In this study, a high-energy, temporally shaped picosecond ultraviolet (UV) laser running at 100 Hz is demonstrated, with its pulses boosted to 120 mJ by cascaded regenerative and double-pass amplifiers, resulting in a gain of more than 108. With precise manipulation and optimization, the amplified laser pulses were flat-top in the temporal and spatial domains to maintain high filling factors, which significantly improved the conversion efficiency of the subsequent third harmonic generation (THG). Finally, 91 mJ, 470 ps pulses were obtained at 355 nm, corresponding to a conversion efficiency as high as 76%, which, as far as we are aware of, is the highest THG efficiency for a high-repetition-rate picosecond laser. In addition, the energy stability of the UV laser is better than 1.07% (root mean square), which makes this laser an attractive source for a variety of fields including laser conditioning and micro-fabrication.

The combined effects of filamentation and magnetic field on the third-harmonic generation of electromagnetic beams have been investigated considering extended paraxial rays in magneto plasma. The analysis is done using eikonal method in which eikonal and other relevant quantities are extended up to fourth power of r. The time scale of laser beam is chosen such that the relativistic mass variation of electron becomes dominated source of nonlinearity in refractive index. The expression for coupling between ultra-intense laser beam and electron plasma wave due to relativistic nonlinearity has been deduced. Interaction of the seed plasma wave with the incident filamented laser beam excites the plasma wave and generates third harmonics. The expressions for plasma wave power and third-harmonic power have been derived. The effect of the magnetic field on the power of plasma wave and the third-harmonic power has been carried out. The role of magnetic field has been found to decrease the power of plasma wave and so as the power of third harmonic. Our results can be helpful for various laser plasma diagnostics experiments in which magnetic field present externally or generated spontaneously in the high-power laser–plasma interaction.

The third harmonic generation of a self organized nonlinear laser Eigen mode of a two-dimensional plasma channel with complete electron evacuation from the inner region is investigated. The nonlinearities arise through the ponderomotive force and relativistic mass variations, while the ions are taken to be immobile. The second harmonic ponderomotive force produces electron density oscillations that beat with the oscillatory velocity due to the laser Eigen mode to create a nonlinear current, driving the third harmonic. As a0 increases up to the threshold value amin, at which complete electron evacuation begins in the inner region, the third harmonic amplitude rises rapidly. Above the threshold, as a0 increases, the width of the inner region where there is no third harmonic current, increases and third harmonic amplitude rises less rapidly. The conversion efficiency is found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

An infrared laser propagating through a semiconductor waveguide, embedded with a density ripple of wave number q, resonantly excites third harmonic radiation. The phase matching is achieved when q equals difference between third harmonic wave number and three times the wave number of the laser. The excited third harmonic is in higher order radial Eigen mode than the pump laser. The third harmonic efficiency increases with electron concentration and decreases with the frequency of the laser.

This paper investigates the generation of plasma wave and third harmonic generation in hot collision less plasma by a Gaussian ultra intense laser beam, when relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities are operative. First, we derive the dynamical equation for the pump laser beam when these two nonlinearities are operative. The solution of pump laser beam has been obtained within the paraxial ray approximation. Filamentary structures of the laser beam are observed. On account of V→ × B→ force, the generation of plasma wave at second harmonic frequency has been studied in these filamentary structures. Interaction of the plasma wave with the incident laser beam generates the third harmonic. For the typical laser plasma parameters: Nd: YAG laser beam (λ = 1064 nm), ro = 15 µm, laser power flux equals 6 × 1017 W/cm2, electron density equals no = 1.9 × 1019 per cm3, the third harmonic yield comes out to be equals to 2 × 10−6.