Photon deceleration in plasma wakes generates single-cycle relativistic tunable infrared pulses

Zan Nie, Chih-Hao Pai (), Jie Zhang, Xiaonan Ning, Jianfei Hua (), Yunxiao He, Yipeng Wu, Qianqian Su, Shuang Liu, Yue Ma, Zhi Cheng, Wei Lu (), Hsu-Hsin Chu, Jyhpyng Wang (), Chaojie Zhang, Warren B. Mori and Chan Joshi
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Zan Nie: Tsinghua University
Chih-Hao Pai: Tsinghua University
Jie Zhang: Tsinghua University
Xiaonan Ning: Tsinghua University
Jianfei Hua: Tsinghua University
Yunxiao He: Tsinghua University
Yipeng Wu: Tsinghua University
Qianqian Su: Tsinghua University
Shuang Liu: Tsinghua University
Yue Ma: Tsinghua University
Zhi Cheng: Tsinghua University
Wei Lu: Tsinghua University
Hsu-Hsin Chu: National Central University
Jyhpyng Wang: National Central University
Chaojie Zhang: University of California Los Angeles
Warren B. Mori: University of California Los Angeles
Chan Joshi: University of California Los Angeles

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Availability of relativistically intense, single-cycle, tunable infrared sources will open up new areas of relativistic nonlinear optics of plasmas, impulse IR spectroscopy and pump-probe experiments in the molecular fingerprint region. However, generation of such pulses is still a challenge by current methods. Recently, it has been proposed that time dependent refractive index associated with laser-produced nonlinear wakes in a suitably designed plasma density structure rapidly frequency down-converts photons. The longest wavelength photons slip backwards relative to the evolving laser pulse to form a single-cycle pulse within the nearly evacuated wake cavity. This process is called photon deceleration. Here, we demonstrate this scheme for generating high-power (~100 GW), near single-cycle, wavelength tunable (3–20 µm), infrared pulses using an 810 nm drive laser by tuning the density profile of the plasma. We also demonstrate that these pulses can be used to in-situ probe the transient and nonlinear wakes themselves.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16541-w

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