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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Second-harmonic generation in atomic vapor with picosecond laser pulses

Doseok Kim, Christopher S. Mullin, Y. Ron Shen

Published Oct 1, 1997• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Picosecond laser pulses were used to study the highly forbidden resonant second-harmonic generation (SHG) in potassium vapor. The input intensity dependence, vapor density dependence, buffer-gas pressure dependence, and spatial profile of the SHG were measured. A pump–probe experiment was conducted to probe the time dependence of the SHG signal. The experimental results can be understood from an ionization-initiated dc-field-induced SHG model. A theory of a dc-field-induced SHG model is developed that takes into account the time development of the dc electric field in detail. This temporal buildup of the dc field along with transient coherent excitation between two-photon-allowed transitions can explain the experimental results quantitatively, including the previous vapor SHG results with nanosecond laser pulses.

DOI
10.1364/josab.14.002530

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Picosecond laser pulses were used to study the highly forbidden resonant second-harmonic generation (SHG) in potassium vapor. The input intensity dependence, vapor density dependence, buffer-gas pressure dependence, and spatial profile of the SHG were measured. A pump–probe experiment was conducted to probe the time dependence of the SHG signal. The experimental results can be understood from an ionization-initiated dc-field-induced SHG model. A theory of a dc-field-induced SHG model is developed that takes into account the time development of the dc electric field in detail. This temporal buildup of the dc field along with transient coherent excitation between two-photon-allowed transitions can explain the experimental results quantitatively, including the previous vapor SHG results with nanosecond laser pulses.
It is well-known that the second-order nonlinear effects, such as second harmonic generation (SHG), difference frequency generation (DFG), and sum frequency generation (SFG), in atomic vapors are theoretically forbidden by symmetry on both a microscopic level because the individual atoms in the vapor do not possess a dipole, and on a macroscopic level because the atoms are isotropically distributed. However, SHG is vapor was first observed by Mossberg et al. (1978) in Tl and then in many other atomic vapors and some noble gases by other groups. Several explanations for this phenomenon have been presented. A model proposed by Mossberg et al. and later modified by Bethune (1981), attributes it to a DC field, which is created by laser-induced multi-photon ionization and spatial separation of free photoelectrons from the heavier ions either by the pondermotive potential of the laser or by the kinetic energy of photoelectrons and makes SHG allowed. All experiments reported so far have been carried out by using either nanosecond or picosecond laser pulses. The authors report the first femtosecond SHG in vapor. The experimental study is done in potassium vapor using femtosecond pulses from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser.>
SHG is forbidden in materials with centrosymmetry such as an atomic vapor, yet it has been observed with appreciable efficiency on atomic resonances in metal vapors with focused nanosecond lasers. We have used a 3 psec tunable laser pulse in a pump-probe geometry to determine how the symmetry is broken in atomic media. We observe a significant instantaneous response with a strong intensity dependence. Enhancement of the SHG of a delayed probe pulse by the pump pulse is weak up to 1 nsec. Other factors such as ionization of K vapor, linewidth and phase matching are also studied.
Second harmonic generation (SHG) in atomic Li vapor is studied when the 2 2 S 1/2 -3 2 S 1/2 two-photon transition is resonantly excited. This is an SHG in a medium with inversion symmetry, with no externally apptied electric or magnetic field, and with no apparent multipole moments associated with the resonant excitation. The SH polarization is found to be parallel to the intensity gradient of the incident laser beam when a cylindrical lens focusing is applied. The mechanism of this highly forbidden SHG is explained by the radial electric field induced by free expansion of photo-electrons around the laser beam axis.
It is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) is possible to be observed in atomic media irradiated with an intense laser pulse. The SHG is induced by a static electric field spontaneously generated in the interaction, and any special condition is not required for the SHG. The experiment to observe the SHG has been made using atomic sodium vapor and a mode-locked Nd-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser system (pulse duration, 28 psec; output energy \ensuremath{\lesssim}50 mJ). The second harmonic (SH) polarization, spatial beam pattern, and dependences of SH signal on the sodium density and on the fundamental intensity have been examined. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical predictions and numerical results.
We investigated the process of magnetic field- induced optical second harmonic generation (SHG) in sodium vapor with a cw single-frequency dye laser tuned in the vicinity of the resonantly enhancing 3S-4D two-photon transition at 578.7 nm.1 All previous investigators have used pulsed dye lasers with relatively large linewidths.2 By exploiting the narrow linewidth capability of the cw dye laser (0.5 MHz) we have been able to investigate in detail for the first time properties of the SHG process which change across the line profile. We modeled the process on a theory developed from that reported by Uchlki et al.2 The two-photon absorption creates coherent quadrupole moments which rotate in the magnetic field due to Zeeman splitting to allow generation of the second harmonic.