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arXiv:1412.2260 · Journal of the Physical Society of Japan

Simultaneous Measurements of Super-Radiance at Multiple Wavelengths from Helium Excited States: I. Experiment

Kyo Nakajima, James Robert Harries, Hiroshi Iwayama, Susumu Kuma, Yuki Miyamoto, Mitsuru Nagasono, Chiaki Ohae, Tadashi Togashi, Makina Yabashi, E. Shigemasa, N. Sasao

Published Apr 7, 2015• 10 citations

Abstract

In this paper, we report the results of measurements of the intensities and delays of super-radiance decays from excited helium atoms at multiple wavelengths. The experiment was performed using extreme ultraviolet radiation produced by the free electron laser at the SPring-8 Compact SASE Source test accelerator facility as an excitation source. We observed super-radiant transitions on the $1s3p \to 1s2s$ ($λ=$502 nm), $1s3d \to 1s2p$ ($λ=$668 nm), and $1s3s \to 1s2p$ ($λ=$728 nm) transitions. The pulse energy of each transition and its delay time were measured as a function of the target helium gas density. Several interesting features of the data, some of which appear to contradict with the predictions of the simple two-level super-radiance theory, are pointed out.

DOI: 10.7566/jpsj.84.054301

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In this paper, we report the results of measurements of the intensities and delays of super-radiance decays from excited helium atoms at multiple wavelengths. The experiment was performed using extreme ultraviolet radiation produced by the free electron laser at the SPring-8 Compact SASE Source test accelerator facility as an excitation source. We observed super-radiant transitions on the

1s3p \to 1s2s

(

λ=

502 nm),

1s3d \to 1s2p

(

λ=

668 nm), and

1s3s \to 1s2p

(

λ=

728 nm) transitions. The pulse energy of each transition and its delay time were measured as a function of the target helium gas density. Several interesting features of the data, some of which appear to contradict with the predictions of the simple two-level super-radiance theory, are pointed out.

Abstract We report the observation of superfluourescence at wavelengths (in air) of 501.6 nm, 667.8 nm, and 728.1 nm following the excitation of helium atoms with free-electron laser pulses at wavelengths of 53.7 nm ( n = 3 excitation) and 52.2 nm ( n = 4 excitation). The observed wavelengths of the superfluorescence pulses correspond to 1s3p–1s2s, 1s3d–1s2p, and 1s3s–1s2p transitions. Observation of superfluorescence on these transitions implies either competing cascade decays, or direct excitation of non-dipole allowed transitions. We have studied the time structure of the emitted pulses using a streak camera, and the results cannot be explained by straightforward considerations using the usual model for two-level superfluorescence.

We have observed and characterized 501.6 nm collective spontaneous emission (superfluorescence) following 1s(2) → 1s3p excitation of helium atoms by 53.7 nm free-electron laser radiation. Emitted pulse energies of up to 100 nJ are observed, corresponding to a photon number conversion efficiency of up to 10%. We observe the peak intensity to scale as ρ(2) and the emitted pulse width and delay to scale as ρ(-1), where ρ is the atom number density. Emitted pulses as short as 1 ps are observed, which corresponds to a rate around 75,000 times faster than the spontaneous 1s3p → 1s2s decay rate. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of superfluorescence following pumping in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength region, and extension of the technique to the generation of extreme ultraviolet and x-ray superfluorescence pulses should be straightforward by using suitable atomic systems and pump wavelengths.

Previous experimental studies of superradiance (SR) in multi-level systems have been explainable using the predictions of the well-known simple two-level SR model. However our recent study [K. Nakajima et al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 84, 054301 (2015)] using EUV free-electron laser excitation of helium atoms, where SR was observed at wavelengths of 502, 668, and 728 nm, revealed behaviour which necessitates a full multi-level treatment of the SR development. In this paper, we report simulations of the initial excitation by the FEL pulses, and the subsequent development of multi-level SR. The results of the simulation reproduce the experimental findings, and reveal that competitive SR on two transitions with a common upper level plays an important role in the development of the system.

Using multilevel (161-level) numerical simulations beyond the rotating-wave approximation, we investigate the single-atom response of helium to intense pulses of radiation with properties characteristic of a self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL) source, and central wavelengths resonant with

1snp

excitation (

n=3

,4). The results show a complete breakdown of the two-level approximation and suggest that, under typical experimental conditions, levels other than the resonant level are significantly populated. We discuss the implications for the subsequent development of superfluorescence (a collective effect) from the excited atomic medium and compare the results to recent experiments.