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Optics Letters

Polarization properties of degenerate four-wave mixing in flame OH

Larry A. Rahn, Michael S. Brown

Published Aug 15, 1994• 14 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The polarization properties of backward-box, degenerate four-wave mixing from OH molecules are measured in a flame and compared with theory. Ratios of signal intensities for different laser polarizations are shown to exceed perturbation-theory predictions for a closed two-level system when optical intensity gratings are formed in the interaction volume. These results are shown to be inconsistent with population-nonconserving effects and are attributed to scattering from quenching-induced thermal density gratings.

DOI
10.1364/ol.19.001249

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The use of picosecond lasers for degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) diagnostics of atmospheric pressure flames has been suggested as a means of overcoming the complicated collision-rate dependence of the DFWM signal in the nanosecond-laser pulse-length regime. In this paper DFWM spectroscopy in the regime in which the laser pulse length (τL) is less than the characteristic collisional time (τC) is investigated theoretically. DFWM signal levels for the phase-conjugate geometry (counterpropagating pump beams) are calculated by integration of the time-dependent density-matrix equations at numerous grid points along the phase-matching axis and by summing of the polarization contribution from each of these grid points. Both purely homogeneously broadened resonances and resonances that are both collision broadened and Doppler broadened are considered. DFWM signal generation for these two types of resonances in the fully transient regime (τL≪τC) is strikingly different. For a homogeneously broadened resonance, the DFWM signal persists long after the laser beam has passed through the medium. The decay rate of the DFWM signal is determined by the collision rate in the medium, and the integrated DFWM signal is still dependent on the collision rate even in this fully transient regime. However, when the Doppler broadening of the resonance is much greater than the collisional broadening, the DFWM signal decays with a fall time close to that of the laser pulse. For τL≪τC, we find that it is the laser spectral width, rather than the collisional width, that dictates the range of velocity groups with which the pulses effectively interact. The signal decays with a fall time close to that of the laser pulse because the excited velocity groups radiate out of phase with one another. In a medium in which the Doppler width is much greater than the collisional width, the DFWM reflectivity is independent of collision rate for τL≪τC, but the signal level is dependent on the Doppler width. Finally, we investigate the effect of different laser pulse lengths on reflectivity saturation curves for resonances with different levels of Doppler broadening.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Dec 1, 1996•17 citations
The polarization properties of backward-box, degenerate four-wave mixing from OH molecules are measured in a flame and compared with theory. Ratios of signal intensities for different laser polarizations are shown to exceed perturbation-theory predictions for a closed two-level system when optical intensity gratings are formed in the interaction volume. These results are shown to be inconsistent with population-nonconserving effects and are attributed to scattering from quenching-induced thermal density gratings.
Saturation effects in gas-phase degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) are investigated for conditions of interest for diagnostic applications in flames and plasmas. In particular, the case in which Doppler and collisional broadening are comparable, as is often the case for flame species such as NO and OH, is investigated. DFWM line shapes and signal intensities are calculated nonperturbatively and compared with high-resolution laser measurements. In the nonperturbative calculations the time-dependent density-matrix equations for a two-level system interacting with three laser fields are integrated directly on a grid of spatial locations along the phase-matching axis. The electric-field amplitude for the DFWM signal is determined by multiplying the time-varying, laser-induced polarization at each grid point by the appropriate phase factor and then by summing over all grid points. The calculations are in excellent agreement with measurements of DFWM line shapes and signal intensities for NO in a buffer gas of He over a wide range of He pressure. Under saturation conditions the pressure dependence of the DFWM signal is reduced greatly compared with the unsaturated case. The signal level is still dependent on the ratio of pure dephasing to quenching collisions, even for saturation conditions. From the standpoint of minimal dependence on collisional processes it appears that operation with pump-laser intensities approximately equal to the saturation intensity is optimal. The dependence of the DFWM line shape and signal intensity on the ratio of probe to pump-laser intensity is also investigated.
The physics of the degenerate four-wave mixing process for resonant transitions between two degenerate energy levels is investigated by direct numerical integration of the time-dependent density matrix equations. The Zeeman structure of the upper and lower energy levels is included in a multistate formulation of the density matrix equations. The inclusion of the Zeeman structure enables the investigation of the degenerate four-wave mixing process for different polarization configurations of the forward pump, backward pump, and probe beams. Saturation curves and lineshapes are calculated for different polarization configurations and for numerous low-J transitions. At low laser intensity, the results of our calculations are in excellent agreement with perturbation theory in terms of the relative intensities of the degenerate four-wave mixing signal for linear polarization configurations. As the laser intensity increases and the resonance starts to saturate, we find in general that the relative degenerate four-wave mixing reflectivity increases for the crossed polarization configurations compared to the parallel polarization configuration because the saturation intensity is higher. However, for some resonance transitions, some of the crossed polarization configurations saturate at lower laser intensities than the parallel polarization configuration, even though the reflectivity for these crossed polarization configurations is much lower than for the parallel polarization configuration in the perturbative intensity limit. This result is explained in terms of the coupling of the various Zeeman states during the degenerate four-wave mixing interaction for specific polarization configurations. The effect of saturation on the resonance line shapes for the different polarization configurations is also investigated. Finally, a limited number of calculations are performed for resonances that are Doppler broadened as well as collision broadened. The effect of saturation on the reflectivity of the crossed polarization configurations compared to the parallel polarization configuration is even more significant for resonances with comparable Doppler and collisional broadening.
The present paper deals with a three-level model of interaction with three cross-polarized and co-propagating fields having the same frequency. The two pump waves have arbitrary intensities and the third one (the probe wave) is assumed to be non-saturating. Using the radiative renormalization method, density matrix equations are solved analytically. The forward degenerate four-wave mixing (FDFWM) signal is calculated under thermodynamic conditions where collisional and Doppler broadenings are comparable. The calculation also takes into account crossed-polarization effects. The FDFWM intensity is computed as a function of power densities and pressure. FDFWM experimental spectra of the - (0 - 0) band of OH obtained in a welding torch flame are compared to theoretical profiles. For incident laser intensities in the range of a few , a good agreement is obtained between calculated and experimental profiles. Discrepancies arise under stronger conditions of saturation, showing the limits of application of our model. However, because there is little virtue in using higher laser powers, the model should be extremely useful in practical applications. In particular, we demonstrate that the signal intensity is optimal and the pressure dependence is minimized when the saturation parameter is unity.
The effect of Doppler broadening on degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) signal intensities in the regime of high pump and probe laser intensities is investigated theoretically. DFWM reflectivities are calculated by solving the time-dependent density-matrix equations for a two-level system interacting with three laser fields. The density-matrix equations are integrated directly in the time domain on a grid of spatial locations along the phase-matching axis; the DFWM signal level is then calculated by summation of the polarization contribution (with the appropriate phase factor) from each of the spatial grid points. For the case in which the Doppler and the collisional linewidths are comparable, the DFWM reflectivity is found to be inversely proportional to the factor 1 + (bΔωD/ΔωC)2, where ΔωD is the Doppler width, ΔωC is the collisional width, and b is weakly dependent on the pump and the probe laser powers. We developed an analytical expression for the reflectivity of a line that is both collision and Doppler broadened by dividing the widely used Abrams and Lind expression for homogeneous reflectivity Rhom by the factor 1 + (bΔωD/ΔωC)2. This modified reflectivity expression is found to give accurate results for the DFWM reflectivity over a wide range of values for the ratio of Doppler to collisional width. With this modified Abrams–Lind expression, strategies for quantitative DFWM concentration measurements in flames and plasmas are proposed and analyzed. We conclude that, by selection of the appropriate rotational transition, a DFWM reflectivity that is directly proportional to the square of the total species number density can be obtained over a wide range of temperature for constant-laser-intensity spatial profile mapping in flames.
We present the theory of resonant backward degenerate four-wave mixing in gaseous media for Doppler-broadened degenerate two-level systems. The degeneracy of the atomic levels as well as the influence of the polarization of the incident fields are taken into account within the framework of a tensorial formalism. The amplitude, line shape, and polarization of the reemitted phase-conjugate field are calculated up to the third order in the incident fields. The velocity average is performed in the approximation of large Doppler linewidths. One considers in detail the influence of depolarizing relaxation processes and the effects of pump-probe angular separation. In particular, the importance of the residual Doppler effect (shortening of the lifetime of the optically induced gratings by the atomic motion) associated with the pump-probe angle is emphasized. We show that the polarization of the reemitted fields is governed by very simple laws as soon as the residual Doppler effect overcomes the lifetimes of the atomic levels. Phase-conjugate mirrors can be simply characterized by a linear dichroism (parallel pump polarizations) or a birefringence (cross-polarized pumps). Vectorial phase conjugation is also analyzed, in the case of counter-rotating circular polarizations of the pumps. Finally, the case of two-photon transition is studied and compared with the case of a resonant transition.
The use of picosecond lasers for degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) diagnostics of atmospheric pressure flames has been suggested as a means of overcoming the complicated collision-rate dependence of the DFWM signal in the nanosecond-laser pulse-length regime. In this paper DFWM spectroscopy in the regime in which the laser pulse length (τL) is less than the characteristic collisional time (τC) is investigated theoretically. DFWM signal levels for the phase-conjugate geometry (counterpropagating pump beams) are calculated by integration of the time-dependent density-matrix equations at numerous grid points along the phase-matching axis and by summing of the polarization contribution from each of these grid points. Both purely homogeneously broadened resonances and resonances that are both collision broadened and Doppler broadened are considered. DFWM signal generation for these two types of resonances in the fully transient regime (τL≪τC) is strikingly different. For a homogeneously broadened resonance, the DFWM signal persists long after the laser beam has passed through the medium. The decay rate of the DFWM signal is determined by the collision rate in the medium, and the integrated DFWM signal is still dependent on the collision rate even in this fully transient regime. However, when the Doppler broadening of the resonance is much greater than the collisional broadening, the DFWM signal decays with a fall time close to that of the laser pulse. For τL≪τC, we find that it is the laser spectral width, rather than the collisional width, that dictates the range of velocity groups with which the pulses effectively interact. The signal decays with a fall time close to that of the laser pulse because the excited velocity groups radiate out of phase with one another. In a medium in which the Doppler width is much greater than the collisional width, the DFWM reflectivity is independent of collision rate for τL≪τC, but the signal level is dependent on the Doppler width. Finally, we investigate the effect of different laser pulse lengths on reflectivity saturation curves for resonances with different levels of Doppler broadening.