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J P Rousseau

Publications and source records attributed to J P Rousseau.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Absolute time-resolved x-ray laser gain measurement.

We present the first direct measurement of the time evolution of the gain of a soft x-ray laser amplifier. The measurement is based on the injection of a seed pulse, obtained by high-order harmonic generation, into an x-ray laser medium. Strong amplification occurs when the seed pulse is synchronized with the gain period. By precisely varying the delay between the x-ray laser plasma creation and the seed pulse injection, the actual temporal evolution of the soft x-ray amplifier gain is obtained with a subpicosecond resolution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Plasma ion evolution in the wake of a high-intensity ultrashort laser pulse.

Experimental investigations of the late-time ion structures formed in the wake of an ultrashort, intense laser pulse propagating in a tenuous plasma have been performed using the proton imaging technique. The pattern found in the wake of the laser pulse shows unexpectedly regular modulations inside a long, finite width channel. On the basis of extensive particle in cell simulations of the plasma evolution in the wake of the pulse, we interpret this pattern as due to ion modulations developed during a two-stream instability excited by the return electric current generated by the wakefield.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

High-resolution gamma-ray radiography produced by a laser-plasma driven electron source.

An electron beam from a laser-plasma accelerator is converted into a gamma-ray source using bremsstrahlung radiation in a dense material. The gamma-ray beam has a pointlike source size because it is generated by a high quality electron beam with a small source size and a low divergence. Using this gamma-ray source, the radiography of complex and dense objects with submillimeter resolution is performed. It is the first evidence of a gamma-ray source size of a few hundreds micrometers produced with laser-driven accelerators. This size is consistent with results from Monte Carlo simulations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

A high-intensity highly coherent soft X-ray femtosecond laser seeded by a high harmonic beam.

Synchrotrons have for decades provided invaluable sources of soft X-rays, the application of which has led to significant progress in many areas of science and technology. But future applications of soft X-rays--in structural biology, for example--anticipate the need for pulses with much shorter duration (femtoseconds) and much higher energy (millijoules) than those delivered by synchrotrons. Soft X-ray free-electron lasers should fulfil these requirements but will be limited in number; the pressure on beamtime is therefore likely to be considerable. Laser-driven soft X-ray sources offer a comparatively inexpensive and widely available alternative, but have encountered practical bottlenecks in the quest for high intensities. Here we establish and characterize a soft X-ray laser chain that shows how these bottlenecks can in principle be overcome. By combining the high optical quality available from high-harmonic laser sources (as a seed beam) with a highly energetic soft X-ray laser plasma amplifier, we produce a tabletop soft X-ray femtosecond laser operating at 10 Hz and exhibiting full saturation, high energy, high coherence and full polarization. This technique should be readily applicable on all existing laser-driven soft X-ray facilities.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

X-ray radiation from nonlinear Thomson scattering of an intense femtosecond laser on relativistic electrons in a helium plasma.

We have generated x-ray radiation from the nonlinear Thomson scattering of a 30 fs/1.5 J laser beam on plasma electrons. A collimated x-ray radiation with a broad continuous spectrum peaked at 0.15 keV with a significant tail up to 2 keV has been observed. These characteristics are found to depend strongly on the laser strength parameter a(0). This radiative process is dominant for a(0) greater than unity at which point the relativistic scattering of the laser light originates from MeV energy electrons inside the plasma.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Demonstration of a Ni-like Kr optical-field-ionization collisional soft x-ray laser at 32.8 nm.

We report the first experimental demonstration of a Ni-like optical-field ionization collisional soft x-ray laser. The amplifying medium is generated by focusing a circularly polarized 760 mJ, 30 fs, 10-Hz Ti:sapphire laser beam in a few mm cell filled with krypton. We have measured a gain coefficient of 78 cm(-1) on the 3d(9)4d 1S0-3d(9)4p(1)P1 transition at 32.8 nm, which is here amplified for the first time. This radiation source represents the shortest wavelength optical-field ionization collisional soft x-ray laser ever produced. The influence of the gas pressure and the pumping energy on the lasing output are also presented.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

High-energy electron beam production by femtosecond laser interactions with exploding-foil plasmas.

The interaction of an ultraintense, 30-fs laser pulse with a preformed plasma was investigated as a method of producing a beam of high-energy electrons. We used thin foil targets that are exploded by the laser amplified spontaneous emission preceding the main pulse. Optical diagnostics show that the main pulse interacts with a plasma whose density is well below the critical density. By varying the foil thickness, we were able to obtain a substantial emission of electrons in a narrow cone along the laser direction with a typical energy well above the laser ponderomotive potential. These results are explained in terms of wake-field acceleration.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Dynamics of Raman instabilities using chirped laser pulses.

Time resolved measurements of the growth of Raman instabilities were performed using a picosecond chirped laser pulse. It was observed experimentally that for a short laser pulse (<10 ps), forward and 30 degrees Raman scattering occur at the back of the pulse. The growth of the instabilities was found to be independent of the sign of the chirp. In addition, a simple temporal model was developed and shows good agreement with the experimental results. This model also indicates that the plasma wave driven by forward Raman scattering is severely damped in the case of pulses longer than a few picoseconds. Damping by the modulational instability is compatible with the experimental results.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Saturated amplification of a collisionally pumped optical-field-ionization soft X-ray laser at 41.8 nm.

We report the first saturated amplification of an optical-field-ionization soft x-ray laser. The amplifying medium is generated by focusing a circularly polarized 330-mJ, 35-fs, 10-Hz Ti:sapphire laser system in a few-mm cell filled with xenon. A gain of 67 cm(-1) on the 4d(9)5p-4d(9)5d transition at 41.8 nm in Pd-like xenon and a gain-length product of 15 have been inferred at saturation. This source delivers about 5 x 10(9) photons per pulse. The influence of the pumping energy and the laser polarization on the lasing output are also presented.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Influence of estrous cycle on vaginocervical sensitivity: a fos-immunohistochemical study of lumbosacral spinal cord.

Expression of c-fos in L(5)-S(1) spinal segments in response to mechanical vaginocervical stimulation was investigated in both cycling and ovariectomized females. The aim of this paper was to verify the influence of estrous cycle on females genital tract sensitivity using immunodetection of a neural activity endogenous marker. The results indicate that lumbosacral spinal Fos-labeling was highly increased in vaginocervical stimulated rats relative to control, and labeled neurons were present more intensively in the dorsal horn in comparison to other spinal areas. Significant differences in Fos-labeling were observed according to the estrous cycle stage at which the stimulation was applied. In estrous females, the response was greater than that obtained at diestrous and much greater than the response of proestrous females. The spinal Fos-labeling of ovariectomized females is equivalent to that of diestrous females. These results give evidence that the vaginocervical induced expression of c-fos is modulated by cyclic changes in circulating sex hormones, whereas results observed in ovariectomized females indicate the likely involvement of other mechanisms independent of ovarian hormones.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Small intensely fluorescent cells of the rat paracervical ganglion synthesize adrenaline, receive afferent innervation from postganglionic cholinergic neurones, and contain muscarinic receptors.

In the paracervical ganglion (PCG) of the rat, double-labelling immunofluorescence for catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes and HPLC measurement of catecholamine contents were first performed to evaluate whether intraganglionic small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells are capable of synthesizing adrenaline. Immunolabelling for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine beta-hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT) occurred in all SIF cells of the PCG, thus demonstrating the presence of all the enzymes required for adrenaline biosynthesis. Adrenaline levels were undetectable in the PCG but to test the hypothesis that PNMT is active in SIF cells, catecholamines were measured in ganglia of rats pretreated with pargyline, an inhibitor of the monoamine oxidase, the major enzyme involved in the catecholamine degradation. Pargyline treatment increased adrenaline levels in the PCG, thus demonstrating that SIF cells are capable of adrenaline synthesis. The undetectable levels of adrenaline in the PCG of untreated rats suggested a slow rate of biosynthesis of adrenaline in the ganglion. Furthermore, the use of double-labelling showed that SIF cells of the PCG were stained for muscarinic receptors and were approached by varicose ChAT-immunoreactive nerve fibres. Nerve fibres immunoreactive for ChAT were also observed associated with nerve cell bodies of ganglion neurones. Following deafferentation of the PCG, the ChAT-immunoreactive nerve fibres surrounding nerve cell bodies totally disappeared indicating their preganglionic origin, while those associated with SIF cells did not degenerate, which demonstrate that they derived from intraganglionic cholinergic neurones. Taken together, the results show that adrenaline may be a transmitter for SIF cells in the PCG and suggest that cholinergic neurones of the parasympathetic division of the PCG can modulate the SIF cell activity through the activation of muscarinic receptors.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1998

Sympathetic innervation of the upper and lower regions of the uterus and cervix in the rat have different origins and routes.

The origins and routes of the postganglionic sympathetic nerve supply to the upper and lower uterus and to the cervix were investigated in the rat by using denervation procedures combined with immunohistochemistry and retrograde tracing. The sympathetic nerve fibers of the upper part of the uterus arise from the ovarian plexus nerve. They mainly originate (90%) from neurons of the suprarenal ganglia (SRG) and of the T10 to L3 ganglia of the paravertebral sympathetic chain. Fluoro-Gold injections into different regions of the upper uterus showed that the SRG neurons mainly provide innervation to the tubal extremity (52%) rather than to the uterine portion below this area (26%). Very few neurons of the celiac ganglion or the aorticorenal ganglia participated in this innervation. Most of the sympathetic innervation of the lower uterus and the cervix (90%) originates from neurons of the paravertebral ganglia T13 to S2, principally at the L2-L4 levels. By using immunocytochemistry, we show that very few tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons of the pelvic plexus project to these areas, where they represent only 3% of the sympathetic nerve supply. Again, very few neurons of the inferior mesenteric ganglion (IMG) supply the lower uterus and the cervix. The comparison between retrograde tracing experiments in intact animals and after the removal of the IMG shows that very few sympathetic postganglionic axons from the paravertebral chain pass through the IMG to reach the lower uterus and the cervix. In contrast, these axons mainly project to splanchnic nerves bypassing the IMG to connect with the hypogastric nerves. In addition, some axons supplying the lower uterus follow the superior vesical arteries and then reach the organ. Taken together, these results show that the upper region of the uterus receives a sympathetic innervation that is different in origin and route from that of the lower uterus and the cervix. Such a marked region-specific innervation suggests that nerve control of the myometrial activity may be functionally different between the oviduct and the cervical ends of the uterus.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Regional difference in the distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-immunoreactive nerve fibres along the uterus and between myometrial muscle layers in the rat.

To investigate a possible regional variation of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide innervation in the uterus of the cyclic rat, the distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-containing nerve fibres from the cervix to the oviduct end of the uterine horns was studied using immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactive nerve fibres were most concentrated in the cervix, where they formed a dense plexus in association with the musculature and surrounding blood vessels. In the uterus, a clear regional distribution of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide innervation was observed. Numerous vascular and non-vascular immunoreactive nerve fibres were present in the lower part of the uterine horns, whereas they were sparse in the median region and absent at the oviduct end. Moreover, non-vascular peptide innervation was mostly concentrated in the circular layer of the myometrium and also occurred in the endometrium. Only a very few immunoreactive nerve fibres were present in the longitudinal muscle layer. No change in the peptide innervation pattern was observed during the different stages of the sexual cycle. The marked regional distribution of the peptide innervation in the rat uterus suggests that the regulatory effects of the peptide occur mainly in the lower part of the organ and principally affect the circular muscle layer in the myometrium.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Involvement of the pelvic plexus and the suprarenal ganglia in the neuropeptide Y (NPY) innervation of the cervix and the uterus of the rat.

The involvement of the pelvic plexus and suprarenal ganglia in the neuropeptide Y (NPY) innervation of the genital tract was studied in the female rat by means of denervation experiments and retrograde tracing studies. Removal of the paracervical ganglia caused a significant decrease of the NPY-immunoreactive nerve density and NPY concentration in the lower part of the genital tract: cervix, uterine body and lower part of the uterine horn. The decrease in NPY concentration in these three regions was more pronounced after lesion of the pelvic plexus. Lesion of the ovarian nerve plexus caused a depletion in the NPY-immunoreactive nerve fibres and a decrease in NPY concentration in the upper part of the uterine horn. Pelvic nerve section, inferior mesenteric ganglia excision and superior ovarian nerve section had no effect on the NPY innervation in the genital tract. Injection of fluorogold into the cervix and lower part of the uterus combined with immunohistochemistry revealed that 87.5% of labelled neurons in the pelvic plexus were NPY-immunoreactive. Following injection of fluorogold into the upper part of the uterus, 92% of labelled neurons in the suprarenal ganglia were NPY-immunoreactive. Treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine revealed that the NPY-immunoreactive nerve fibres were non-noradrenergic in the cervix, but were noradrenergic in the upper part of the uterus. In the uterine body and lower part of the uterine horn, both noradrenergic and non-noradrenergic NPY-immunoreactive nerve fibres were observed. These data demonstrate the major contribution of pelvic plexus neurons in the non-noradrenergic NPY innervation of the lower part of the genital tract, and the involvement of the suprarenal ganglia in the noradrenergic NPY innervation of the upper part of the uterus via the ovarian nerve plexus.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Ultrastructural changes in the nerve fiber population of anastomosed vagal and spinal accessory nerves in the sheep.

BACKGROUND: The ultrastructure of the vagal and spinal accessory nerves was studied 1) in normal sheep and 2) in sheep in which an experimental crossed-nerve anastomosis had been made by sectioning the supranodose vagal and spinal accessory nerves, then suturing the distal end of the vagal nerve to the distal end of the spinal accessory nerve, and allowing time for regeneration to occur. This study was carried out in order to analyze the modifications liable to occur when this technique is used and to specify the origin and the nature of the fibers that colonize the spinal accessory nerve. METHODS: The study was performed in 4- to 5-month-old-sheep. After the surgical procedure, the animals were housed indoors during 1 year until their sacrifice by fixative perfusion. Then, nerve samples were dissected out, processed for electron microscopy, examined, and systematically photographed. After printing, the diameters of the nerve fibers were determined. RESULTS: In sheep, the ratios of nonmyelinated to myelinated fibers (NF/MF) in the infranodose and supranodose vagal nerve and accessory spinal nerve were 1.21, 1.67, and 3.21, respectively. In both parts of the vagal nerve, the myelinated fibers had a unimodal diameter distribution around a peak of 4 microns; whereas, in the spinal accessory nerve, they were distributed bimodally, and 53% had values of 15-18 microns. After making the above anastomosis, the centrifugal vagal fibers degenerated, and the NF/MF ratios increased in the centripetal infranodose vagal nerve, in the reinnervating supranodose vagal nerve, and in the reinnervated spinal accessory nerve (approximately 1.87, 1.72, and 6.04, respectively). In all of these nerves, the myelinated fibers had a unimodal distribution with a peak at 4 microns, as in the vagal nerve of normal sheep. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal the large part taken by the nonmyelinated fibers in the nerve fiber population of the vagal nerve and support the vagal origin of the fibers reinnervating the spinal accessory nerve.

Accessory Nerve↗
PubMed1997

Coexpression of neuropeptide Y and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in pelvic plexus neurones innervating the uterus and cervix in the rat.

The present study investigates the distribution and coexpression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in neurones of the accessory ganglion (AG), hypogastric plexus (HP) and paracervical ganglion (PCG), which compose the pelvic plexus in the female rat. Nerve cell bodies immunoreactive for NPY and VIP represent 84% and 46% of the neurone population in the PCG, respectively, while immunoreactivity for each peptide is observed in about 90% of the AG and HP neurones. Adjacent sections immunostained for NPY and VIP, as well as the use of immunocytochemistry combined with in situ hybridization show that 92% of the VIP-containing neurones in the pelvic plexus also contain NPY. In addition, a retrograde tracing study performed in combination with immunocytochemistry demonstrates that pelvic plexus neurones project preferentially to the lower part of the uterus and to the cervix, and that about 95% of these projecting neurones contain VIP. Taken together, our findings indicate that in the female rat, neurones of the pelvic plexus projecting to the lower genital tract mainly coexpress VIP and NPY, and supply nerve fibres to the vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle in the uterocervical region. Since NPY and VIP exert distinct effects according to the target tissue, our results suggest that neurones coexpressing these peptides play important roles in the local regulation of the vascular bed and motor activity of the lower genital tract.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Localization of androgen receptor in nitric oxide synthase- and vasoactive intestinal peptide-containing neurons of the major pelvic ganglion innervating the rat penis.

Neurons of the rat major pelvic ganglia provide innervation to the pelvic organs and external genitalia. In these ganglia, a subpopulation of neurons containing either nitric oxide synthase or vasoactive intestinal peptide or both molecules, is involved in penile erection. The androgen dependence of penile erection is a well established fact. After castration, decreased testosterone levels have been documented to produce erectile dysfunction possibly resulting from functional alterations in major pelvic ganglion neurons. It was therefore of interest to investigate the presence of androgen receptor within these ganglionic neurons. By using immunohistochemistry and a retrograde labeling technique we have demonstrated that the androgen receptor is present in about 40% of neurons of the major pelvic ganglion innervating the corpora cavernosa of the rat penis. In the major pelvic ganglion, 87% and 81% of the neurons labeled with the fluorescent dye Fast Blue from the penis contained nitric oxide synthase-like immunoreactivity and vasoactive intestinal peptide-like immunoreactivity, respectively. Androgen receptor was present in 20% of neurons containing vasoactive intestinal peptide-like immunoreactivity and about 40% of those containing nitric oxide synthase-like immunoreactivity. These results suggest that androgens, which are known to modulate penile erection, may regulate nitric oxide synthase and vasoactive intestinal peptide within the major pelvic ganglion via a direct interaction with ganglionic neurons.

Amidines↗