Microdroplet target synthesis for kilohertz ultrafast lasers

Abstract

We have developed a method for producing spatially stable micron-scale liquid targets of flexible shapes at kilohertz repetition rate for use in air and vacuum, by perturbing 5 and 30 \mu m diameter streams with femtosecond laser pulses and monitoring the temporal development of the perturbation. Using water, we have produced features such as 2.1 \mu m diameter droplet and 1.3 \mu m diameter neck with less than 0.3 \mu m shot-to-shot variation, with prospects for further reduction in size and variability. The use of such micron-scale targets can be expected to prevent conductive heat dissipation, enhance field strength for ion acceleration and allow spatially-deterministic laser-cluster experiments.