Effect of laser chirping on third harmonic generation in anharmonic clusters with ripple on cluster density

Abstract

A proposed model delves into the resonant enhancement of third harmonic generation (THG) by a short-pulse laser inside nanoclustered plasma under the influence of density ripple. An intense chirped laser pulse incident on a clustered plasma of argon gas displaces the electrons of the medium and produces a restoring force. This force is considered to vary nonlinearly with electron displacement, leading to the anharmonic response of the electron clouds of the cluster. The nonlinear current at the third harmonic frequency arises from the perturbation of the electron density of the cluster by the ponderomotive force exerted on them by the incident laser pulse. Applying ripple in cluster density and electron density of surrounding plasma enables the phase-matching criteria for THG to be satisfied, which leads to enhanced harmonic output. An anharmonic structure of clusters exhibits strong optical nonlinearities, resulting in the plasmon resonance broadening and producing harmonics with greater efficiency. Numerical analysis shows that the chirp parameter of the laser pulse and ripple on cluster density enhance system nonlinearity causing the generation of a third harmonic of enhanced amplitude. The study explores how different factors such as laser intensity, cluster size, ripple parameter, chirp parameter, and electron excursion influence the efficiency of THG.