P.S. The raw .blend files for some (ideally all, but this is work in progress) of these figures can be found here, which you are free to download and use at your leisure (within the licensing retrictions, of course ;)). Although I'm not in the business of making scientific schematics and figures for free, if you have questions about the figures, the .blend files, or the methodology used to create them, feel free to shoot me an email!
The following artworks were created to support a publication in Science regarding extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light beams possessing a new property of light; self-torque. The links to the individual .blend files (and necessary dependencies) are given below each image.
The Generation of Self-Torqued Light Pulses via HHG
This image is a single frame from an animated cartoon of the generation of self-torqued light pulses via high-harmonic generation (HHG). The blender file utilized to make the animation can be found here. Note that you will have to run the dependent Python script in order to generate the twisted spiral shapes.
The Generation of Self-Torqued Light Pulses via HHG (but shown as continuous beam)
This image is a single frame from an animated cartoon of the generation of self-torqued light via high-harmonic generation (HHG), except this time we show the self-torqued beam as a continuous spiral. The blender file utilized to make the animation can be found here. Note that you will have to run the dependent Python script in order to generate the twisted spiral shapes.
The Generation of Self-Torqued Light Pulses via HHG and Select Properties
Generation of EUV beams with self-torque. (A) Two time-delayed, femtosecond infrared (IR) pulses with different OAM are focused into a gas target to produce self-torqued EUV beams through HHG. The unique signature of self-torqued beams is their time-dependent OAM, as shown in (B) for the 17th harmonic (47 nm, with self-torque ξ17=1.32 fs-1). (C) The self-torque imprints an azimuthal frequency chirp, which enables its experimental measurement.
This figure was utilized as a backdrop for the summary figure appearing in our Science paper on the self-torque of light. The blend file utilized to make the background artwork in this figure can be found here.
The Generation of Self-Torqued EUV Beams via High-Harmonic Generation
Generation of EUV beams with self-torque. (A) Two time-delayed, collinear IR pulses with the same wavelength (800 nm), but different OAM values, are focused into an argon gas target (HHG medium) to produce harmonic beams with self-torque. The spatial profile of the complete, time-integrated, HHG beam from full quantum simulations is shown on the EUV CCD. (B) Predicted evolution of the intensity profile of the 17th harmonic at three instants in time during the emission process. (C) Temporal evolution of the OAM of the 17th harmonic, for two driving pulses with the same duration tau = 10 fs, at a relative time delay of td = tau. The average OAM, ellbar17 (solid green), and the width of the OAM distribution, sigmaell 17 (distance between the solid and dashed-green lines), are obtained from Eqs. 2 and 3 of the main text. The self-torque associated with this pulse, ξ17 = 1.32 fs−1, is obtained from the slope of the smooth and continuous time-dependent OAM.
This figure appeared in our Science paper on the self-torque of light. The blend file utilized to make the background artwork in this figure can be found here. Note that you will need the dependent images of the CCD and the film strip panel in order for the blend file to run "outta the box".
Experimental Geometry for the Generation and Detection of Self-Torqued EUV Beams
Experimental scheme for generating and measuring light beams with a self-torque. (A) Two time-delayed, collinear IR pulses with the same wavelength (790 nm), but different OAM values, are focused into an argon gas target to produce harmonic beams with self-torque. (B) An EUV spectrometer, composed of a cylindrical mirror and flat-grating pair, collapses the HHG beam in the vertical dimension (lab frame y axis), while preserving spatial information, and thus the azimuthal extent in the transverse dimension (lab frame x axis). (Lower-right inset) The cylindrical mirror effectively maps the azimuthal frequency chirp into a spatial chirp along the lab frame x axis (i), which is then dispersed by the grating (ii).
This figure appeared in our Science paper on the self-torque of light. The blend file utilized to make the background artwork in this figure can be found here. Note that you will need the dependent image of the CCD camera in order for the blend file to run "outta the box". The inset image of the CCD is not required for the blend file, but you can download it here.
The following artworks were created to help illustrate our work on strong-field photoelectron spectroscopy of isolated nanoparticles in the gas phase. The links to the individual .blend files (and necessary dependencies) are given below each image.
Time-Dependent Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Pure, Monodisperse Copper Nanoparticles
In-situ Pump-Probe Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Ultrafast Thermal Processes in Copper Nanoparticles. A magnetron sputtering source is utilized to produce ligand-free, highly monodisperse copper nanoparticles via the terminated gas condensation method. After a sufficiently long free flight region, liberated copper atoms coalesce into copper nanoparticles, which then pass through a series of differential pumpign apertures that work to collimate the nanoparticle beam. The nanoparticle beam then passes into a velocity map imaging spectrometer, where they are ionized by femtosecond red (790nm) and blue (395nm) laser pulses. The resulting momentum distribution of the ionized electrons is imaged onto an MCP/phosphor screen detector, which is then read by a CCD camera.
The blend file utilized to make the artwork in this figure can be found here. Note that you will need the dependent image of the CCD camera in order for the blend file to run "outta the box". The inset image of the CCD is not required for the blend file, but you can download it here.
