Peer-Review Publications

The linear polarization of the characteristic photon emission from few-electron ions is studied for its sensitivity with regard to the nuclear spin and magnetic moment of the ions. Special attention is paid, in particular, to the Kα1 (1s2p3/2 1,3P1,2→1s2 1S0) decay of selected heliumlike ions following the radiative electron capture into initially hydrogenlike species. Based on the density matrix theory, a unified description is developed that includes both the many-electron and hyperfine interactions as well as the multipole-mixing effects arising from the expansion of the radiation field. It is shown that the polarization of the Kα1 line can be significantly affected by the mutipole mixing between the leading M2 and hyperfine-induced E1 components of 1s2p 3P2,Fi→1s2 1S0,Ff transitions. This E1-M2 mixing strongly depends on the nuclear properties of the considered isotopes and can be addressed experimentally at existing heavy-ion storage rings.

High Energy Density (HED) physics spans over numerous areas of basic and applied physics, for example, astrophysics, planetary physics, geophysics, inertial fusion and many others. Due to this reason, it has been a subject of very active research over the past many decades. Static as well as dynamic methods have been applied to generate samples of HED matter in the laboratory. The most commonly used tool in the static techniques is the diamond anvil cell while the dynamic methods involve shock compression of matter. During the past fifteen years, great progress has been made on the development of bunched intense particle beams that have emerged as an additional new tool for studying HED physics. In this paper we present two experiment designs that have been worked out for HED physics studies at the Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt. This facility has entered into construction phase and will provide one of the largest and most powerful particle accelerators in the world. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

An optical technique to study the longitudinal distribution of ions in a bunched ion beam circulating in a storage ring is presented. It is based on the arrival-time analysis of photons emitted after collisional excitation of residual gas molecules. The beam-induced fluorescence was investigated in the ultraviolet regime with a channeltron and in the visible region using a photomultiplier tube. Both were applied to investigate the longitudinal shape of bunched and electron-cooled (209)^Bi^(80+) ion beams at about 400 MeV/u in the experimental storage ring (ESR) at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. Bunch lengths were determined with an uncertainty of about 0.5 m using the UV-sensitive channeltron and with slightly lower accuracy from the photomultiplier data due to the slower transitions in the red region of the spectrum. The Gaussian shape of the longitudinal distribution of ions inside the bunch was confirmed. With the information of the transverse beam size that can be measured simultaneously by a newly installed ionization profile monitor (IPM) at the ESR, an accurate determination of the ion density in the bunched beam will be allowed.

Beam divergences of high-order extreme ultraviolet harmonics from intense laser interactions with steep plasma density gradients are studied through experiment and Fourier analysis of the harmonic spatial phase. We show that while emission due to the relativistically oscillating mirror mechanism can be explained by ponderomotive surface denting, in agreement with previous results, the divergence of the emission due to the coherent wake emission mechanism requires a combination of the dent phase and an intrinsic emission phase. The temporal dependence of the divergences for both mechanisms is highlighted while it is also shown that the coherent wake emission divergence can be small in circumstances where the phase terms compensate each other.

High-order harmonics and attosecond pulses of light can be generated when ultraintense, ultrashort laser pulses reflect off a solid-density plasma with a sharp vacuum interface, i.e., a plasma mirror. We demonstrate experimentally the key influence of the steepness of the plasma-vacuum interface on the interaction, by measuring the spectral and spatial properties of harmonics generated on a plasma mirror whose initial density gradient scale length L is continuously varied. Time-resolved interferometry is used to separately measure this scale length.

Spatially and spectrally resolved imaging (S2) is a very sensitive, robust and elegant method to measure the power of excited modes in a fiber. For the common reconstruction technique an approximation is necessary, which is based on dominant fundamental mode content. In this work we present several algorithms that significantly improve the accuracy of modal reconstruction for weak excited fundamental mode content. We show that in some cases general analytical solutions exist that can completely overcome the former limitation. In addition, we introduce an iterative procedure to improve the mode modal reconstruction independent of the specific used algorithm.

A tunable source of intense ultra-short hard X-ray pulses represents a novel tool for the structural analysis of complex systems with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. With the simultaneous availability of a high power short-pulse laser system this provides unique opportunities at the forefront of relativistic light–matter interactions. At Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) we demonstrated the principle of such a light source (PHOENIX – Photon Electron collider for Narrow bandwidth Intense X-Rays) by colliding picosecond electron bunches from the ELBE linear accelerator with counter-propagating femtosecond laser pulses from the 150 TW Draco Ti:Sapphire laser system. The generated narrowband X-rays are highly collimated and can be reliably adjusted from 12 keV to 20 keV by tuning the electron energy (24–30 MeV). Ensuring the spatial–temporal overlap at the interaction point and suppressing the Bremsstrahlung background a signal to noise ratio of greater than 300 was reached.

Using laser accelerated protons or ions for various applications—for example in particle therapy or short-pulse radiographic diagnostics—requires an effective method of focusing and energy selection. We derive an analytical scaling for the performance of a solenoid compared with a doublet/triplet as function of the energy, which is confirmed by TRACEWIN simulations. Generally speaking, the two approaches are equivalent in focusing capability, if parameters are such that the solenoid length approximately equals its diameter. The scaling also shows that this is usually not the case above a few MeV; consequently, a solenoid needs to be pulsed or superconducting, whereas the quadrupoles can remain conventional. It is also important that the transmission of the triplet is found only 25% lower than that of the equivalent solenoid. Both systems are equally suitable for energy selection based on their chromatic effect as is shown using an initial distribution following the RPA simulation model by Yan et al. [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 103 135001 (2009)].

The expansion of a semi-infinite plasma slab into vacuum is analyzed with a hydrodynamic model implying a steplike electron energy distribution function. Analytic expressions for the maximum ion energy and the related ion distribution function are derived and compared with one-dimensional numerical simulations. The choice of the specific non-Maxwellian initial electron energy distribution automatically ensures the conservation of the total energy of the system. The estimated ion energies may differ by an order of magnitude from the values obtained with an adiabatic expansion model supposing a Maxwellian electron distribution. Furthermore, good agreement with data from experiments using laser pulses of ultrashort durations τ_L ≤ 80 fs is found, while this is not the case when a hot Maxwellian electron distribution is assumed.

Reflecting light from a mirror moving close to the speed of light has been envisioned as a route towards producing bright X-ray pulses since Einstein’s seminal work on special relativity. For an ideal relativistic mirror, the peak power of the reflected radiation can substantially exceed that of the incident radiation due to the increase in photon energy and accompanying temporal compression. Here we demonstrate for the first time that dense relativistic electron mirrors can be created from the interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse with a freestanding, nanometre-scale thin foil. The mirror structures are shown to shift the frequency of a counter-propagating laser pulse coherently from the infrared to the extreme ultraviolet with an efficiency > 10^4 times higher than in the case of incoherent scattering. Our results elucidate the reflection process of laser-generated electron mirrors and give clear guidance for future developments of a relativistic mirror structure.

Single-photon ionization leading to two vacancies in the 2p subshell of argon is investigated experimentally using the photoelectron time-of-flight magnetic bottle coincidence technique. Three peaks corresponding to the 3P, 1D, and 1S states of the dication are found in the ionization energy range 535 to 562 eV. Multiconfigurational Dirac-Fock calculations were performed to estimate the single-photon double-ionization cross sections. Reasonable agreement between the measured and simulated spectra is found if single and double excitations are taken into account in the wave-function expansion.

The resolution of ultrafast studies performed at extreme ultraviolet and X-ray free-electron lasers is still limited by shot-to-shot variations of the temporal pulse characteristics. Here we show a versatile single-shot temporal diagnostic tool that allows the determination of the extreme ultraviolet pulse duration and the relative arrival time with respect to an external pump-probe laser pulse. This method is based on time-resolved optical probing of the transient reflectivity change due to linear absorption of the extreme ultraviolet pulse within a solid material. In this work, we present measurements performed at the FLASH free-electron laser. We determine the pulse duration at two distinct wavelengths, yielding (184 ± 14) fs at 41.5 nm and (21 ± 19) fs at 5.5 nm. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility to operate the tool as an online diagnostic by using a 20-nm-thin Si_(3)N_(4) membrane as target. Our results are supported by detailed numerical and analytical investigations.

We study the symmetries of the three-heavy-quark system under exchange of the quark fields within the effective field theory framework of potential nonrelativistic QCD. The symmetries constrain the form of the matching coefficients in the effective theory. We then focus on the color-singlet sector and determine the so far unknown leading ultrasoft contribution to the static potential, which is of order α_(s)^(4)ln⁡μ, and consequently to the static energy, which is of order α_(s)^(4)lnα_(s). Finally, in the case of an equilateral geometry, we solve the renormalization group equations and resum the leading ultrasoft logarithms for the static potential of three quarks in a color singlet, octet and decuplet representation.

In high-spectral resolution experiments with the petawatt Vulcan laser, strong x-ray radiation of KK hollow atoms (atoms without n=1 electrons) from thin Al foils was observed at pulse intensities of 3 × 10^(20)  W/cm^2. The observations of spectra from these exotic states of matter are supported by detailed kinetics calculations, and are consistent with a picture in which an intense polychromatic x-ray field, formed from Thomson scattering and bremsstrahlung in the electrostatic fields at the target surface, drives the KK hollow atom production. We estimate that this x-ray field has an intensity of > 5 × 10^(18)  W/cm^2 and is in the 3 keV range.

We report on the first generation of high-contrast, 164 fs duration pulses from the laser system POLARIS reaching focused peak intensities in excess of 2×10^20  W/cm2. To our knowledge, this is the highest peak intensity reported so far that has been achieved with a diode-pumped, solid-state laser. Several passive contrast enhancement techniques have been specially developed and implemented, achieving a relative prepulse intensity smaller than 10^−8 at t=−30  ps before the main pulse. Furthermore a closed-loop adaptive-optics system has been installed. Together with angular chirp compensation, this method has led to a significant reduction of the focal spot size and an increase of the peak intensity.

Based on the theoretical analysis of the radiative recombination of heavy hydrogen-like ions with unpolarized electrons, a scheme is proposed for observing atomic parity nonconservation (PNC). The scheme employs the sensitivity of the polarization properties of recombination photons on the PNC-induced mixing of opposite-parity ionic levels. For the electron capture into the 1s2p(3)^P_(0) state of helium-like ions, in particular, the PNC leads to a rotation of the photon linear polarization on the angle, directly proportional to the 1s2p (3)^P_(0)–1s2s (1)^S_(0) mixing parameter. Owing to the recent advances in the development of x-ray polarimeters, the observation of such a rotation angle and, hence, the corresponding parity mixing is likely to become feasible in the future.

The propagation of sound through a spatially homogeneous but non-stationary medium is investigated within the framework of fluid dynamics. For a non-vortical fluid, especially, a generalized wave equation is derived for the (scalar) potential of the fluid velocity distribution in dependence of the equilibrium mass density of the fluid and the sound wave velocity. A solution of this equation for a finite transition period ττ is determined in terms of the hypergeometric function for a phenomenologically realistic, sigmoidal change of the mass density and sound wave velocity. Using this solution, it is shown that the energy flux of the sound wave is not conserved but increases always for the propagation through a non-stationary medium, independent of whether the equilibrium mass density is increased or decreased. It is found, moreover, that this amplification of the transmitted wave arises from an energy exchange with the medium and that its flux is equal to the (total) flux of the incident and the reflected wave. An interpretation of the reflected wave as a propagation of sound backward in time is given in close analogy to Feynman and Stueckelberg for the propagation of anti-particles. The reflection and transmission coefficients of sound propagating through a non-stationary medium is analyzed in more detail for hypersonic waves with transition periods ττ between 15 and 200 ps as well as the transformation of infrasound waves in non-stationary oceans.

Experimental results on the acceleration of protons and carbon ions from ultra-thin polymer foils at intensities of up to 6 × 10^(19) W cm^(−2) are presented revealing quasi-monoenergetic spectral characteristics for different ion species at the same time. For carbon ions and protons, a linear correlation between the cutoff energy and the peak energy is observed when the laser intensity is increased. Particle-in-cell simulations supporting the experimental results imply an ion acceleration mechanism driven by the radiation pressure as predicted for multi-component foils at these intensities.

Optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) have the reputation of being average power scalable due to the instantaneous nature of the parametric process (zero quantum defect). This Letter reveals serious challenges originating from thermal load in the nonlinear crystal caused by absorption. We investigate these thermal effects in high average power OPAs based on beta barium borate. Absorption of both pump and idler waves is identified to contribute significantly to heating of the nonlinear crystal. A temperature increase of up to 148 K with respect to the environment is observed and mechanical tensile stress up to 40 MPa is found, indicating a high risk of crystal fracture under such conditions. By restricting the idler to a wavelength range far from absorption bands and removing the crystal coating we reduce the peak temperature and the resulting temperature gradient significantly. Guidelines for further power scaling of OPAs and other nonlinear devices are given.

Integrating out virtual quantum fluctuations in an originally local quantum field theory results in an effective theory which is non-local. In this letter we argue that tunnelling of the 3rd kind - where particles traverse a barrier by splitting into a pair of virtual particles which recombine only after a finite distance - provides a direct test of this non-locality. We sketch a quantum-optical setup to test this effect, and investigate observable effects in a simple toy model.

Linear polarization of hard x rays emitted in the process of atomic-field electron bremsstrahlung has been measured with a polarized electron beam. The correlation between the initial orientation of the electron spin and the angle of photon polarization has been systematically studied by means of Compton and Rayleigh polarimetry techniques applied to a segmented germanium detector. The results are in good agreement with those of fully relativistic calculations. The observed correlations are also explained classically and in a unique way manifest that due to the spin-orbit interaction the electron scattering trajectory is not confined to a single scattering plane. The developed photon polarimetry technique with a passive scatterer is very efficient and accurate and thus allows for additional applications. Bremsstrahlung polarization correlations lead to an alternative method of polarimetry of electron beams. Such a method is sensitive to all three components of the electron spin. It can be applied in a broad range of the electron beam energies from ≈100 keV up to a few tens of MeV. The results of a measurement at 100 keV are shown. The optimum scheme for electron polarimetry is analyzed and the relevant theoretical predictions are presented.

We investigate high-power operation of a very-large-mode-area (VLMA) fiber concept based on an index-antiguiding, thermally guiding core in which an ytterbium-doped region is completely surrounded by silica with a slightly higher refractive index. Experimentally, regimes of antiguidance, single-mode operation, and mode instabilities predominantly with radially symmetric higher-order modes are observed. Fundamental limitations for conventional VLMA step-index fibers are discussed.

For a non-destructive measurement of intensities of charged particle beams a Cryogenic Current Comparator is used which captures the azimuthal magnetic field of the beam by a superconducting pickup coil at 4.2 K and transforms it into a current which is detected by a SQUID based current sensor. The current noise of the pickup coil and the bandwidth of this transformer depend on the frequency response curve of the complex permeability of the ferromagnetic core material embedded in the pickup coil. A measurement of the series inductance LS and series resistance RS of such a coil allows an indirect evaluation of the current noise contribution of the core using the Fluctuation–Dissipation-Theorem. These measurements were done with a commercial LCR-Meter in a frequency range from 20 Hz to 2 MHz. The current noise density was also directly measured using a SQUID-sensor. A comparison with between the direct and indirect measurement showed a good coincidence. Due to the critical temperature of the LTS-SQUID, noise measurements above 4.2 K are not possible apart from using an anti-cryostat. The measurement of the series inductance LS and series resistance RS with an LCR-Meter works in the whole temperature range and provides a comfortable access to the magnetic properties of core materials. Compared to direct measurements, the indirect measurement thus allows a technologically simpler and broader determination of the core noise.

Intense, femtosecond laser interactions with blazed grating targets are studied through experiment and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The high harmonic spectrum produced by the laser is angularly dispersed by the grating leading to near-monochromatic spectra emitted at different angles, each dominated by a single harmonic and its integer-multiples. The spectrum emitted in the direction of the third-harmonic diffraction order is measured to contain distinct peaks at the 9th and 12th harmonics which agree well with two-dimensional PIC simulations using the same grating geometry. This confirms that surface smoothing effects do not dominate the far-field distributions for surface features with sizes on the order of the grating grooves whilst also showing this to be a viable method of producing near-monochromatic, short-pulsed extreme-ultraviolet radiation.

We report on the absolute sensitivity calibration of an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectrometer system that is frequently employed to study emission from short-pulse laser experiments. The XUV spectrometer, consisting of a toroidal mirror and a transmission grating, was characterized at a synchrotron source in respect of the ratio of the detected to the incident photon flux at photon energies ranging from 15.5 eV to 99 eV. The absolute calibration allows the determination of the XUV photon number emitted by laser-based XUV sources, e.g., high-harmonic generation from plasma surfaces or in gaseous media. We have demonstrated high-harmonic generation in gases and plasma surfaces providing 2.3 μW and μJ per harmonic using the respective generation mechanisms.