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Self-Guided Propagation of Ultrashort IR Laser Pulses in Fused Silica

S. Tzortzakis, L. Sudrie, M. Franco, B. Prade, A. Mysyrowicz, A. Couairon, and L. Bergé
Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 213902 – Published 2 November 2001
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Abstract

We report self-guided propagation of ultrashort IR laser pulses in fused silica over several Rayleigh lengths. Self-guiding is accompanied by pulse splitting and time compression. Numerical simulations involving pulse self-focusing, temporal dispersion, and multiphoton ionization are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. They show that a quasidynamic equilibrium between multiphoton ionization and self-focusing drives the filamentation process, while temporal dispersion plays a negligible role.

  • Received 27 March 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.213902

©2001 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Tzortzakis*, L. Sudrie, M. Franco, B. Prade, and A. Mysyrowicz

  • Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, CNRS UMR 7639, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées-Ecole Polytechnique, Chemin de la Hunière, F-91761 Palaiseau Cedex, France

A. Couairon and L. Bergé

  • CEA/DAM-Ile de France, Bruyères-le-châtel, France

  • *Email address: stzortz@enstay.ensta.fr
  • Present address: Centre de Physique Théorique, CNRS UMR 7644, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France.

See Also

Small Laser Beam Blazes Long Path

Geoff Brumfiel
Phys. Rev. Focus 8, 26 (2001)

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Vol. 87, Iss. 21 — 19 November 2001

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