Student Co-author

HMC Undergraduate

Document Type

Article

Department

Physics (HMC)

Publication Date

7-1999

Abstract

Second-harmonic radiation is generated at a gold surface by use of a laser pulse that is varied in duration from 14 to 29 fs and in intensity from 109 to 1011W/cm2 . At laser intensities below 1010W/cm2 , the second-harmonic signal has the expected quadratic dependence on pump-laser intensity; however, at higher intensities, the dependence is supraquadratic. This difference arises because the leading edge of the laser pulse interacts significantly with the gold electrons to create a nonequilibrium, photoexcited distribution. The second-harmonic generation process occurs before electron–electron or electron–phonon collisions can equilibrate the distribution and therefore serves as a probe of the nonequilibrium distribution.

Comments

This paper was published in Optics Letters and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of OSA. The paper can be found at the following URL on the OSA website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.24.000990. Systematic or multiple reproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law.

Rights Information

© 1999 Optical Society of America

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Download

Included in

Optics Commons

Share

COinS