Kinetic view of chirped optical lattice gas heating

Abstract

With a focus on optical lattice gas heating, direct simulation Monte Carlo was used to investigate the interaction between molecular nitrogen, argon and methane, initially at 300 K and 0.8 atm, with pulsed, chirped optical lattices. Created from two 700 mJ, 532 nm, flattop laser pulses, the optical lattice parameters simulated are based on published optical lattice-based experiments, to ensure that pulse energies and durations do not exceed published optical breakdown (ionization) thresholds. Resultant translational gas temperatures, as well as induced bulk velocities, were used quantify energy and momentum deposition. To maximize available gas temperature changes achieved using the technique, laser pulses were linearly chirped to produce lattice velocities able to more effectively facilitate energy deposition throughout the pulse duration. From the initial conditions, the maximum, end pulse axial translational temperature obtained in nitrogen was approximately 755 K, at a lattice velocity of 400 m/s linearly chirped at 25 Gm/s 2 over the 40 ns pulse duration. To date, this stands as the single largest, numerically-predicted temperature change from optical lattice gas heating under the numerical integration of real world energy and laser-based limitations.