Bulk damage induced by fs IR laser pulses in silica is investigated both experimentally and numerically. In a strong focusing geometry, a first damage zone is followed by a narrow track with submicron width, indicating a filamentary propagation. The shape and size of the damage tracks are shown to correspond to the zone where the electron density created by optical field ionization and avalanche is close to ${10}^{20}{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$. The relative role of avalanche and photoionization is studied. The plasma density produced in the wake of the pulse is shown to saturate around $2–4\times {10}^{20}{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$.

• Received 3 May 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.186601