PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Sauerbrey

Publications and source records attributed to R Sauerbrey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

High-order Raman scattering of X rays by optical phonons and generation of ultrafast X-ray transients.

We study the modulation of x-ray diffraction in ideal crystals by a copropagating wave of optical vibrations generated by a fs-laser pulse. Our results suggest that in the synchronous interaction regime the output diffracted x-ray field has the form of ultrafast transients with a time structure even shorter than the period of the excited vibrational mode. The behavior is explained in terms of high-order Raman scattering of x rays by optical phonons.

Optics and Photonics↗
PubMed2004

Filamentation of femtosecond light pulses in the air: turbulent cells versus long-range clusters.

The filamentation of ultrashort pulses in air is investigated theoretically and experimentally. From the theoretical point of view, beam propagation is shown to be driven by the interplay between random nucleation of small-scale cells and relaxation to long waveguides. After a transient stage along which they vary in location and in amplitude, filaments triggered by an isotropic noise are confined into distinct clusters, called "optical pillars," whose evolution can be approximated by an averaged-in-time two-dimensional (2D) model derived from the standard propagation equations for ultrashort pulses. Results from this model are compared with space- and time-resolved numerical simulations. From the experimental point of view, similar clusters of filaments emerge from the defects of initial beam profiles delivered by the Teramobile laser facility. Qualitative features in the evolution of the filament patterns are reproduced by the 2D reduced model.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Multiple filamentation of terawatt laser pulses in air.

The filamentation of femtosecond light pulses in air is numerically and experimentally investigated for beam powers reaching several TW. Beam propagation is shown to be driven by the interplay between intense, robust spikes created by the defects of the input beam and random nucleation of light cells. Evolution of the filament patterns can be qualitatively reproduced by an averaged-in-time (2D+1)-dimensional model derived from the propagation equations for ultrashort pulses.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Electromagnetically induced quantum memory.

We discuss the problem of creating coherence in an optically driven quantum system in conditions where decoherence is caused by the laser field itself, due to coupling of the system to a rapidly decaying state or continuum. It is shown that by applying an additional laser field between this state and a bound state the relaxation channel can be suppressed as a result of a "dark state" formation, giving rise to long living Rabi oscillations in the system. It is found that the same mechanism of preserving coherence exists in systems with level splitting or degeneracy, where the driving field interacts with multiple resonant sublevels simultaneously. We also show that specific coherent propagation phenomena assisted by the interference suppression of decoherence can be observed under these conditions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Spatial characteristics of Kalpha x-ray emission from relativistic femtosecond laser plasmas.

The spatial structure of the Kalpha emission from Ti targets irradiated with a high intensity femtosecond laser has been studied using a two-dimensional monochromatic imaging technique. For laser intensities I<5 x 10(17) W/cm(2), the observed spatial structure of the Kalpha emission can be explained by the scattering of the hot electrons inside the solid with the help of a hybrid particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo model. By contrast, at the maximum laser intensity I=7 x 10(18) W/cm(2) the half-width of the Kalpha emission was 70 microm compared to a laser-focus half-width of 3 microm. Moreover, the main Kalpha peak was surrounded by a halo of weak Kalpha emission with a diameter of 400 microm and the Kalpha intensity at the source center did not increase with increasing laser intensity. These three features point to the existence of strong self-induced fields, which redirect the hot electrons over the target surface.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

White-light filaments for atmospheric analysis.

Most long-path remote spectroscopic studies of the atmosphere rely on ambient light or narrow-band lasers. High-power femtosecond laser pulses have been found to propagate in the atmosphere as dynamically self-guided filaments that emit in a continuum from the ultraviolet to the infrared. This white light exhibits a directional behavior with enhanced backward scattering and was detected from an altitude of more than 20 kilometers. This light source opens the way to white-light and nonlinear light detection and ranging applications for atmospheric trace-gas remote sensing or remote identification of aerosols. Air ionization inside the filaments also opens promising perspectives for laser-induced condensation and lightning control. The mobile femtosecond-terawatt laser system, Teramobile, has been constructed to study these applications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

High-intensity laser induced ion acceleration from heavy-water droplets.

Fusion neutrons from a heavy water droplet target irradiated with laser pulses of 3 x 10(19) W/cm(2) and from a deuterated secondary target are observed by a time-of-flight (TOF) neutron spectrometer. The observed TOF spectrum can be explained by fusion of deuterium ions simultaneously originating from two different sources: ion acceleration in the laser focus by ponderomotively induced charge separation and target-normal sheath acceleration off the target rear surface. The experimental findings agree well with 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Observation of selectivity of coherent population transfer induced by optical interference.

A fs time-resolved selective control of multilevel systems using superposition of two identical, frequency-chirped fields is proposed and demonstrated. By adjusting the delay between the pulses, a selected transition of the Rb doublet was brought into the "holes" of the interference pattern and remained nonexcited, thus allowing to manipulate another transition by the laser field as if it were an isolated two-level system. Based on light interference, this technique needs neither strong driving field intensities nor controlling the chirp direction to achieve the selectivity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Femtosecond-pulse sequence compression by Gires-Tournois interferometers.

We demonstrate the compression of femtosecond-pulse sequences by phase-modulating resonators, such as Gires-Tournois interferometers. The experiments are based on the precompensation of the complex phase response of the resonator by a high-resolution liquid-crystal pulse shaper. This method can be utilized for lowering peak intensities at critical points in optical setups, as well as for encryption or decryption of ultra-short pulses.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Optimization of Kalpha bursts for photon energies between 1.7 and 7 keV produced by femtosecond-laser-produced plasmas of different scale length.

The conversion efficiency of a 90 fs high-power laser pulse focused onto a solid target into x-ray Kalpha line emission was measured. By using three different elements as target material (Si, Ti, and Co), interesting candidates for fast x-ray diffraction applications were selected. The Kalpha output was measured with toroidally bent crystal monochromators combined with a GaAsP Schottky diode. Optimization was performed for different laser intensities as well as for different density scale lengths of a preformed plasma. These different scale lengths were realized by prepulses of different intensities and delay times with respect to the main pulse. Whereas the Kalpha yield varied by a factor of 1.8 for different laser intensities, the variation of the density scale length could provide a gain factor up to 4.6 for the Kalpha output.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Femtosecond silicon K alpha pulses from laser-produced plasmas.

Ultrashort bursts of silicon K alpha x-ray radiation from femtosecond-laser-produced plasmas have been generated. A cross-correlation measurement employing a laser-triggered ultrafast structural change of a CdTe crystal layer (320 nm) shows a K alpha pulse duration between 200 fs and 640 fs. This result is corroborated by particle in cell simulations combined with a Monte-Carlo electron stopping code and calculations on the structural changes of the crystal lattice.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Mev X rays and photoneutrons from femtosecond laser-produced plasmas.

We demonstrate a novel method to monitor the total angular distribution of the spectrum of hard x-ray emission from a plasma generated with femtosecond laser pulses with an intensity of 5 x 10(18) W/cm2 on a solid target. Measured and calculated angular distributions of x rays show a pronounced anisotropy for MeV photon energies. We complemented the spectral information by demonstrating a (gamma,n) nuclear reaction with a tabletop laser system.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Phase modulation of intense ultrashort laser pulses reflected from steep, dense plasmas.

The phase modulation of intense ( I = 10(18) W/cm(2)) ultrashort laser pulses ( tau(p) = 70 fs) after reflection from steep, dense plasmas has been temporally resolved for the first time in particle-in-cell simulations. The position of the turning point from where the pulse reflects has been compared to the phase modulation, over a range of angles of incidence. At normal incidence or s polarization the phase modulation almost exactly represents the movement of the turning point due to the light pressure. As the angle of incidence is increased for p polarization, the simple Fresnel relationship between phase modulation and displacement of the reflection position, Delta phi(t) = -2k(0)Delta x(t)cos theta(0), increasingly breaks down.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Preliminary experiments for the analysis of tetrahydrotetrols of benz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene derived from their hemoglobin adducts using a coupled-column high-performance liquid chromatographic system.

Improved technologies for the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon adducts are required for human biomonitoring. Therefore, a coupled-column high-performance liquid chromatographic method, with system-integrated sample processing, has been developed and its applicability for determination of tetrahydrotetrols of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in acid hydrolysates of human hemoglobin has been investigated. A novel column-switching technique applying "thermotransfer' is used to separate tetrahydrotetrols of benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene more efficiently. Derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from blood hydrolysates are concentrated on a pre-column and then transferred to the analytical column by applying an electrical current to heat the solvent eluting the pre-column. This method allows for rapid and quantitative transfer of the analytes from the pre-column to the analytical column, after HPLC-integrated sample processing.

Benz(a)Anthracenes↗