a boundary electrode in contact with the plasma, in the late afterglow of the power pulse. A retarding field energy analyzer and a movable Faraday cup were used to measure the ion energy distribution (IED) and the time resolved ion and electron current densities, as a function of position along the beam axis, to unravel the mechanism of self-neutralization of the space charge of the beam. When a +100 V DC bias was applied to the boundary electrode during the afterglow, a ~100 eV beam (ion density ~10 9 cm -3 ) emerged that was space-charge neutralized by periodic injection of electrons, mainly during the early afterglow, into the region downstream of the extraction grid. A background plasma (electron density ~10 10 cm -3 ) was formed by these electrons, in conjunction with relatively low-energy ions (1–10 eV) that flew out of the ICP when the DC bias was off, as well as formed by resonant charge exchange of the 100 eV beam ions with the background Ar in the downstream region near the extraction grid. The behavior of the beam IED as a function of pressure and power of the ICP as well as the timing of application of the DC bias voltage was also studied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Acousto-Optic Power Summation for Mutually Noncoherent Pulsed Lasers

A method of the power summation for mutually noncoherent pulsed lasers of the same type using time interleaving is proposed and validated experimentally. The method uses an acoustic-optic deflector, which commutates radiation of different sources into one output channel simultaneously with radiation presenting in this channel. It is crucially important that the power of the final output radiation is equal to the power sum of the input sources, and the angular and coordinate parameters of an output beam are the same as that for the input sources. The experiments were carried out with single-mode diode lasers on a wavelength of 1.3 μm using a ТеО{sub 2}-crystal-based deflector. The method is appropriate for the power summation for fiber-optic, diode, and solid-state lasers. We have estimated the main interrelated parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Estimation of High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Signal Leakage into Power Generation Facilities: Simulations and Measurements

The coupling of early-time high-altitude electromagnetic pulse signals into a power generation facility was investigated. This study encompasses both electromagnetic simulation and on-site experimental efforts that are relevant to shielding effectiveness estimation with a passive technique. As an initial step in understanding the attenuation models involved, simulations were carried out as a function of frequency, building properties, and signal incidence angle. Testing was then performed at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory campus to identify the equipment needed for signal collection and to fine-tune the experimental procedure. Finally, as an application of the models and methods presented, measurements were conducted at a power generation plant to derive the field transfer functions and coupled high-altitude electromagnetic pulse waveforms for various locations within the facility.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Design and Performance of the Solid-State Laser Trigger System for HERMES III

The HERMES III accelerator is an 18-20 MeV linear induction accelerator constructed at Sandia National Laboratories in the late 1980s and which continues operation to this day. As part of recent modernization efforts, the laser triggering system on the accelerator has been replaced with a newly designed solid-state system. This system consists of ten Nd:YAG lasers, each having a nominal output energy of 40-45 mJ at a wavelength of 266 nm. The beam from each laser is split such that it triggers two of the Rimfire gas switches on the accelerator. Compared to the previous laser triggering system, this arrangement makes it possible to more readily tailor the final output pulse shape, and overall reliability for the accelerator's operation with these new lasers has increased. The design of this new laser triggering system is presented in this paper, along with details pertaining to the energy budgeting, optical beam paths, and electrical triggering of the lasers. Initial operational data from the HERMES III accelerator using this new triggering system is also presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗