Abstract

Plasma Bragg density gratings produced by optical-field ionization in underdense gas under the irradiation of two counterpropagating laser pulses at laser intensities around 10¹³ W/cm² are investigated by particle-in-cell simulation. The grating is composed of interlacing layers of neutral gas and plasma (or partially ionized gas) with its density and period controlled by the initial gas density, laser wavelengths, and intersecting angles of the two laser pulses. The study shows that such gratings have a longer lifetime, about nanoseconds, as compared with those driven by the laser ponderomotive force at higher laser intensities around 10¹⁵ W/cm². They may be used for phase-matched high-harmonic generation, laser self-guiding, laser pulse compression and stretching, etc.

© 2009 Optical Society of America

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History
Original Manuscript: June 26, 2007
Manuscript Accepted: September 21, 2009
Revised Manuscript: September 17, 2009
Published: October 16, 2009

References

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Author Affiliations

Lu-Le Yu, Zheng-Ming Sheng, Jie Zhang

Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics

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