We report here the first hundred-watt continuouswave fiber gas laser in H2-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) by stimulated Raman scattering. The pump source is a homemade narrow-linewidth fiber oscillator with a 3 dB linewidth of 0.15 nm at the maximum output power of 380 W. To efficiently and stably couple several-hundred-watt pump power into the hollow core and seal the gas, a hollow-core fiber end-cap is fabricated and used at the input end. A maximum power of 110 W at 1153 nm is obtained in a 5 m long hollow-core PCF filled with 36 bar H2, and the conversion efficiency of the first Stokes power is around 48.9%. This work paves the way for high-power fiber gas Raman lasers.

We report a 2 kW all-fiberized Raman fiber amplifier with efficient brightness enhancement based on the graded-index fiber. The maximum power output reaches up to 2.034 kW centered at 1130 nm, with a conversion efficiency of 79.35% with respect to the injected pump power. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest conversion efficiency obtained for any Raman laser system using graded-index fiber. An optimized fiber combiner adopting graded-index fiber as the pigtail fiber was fabricated, enabling the preservation of the seeding brightness in the core-pumped Raman fiber amplifier, and further enhancing the ultimate brightness of the output laser after amplification. At the maximum power output, the beam quality parameter M2 is 2.8, corresponding to a signal-to-pump brightness enhancement factor of 11.2. As far as we know, we obtain the highest brightness enhancement among Raman fiber lasers of over 100 W, and the best beam quality for graded-index Raman fiber lasers of over 150 W.

A simple composition of TeO2–Yb2O3 binary glass was selected as the host glass matrix for discussing the structure of tellurite glass with increasing Yb2O3 content. Raman spectra were measured to investigate the structure of the binary tellurite glasses, and upconversion and downconversion fluorescence characteristics were employed for discussing the relationship between the structural units and the state of Yb3+ in the tellurite glasses. The results suggested that the decrease of TeO4/2 in the glasses would result in the formation of Yb3+ clusters and Yb3+–O2− couple in the tellurite glasses, and then results in the decrease of cooperative upconversion and downconversion fluorescence intensity.

Raman spectroscopy is a fundamental tool for the characterization of two-dimensional materials. It provides insights into the electronic and vibrational properties of these materials and is particularly rich in features when the incident laser energy approaches the electronic energy transition of the material. Among these features, the double resonance Raman process provides important information on the electron, phonon, and electron–phonon properties. It was on the study of carbon-related materials that the double resonance bands sparkled showing their potential and, since then, have been deeply searched in the study of novel 2D materials. Here, the authors review the double resonance Raman process in 2D materials focusing on graphene and semiconducting MoS2 highlighting the origin of the bands mediated by the two-phonon and phonon–defect processes. The authors discuss the observed properties of the double resonance bands and compare the processes for graphene and MoS2 to find guiding principles for the appearance of double resonance bands. The authors also discuss the new findings of the intervalley scattering process in transition metal dichalcogenides. A brief discussion of the defect-induced bands in both materials is also presented.

Implementation of laser-plasma-based acceleration stages in user-oriented facilities requires the definition and deployment of appropriate diagnostic methodologies to monitor and control the acceleration process. An overview is given here of optical diagnostics for density measurement in laser-plasma acceleration stages, with emphasis on well-established and easily implemented approaches. Diagnostics for both neutral gas and free-electron number density are considered, highlighting real-time measurement capabilities. Optical interferometry, in its various configurations, from standard two-arm to more advanced common-path designs, is discussed, along with spectroscopic techniques such as Stark broadening and Raman scattering. A critical analysis of the diagnostics presented is given concerning their implementation in laser-plasma acceleration stages for the production of high-quality GeV electron bunches.

The nature of glass transitions in chalcogenides and modified oxides depends on the network mean coordination number $\langle r\rangle$. These display systematic trends when spanning across the three topological phases: flexible, intermediate, and stressed-rigid. Trends in the glass-transition temperature Tg($\langle r\rangle$) show a monotonic increase with $\langle r\rangle$, but the nonreversing enthalpy of relaxation at Tg, ΔHnr($\langle r\rangle$), shows a deep- and square-well-like minimum with the walls representing the rigidity and stress transitions with increasing $\langle r\rangle$, respectively. In the well, the ΔHnr($\langle r\rangle$) term remains minuscule (∼0) corresponding to the isostatically rigid intermediate phase (IP). The melt fragility index (m) shows rather low values, m($\langle r\rangle$) < 20 for IP compositions, but increases outside the IP. Glass compositions in the IP show absence of network stress, form compacted networks, possess thermally reversing glass transitions, and display high glass-forming tendency—functionalities that have attracted widespread interest in understanding the physics of glasses and applications of the new IP formed.

Short pulse laser plasma interaction experiments using diffraction limited beams provide an excellent platform to investigate the fundamental physics of stimulated Raman scattering. Detailed understanding of these laser plasma instabilities impacts the current inertial confinement fusion ignition designs and could potentially impact fast ignition when higher energy lasers are used with longer pulse durations (>1 kJ and >1 ps). Using short laser pulses, experiments can be modeled over the entire interaction time of the laser using particle-in-cell codes to validate our understanding quantitatively. Experiments have been conducted at the Trident laser facility and the Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI) to investigate stimulated Raman scattering near the threshold of the instability using 527 nm and 1059 nm laser light, respectively, with 1.5–3.0 ps pulses. In both experiments, the interaction beam was focused into pre-ionized helium gas-jet plasma. Measurements of the reflectivity as a function of intensity and kλD were completed at the Trident laser facility, where k is the electron plasma wave number and λD is the plasma Debye length. At LULI, a 300 fs Thomson scattering probe is used to directly measure the density fluctuations of the driven electron plasma and ion acoustic waves. Work is currently underway comparing the results of the experiments with simulations using the VPIC particle-in-cell code. Details of the experimental results are presented in this manuscript.

In this paper, authors have studied the growing interaction of the rippled laser beam with upper hybrid mode leading to enhanced Raman scattering for collisional plasma. The presence of ripple leads to additional coupling between the rippled laser beam and electrostatic upper hybrid mode via modified background density. Computational results show the focusing of the upper hybrid wave for the chosen set of plasma parameters. With coupling being strong, the excited upper hybrid wave further interacts with rippled laser beam and give rise to enhanced Raman scattering. The significant role of collisional parameter S is also highlighted in the present investigation. An expression for the scattered power is derived and the effect of the externally applied static magnetic field on enhancement of scattered power is observed. We conclude from present analysis that the effect of the increased magnetic field is useful in suppressing the growth of the ripple.

Recent particle-in-cell simulations of the stimulated Brillouin backscattering (SBBS) of electromagnetic radiation have shown that even at sub-relativistic intensities (Iλ2 = 1016 Wμm2/cm2) non-drifting solitary waves, “solitons” for short, are easily produced, and remain almost unchanged all along the simulation time, typically for several thousands of optical cycles. They appear in the form of stable local concentrations of electromagnetic radiation trapped inside quasi-neutral density holes. The plasma density inhomogeneity associated with their presence disrupts the resonant SBBS amplification. The cavitation process is accompanied by strong electron and ion heating. The physical characteristics of such solitons are discussed and they are compared with the theoretical predictions of an analytical model for localized solution of the Maxwell equations in warm plasma.

The influence of non-isothermal atmosphere on the intensity of details of Raman Scattering is computed for spectra of Uranus and Neptune. It follows that the intensity of this scattering depends on the depth of the level formation in an optically homogeneous non-isothermal atmosphere; neglecting of real temperature profiles during the analysis of observation data leads to large errors in the parameters of the atmosphere upper level.

The recently proposed backward Raman laser amplification scheme utilizes the stimulated Raman backscattering in plasma of a long pumping laser pulse to amplify a short, and frequency downshifted seed pulse. The output intensity for this scheme is limited by the development of forward Raman scattering (FRS) or modulational instabilities of the highly amplified seed. Theoretically, focused output intensities as high as 1025 W/cm2, and pulse lengths of less than 100 fs, could be accessible by this technique for 1 μm lasers—an improvement of 104–105 in focused intensity over current techniques. Simulations with the particle-in-cell (PIC) code Zohar are presented, which investigate the effects of FRS and modulational instabilities, and of Langmuir wave breaking on the output intensity for Raman amplification. Using the intense seed pulse to photoionize the plasma simultaneous with its amplification (and hence avoid plasmas-based instabilities of the pump) is also investigated by PIC simulations. It is shown that both approaches can access focused intensities in the 1025 W/cm2 range.

The formation pathway to double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) from C60 encased within single-walled carbon nanotubes (peapods) is introduced in this article. Onedimensionally arranged C60 molecules coalesce gradually within the nanotube and change the structure to C60 dimers, trimers, tetramers, and so on as intermediates. In addition to these interesting structural transformations visualized in the nanotube space, the nanotube itself is very stable, and this structural stability is very important when using the interior of the nanotube as the reaction field or the space for molecular storage. In terms of optical absorption, the lowest energy absorption band for DWNTs, ∼0.65 eV, shows broadened and downshifted features as compared with that of SWNTs.We expect that this opticalabsorption feature will lead to the use of DWNTs in absorbing devices for optical-fiber communications. The Raman experiments give new information about the frequency of the C-C stretching-mode vibration for nanotubes with diameters of less than ∼1 nm, which shows a decrease in vibration frequency with decreasing tube diameter. This diameter dependence can be explained by an admixture of sp3 character in the C-C interaction. Therefore, the electronic and mechanical properties of nanotubes with diameters of <1 nm are expected to be different from nanotubes of the ∼1-nm-diameter class, and we anticipate that new phenomena will occur in small-diameter tubes.

In the laser–plasma interaction experiments, self-focusing and filamentation affect quite a large number of other parametric processes including stimulated scattering processes. Nonlinearity considered in the present problem is the collisional type. The coupling between the main beam, ripple, and excited electron plasma wave is strong. Authors have investigated the growing interaction of a rippled laser beam with an electron plasma wave leading to enhanced Raman scattering. An expression for scattered power is derived and the effect of the externally applied magnetic field on the enhancement of scattered power is observed. From computational results, it is observed that the effect of increased intensity of the main beam leads to suppression of power associated with the Raman scattered wave.

Recent advances of the photon kinetic theory are illustrated here, with examples taken from plasma physics (forward Raman scattering), and from nonlinear optics (self-phase modulation). This theory can provide a unified view of nonlinear optical phenomena involving photon beams with an arbitrary spectrum.

The photoluminescence and Raman spectra of several Ga1−xAlxN layers (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.86) grown on sapphire substrates by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy have been recorded at room temperature, under an excitation at 244 nm. Using the photoluminescence spectra, the variation of the band gap of these alloys can be followed only up to x = 0.5. From resonant Raman scattering, it can be deduced that the band gap energy of the solid solution for x very close to 0.7 corresponds to the incident photon energy (5.08 eV). This result is confirmed by a detailed comparison of the present work with previous experimental data on the A1(LO) phonon peak position, obtained under visible excitation.

Free standing GaN platelets were fabricated by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The platelets having a current maximum size of 7×6×0.1 mm3 were obtained by HVPE growth of ~100 μm thick GaN layers on SiC substrates and subsequent removal of the substrates by reactive ion etching (RIE). Surface of the GaN platelets was characterized by reflectance high energy election diffraction (RHEED), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Crystal structure and optical properties of the platelets were studied by x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. Raman spectroscopy was also applied for material characterization. Residual strain was detected in the crystals. The stress was eliminated by high temperature anneal.