arXiv subjects

Bin Zeng

Publications and source records attributed to Bin Zeng.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Real-time observation of dynamics in rotational molecular wave packets by use of "air laser" spectroscopy

Molecular rotational spectroscopy based on strong-field-ionization-induced nitrogen laser is employed to investigate the time evolution of the rotational wave packet composed by a coherent superposition of quantum rotational states created in a field-free molecular alignment. We show that this technique uniquely allows real-time observation of the ultrafast dynamics of the individual rotational states in the rotational wavepacket. Our analysis also shows that there exist two channels of generation of the nitrogen laser, shedding new light on the population inversion mechanism behind the air laser generated by intense femtosecond laser pulses.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Power Law Like Correlation between Condensation Energy and Superconducting Transition Temperatures in Iron Pnictide/Chalcogenide Superconductors: Beyond the BCS Understanding

Superconducting condensation energy $U_0^{int}$ has been determined by integrating the electronic entropy in various iron pnictide/chalcogenide superconducting systems. It is found that $U_0^{int}\propto T_c^n$ with $n$ = 3 to 4, which is in sharp contrast to the simple BCS prediction $U_0^{BCS}=1/2N_FΔ_s^2$ with $N_F$ the quasiparticle density of states at the Fermi energy, $Δ_s$ the superconducting gap. A similar correlation holds if we compute the condensation energy through $U_0^{cal}=3γ_n^{eff}Δ_s^2/4π^2k_B^2$ with $γ_n^{eff}$ the effective normal state electronic specific heat coefficient. This indicates a general relationship $γ_n^{eff} \propto T_c^m$ with $m$ = 1 to 2, which is not predicted by the BCS scheme. A picture based on quantum criticality is proposed to explain this phenomenon.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Impulsive rotational Raman scattering of N2 by a remote "air laser" in femtosecond laser filament

We report on experimental realization of impulsive rotational Raman scattering from neutral nitrogen molecules in a femtosecond laser filament using an intense self-induced white-light seeding "air laser" generated during the filamentation of an 800 nm Ti: Sapphire laser in nitrogen gas. The impulsive rotational Raman fingerprint signals are observed with a maximum conversion efficiency of ~0.8%. Our observation provides a promising way of remote identification and location of chemical species in atmosphere by rotational Raman scattering of molecules.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Second harmonic generation in a centrosymmetric gas medium with spatiotemporally focused intense femtosecond laser pulses

We demonstrate unexpectedly strong second harmonic generation (SHG) in Argon gas by use of spatiotemporally focused (SF) femtosecond laser pulses. The resulting SHG by the SF scheme at a 75 cm distance shows a significantly enhanced efficiency than that achieved with conventional focusing scheme, which offers a new promising possibility for standoff applications. Our theoretical calculations reasonably reproduce the experimental observations, which indicate that the observed SHG mainly originates from the gradient of nonuniform plasma dynamically controlled by the SF laser field.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Signature of superradiance from a nitrogen gas plasma channel produced by strong field ionization

Recently, Yao et al. demonstrated the creation of coherent emissions in nitrogen gas with two-color (800 nm + 400 nm) ultrafast laser pulses [New J. Phys. 15, 023046 (2013)]. Based on this two-color scheme, here we report on systematic investigation of temporal characteristics of the coherent emission at 391 nm by experimentally examining its evolution with the increase of the plasma channel induced by the intense 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses at a nitrogen gas pressure of ~25 mbar. We reveal unexpected temporal profiles of the coherent emissions, which show significant superradiance signatures owing to the quantum coherence via cooperation of an ensemble of excited N2+ molecules. Our findings shed more light on the mechanisms behind the laser-like emissions induced by strong-field ionization of molecules.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Terahertz Wave Guiding by Femtosecond Laser Filament in Air

Femtosecond laser filament generates strong terahertz (THz) pulse in air. In this paper, THz pulse waveform generated by femtosecond laser filament has been experimentally investigated as a function of the length of the filament. Superluminal propagation of THz pulse has been uncovered, indicating that the filament creates a THz waveguide in air. Numerical simulation has confirmed that the waveguide is formed because of the radially non-uniform refractive index distribution inside the filament. The underlying physical mechanisms and the control techniques of this type THz pulse generation method might be revisited based on our findings. It might also potentially open a new approach for long-distance propagation of THz wave in air.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Self-induced white-light seeding laser in a femtosecond laser filament

We report, for what we believe to be the first time, on the generation of remote self-seeding laser amplification by using only one 800 nm Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser pulse. The laser pulse (~ 40 fs) is first used to generate a filament either in pure nitrogen or in ambient air in which population inversion between ground and excited states of nitrogen molecular ions is realized. Self-induced white light inside the filament is then serving as the seed to be amplified. The self-induced narrow-band laser at 428 nm has a pulse duration of ~2.6 ps with perfect linear polarization property. This finding opens new possibilities for remote detection in the atmosphere.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Alignment-dependent fluorescence emission induced by tunnel ionization of carbon dioxide from lower-lying orbitals

Study on ionization process of molecules in an intense infrared laser field is of paramount interest in strong-field physics and constitutes the foundation of imaging of molecular valence orbitals and attosecond science. We show measurement of alignment-dependent ionization probabilities of the lower-lying orbitals of the molecules by experimentally detecting alignment-dependence of fluorescence emission from tunnel ionized carbon dioxide molecules. The experimental measurements are compared with the theoretical calculations of strong field approximation (SFA) and molecular ADK models. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of an all-optical approach for probing the ionization dynamics of lower-lying orbitals of molecules, which is still difficult to achieve until now by other techniques. Moreover, the deviation between the experimental and theoretical results indicates the incompleteness of current theoretical models for describing strong field ionization of molecules.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Signature of multi-channel interference in high-order harmonic generation from N2 driven by intense mid-infrared pulses

We investigate the multi-electron dynamics in high-order harmonic generation (HHG) from N2 molecules. Clear spectral minima are observed in the cutoff region at all three mid-infrared wavelengths (i.e., 1300, 1400 and 1500 nm) chosen in our experiment. It is found that the positions of the spectral minima do not depend on the alignment angles of molecules. In addition, the spectral minima shift almost linearly with the increasing laser intensity at all three wavelengths, which provides a strong evidence on the dynamic multi-channel interference origin of these minima. The advantages of observation of dynamic multi-channel interference based on HHG driven by long wavelength lasers are discussed.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Reconstruction of a Rotational Wavepacket of Inverted Molecular Ions in an Intense Femtosecond Laser Field

We report on generation of a rotational wavepacket in the ground vibronic state (v = 0) of excited electronic B2Σu+ state of N2+ in a femtosecond laser induced plasma spark. Decoding of the rotational wavepacket is achieved with the frequency-resolved seed-amplified air laser spectrum resulting from the population inversion between the B2Σu+-X2Σg+ states of N2+ in the plasma. We also observe that the rotational wave-packet leads to modulation of the amplified seed signals in the time domain using a pump-probe scheme, which can be well reproduced by theoretical calculation. Our results demonstrate that the air laser provides an ideal probe for remote characterization of molecular rotational states distribution in a femtosecond laser induced filament.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

A Field-directional Specific Heat Study on the Gap Structure of Overdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$

Low-temperature specific heat is measured on the overdoped Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_x)_2As_2 (x = 0.13) single crystal under magnetic fields along three different directions. A clear anisotropy is observed on the field dependent electronic specific heat coefficient γ(H). The value of γ(H) is obviously larger with magnetic field along [001] (c-axis) than that within the ab-plane of the crystal lattice, which cannot be attributed to the effect by anisotropy of the upper critical field. Meanwhile, the data show a rather small difference when the direction of the field is rotated from [100] to [110] direction within the ab-plane. Our results suggest that a considerable part of the line nodes is not excited to contribute to the quasiparticle density of states by the field when the field is within the ab-plane. The constraints on the topology of the gap nodes are discussed based on our observations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Low-threshold whispering-gallery-mode microlasers fabricated in a Nd: glass substrate by three-dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining

We report on fabrication of whispering-gallery-mode microlasers in a Nd:glass chip by femtosecond laser three-dimensional (3D) micromachining. Main fabrication procedures include the fabrication of freestanding microdisks supported by thin pillars by femtosecond laser ablation of the glass substrate immersed in water, followed by CO2 laser annealing for surface smoothing. Lasing is observed at a pump threshold as low as ~69 μW at room temperature with a continuous-wave laser diode operating at 780nm. This technique allows for fabrication of microcavities of high quality factors in various dielectric materials such as glasses and crystals.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Remote creation of strong and coherent emissions in air with two-color ultrafast laser pulses

We experimentally demonstrate generation of strong narrow-bandwidth emissions with excellent coherent properties at ~391 nm and ~428 nm from molecular ions of nitrogen inside a femtosecond filament in air by an orthogonally polarized two-color driver field (i. e., 800 nm laser pulse and its second harmonic). The durations of the coherent emissions at 391 nm and 428 nm are measured to be ~2.4 ps and ~7.8 ps respectively, both of which are much longer than the duration of the pump and its second harmonic pulses. Furthermore, the measured temporal decay characteristics of the excited molecular systems suggest an "instantaneous" population inversion mechanism that may be achieved in molecular nitrogen ions at an ultrafast time scale comparable to the 800 nm pump pulse.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Harmonic-seeded remote laser emissions in N2-Ar, N2-Xe and N2-Ne mixtures: a comparative study

We report on the investigation on harmonic-seeded remote laser emissions at 391 nm wavelength from strong-field ionized nitrogen molecules in three different gas mixtures, i.e., N2-Ar, N2-Xe and N2-Ne. We observed a decrease in the remote laser intensity in the N2-Xe mixture because of the decreased clamped intensity in the filament; whereas in the N2-Ne mixture, the remote laser intensity slightly increases because of the increased clamped intensity within the filament. Remarkably, although the clamped intensity in the filament remains nearly unchanged in the N2-Ar mixture because of the similar ionization potentials of N2 and Ar, a significant enhancement of the lasing emission is realized in the N2-Ar mixture. The enhancement is attributed to the stronger third harmonic seed, and longer gain medium due to the extended filament.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Transport properties, upper critical field and anisotropy of Ba(Fe$_{0.75}$Ru$_{0.25}$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals

The temperature and angle dependent resistivity of Ba(Fe$_{0.75}$Ru$_{0.25}$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals were measured in magnetic fields up to 14 T. The temperature dependent resistivity with the magnetic field aligned parallel to c-axis and ab-planes allow us to derive the slope of d$H_{c2}^{ab}/dT$ and d$H_{c2}^c/dT$ near $T_c$ yielding an anisotropy ratio $Γ=dH_{c2}^{ab}/dT/dH_{c2}^c/dT \approx$ 2. By scaling the curves of resistivity vs. angle measured at a fixed temperature but different magnetic fields within the framework of the anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau theory, we obtained the anisotropy in an alternative way. Again we found that the anisotropy $(m_c/m_{ab})^{1/2}$ was close to 2. This value is very similar to that in Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ (K-doped Ba122) and Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_2$As$_2$ (Co-doped Ba122). This suggests that the 3D warping effect of the Fermi surface in Ru-doped samples may not be stronger than that in the K-doped or Co-doped Ba122 samples, therefore the possible nodes appearing in Ru-doped samples cannot be ascribed to the 3D warping effect of the Fermi surface.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Direct generation of intense extreme ultraviolet supercontinuum with 35 fs, 11 mJ pulses from a femtosecond laser amplifier

We report on the generation of intense extreme ultraviolet (EUV) supercontinuum with photon energies spanning from 35 eV to 50 eV (i. e., supporting an isolated attosecond pulse with a duration of ~271 as) by loosely focusing 35 fs, 11 mJ pulses from a femtosecond laser amplifier into a 10-mm long gas cell filled with krypton gas. The dramatic change of spectral and temporal properties of the driver pulses after passing through the gas cell indicates that propagation effects play a significant role in promoting the generation of the EUV supercontinuum.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2011

Multiple Magnetization Peaks and New Type of Vortex Phase Transitions in Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2

Magnetization and its relaxation have been measured on Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 single crystals with Tc = 39 K. The magnetization hysteresis loops (MHLs) exhibit flux jumps in the low temperature region, and a second peak-effect in the intermediate temperature region, especially when the field sweeping rate is low. Interestingly a third magnetization peak can be easily observed on the MHLs in the high temperature region. Further analysis find that the first magnetization peak is very sharp, which is associated with the strong vortex pinning. However the first dip of the MHL corresponds to a moderate relaxation rate, then a second peak appears accompanied by a vanishing vortex motion. Finally a third magnetization peak emerges and the vortex motion becomes drastic beyond this threshold. The novel features accompanying the second magnetization peak suggest a new type of vortex phase transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Transport properties and asymmetric scattering in Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals compared to the electron doped counterparts Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$}

Resistivity, Hall effect and magnetoresistance have been investigated systematically on single crystals of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ranging from undoped to optimally doped regions. A systematic evolution of the quasiparticle scattering has been observed. It is found that the resistivity in the normal state of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ is insensitive to the potassium doping concentration, which is very different from the electron doped counterpart Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, where the resistivity at 300 K reduces to half value of the undoped one when the system is optimally doped. In stark contrast, the Hall coefficient R$_H$ changes suddenly from a negative value in the undoped sample to a positive one with slight K-doping, and it keeps lowering with further doping. We interpret this dichotomy due to the asymmetric scattering rate in the hole and the electron pockets with much higher mobility of the latter. The magnetoresistivity shows also a non-monotonic doping dependence indicating an anomalous feature at about 80 K to 100 K, even in the optimally doped sample, which is associated with a possible pseudogap feature. In the low temperature region, it seems that the resistivity has the similar values when superconductivity sets in disregarding the different T$_c$ values, which indicates a novel mechanism of the superconductivity. A linear feature of resistivity $ρ_{ab}$ vs. $T$ was observed just above $T_c$ for the optimally doped sample, suggesting a quantum criticality.

cond-mat.supr-con↗