Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Can we reach very high intensity in air with femtosecond PW laser pulses?

  • Filamentation
  • Published:
Laser Physics

Abstract

In the course of femtosecond pulse filamentation in atmospheric density gases, the peak intensity is always limited by optical-field-induced ionization. This intensity clamping phenomenon is universal in all the cases we studied, namely, single and multiple filament regimes with and without external focusing using pulses of up to subpetawatt level. Even in the tight focusing cases, the clamped intensity along the propagation direction does not exceed 30% of the global intensity maximum. The remarkable shot-to-shot stability of the clamped intensity (better than 1% of the maximum value) is revealed both experimentally and numerically in a single filament regime in air.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. S. L. Chin, S. A. Hosseini, W. Liu, Q. Luo, F. Théberge, N. Aközbek, A. Becker, V. P. Kandidov, O. G. Kosareva, and H. Schroeder, Can. J. Phys. 83, 863 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. A. Couairon and A. Mysyrowicz, Phys. Rep. 441, 47 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. L. Berg’e, S. Skupin, R. Nuter, J. Kasparian, and J.-P. Wolf, Rep. Prog. Phys. 70, 1633 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. J. Kasparian and J. P. Wolf, Opt. Express 16, 466 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. E. Yablonovitch and N. Bloembergen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 29, 907 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. G. S. Voronov and N. B. Delone, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 50, 78 (1966) [Sov. Phys. JETP 23, 54 (1966)].

    Google Scholar 

  7. S. L. Chin, F. Yergeau, and P. Lavigne, J. Phys. B 18, L213 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. G. Méchain, C. D’Amico, Y.-B. André, S. Tzortzakis, M. Franco, B. Prade, A. Mysyrowicz, A. Couairon, E. Salmon, and R. Sauerbrey, “Range of Plasma Filaments Created in Air by a Multi-Terawatt Femtosecond Laser,” Opt. Comm. 247, 171–180 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. J. Kasparian, R. Sauerbrey, and S. L. Chin, Appl. Phys. B 71, 877–879 (2000).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. A. Talebpour, J. Yang, and S. L. Chin, Opt. Comm. 163, 29 (1999).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. H. Schillinger and R. Sauerbrey, Appl. Phys. B 68, 753 (1999).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. S. Tzortzakis, B. Prade, M. Franco, and A. Mysyrowicz, Opt. Commun. 181, 123 (2000).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. A. Becker, N. Aközbek, K. Vijayalakshmi, E. Oral, C. M. Bowden, and S. L. Chin, Appl. Phys. B 73, 287 (2001).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. W. Liu, S. Petit, A. Becker, N. Aközbek, C. M. Bowden, and S. L. Chin, Opt. Commun. 202, 189 (2002).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. N. Akozbek, A. Iwasaki, A. Becker, M. Scalora, S. L. Chin, and C. M. Bowden, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89,143901 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  16. L. Bergé, S. Skupin, G. Méjean, J. Kasparian, J. Yu, S. Frey, E. Salmon, and J. P. Wolf, Phys. Rev. E 71, 016602 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  17. F. Theberge, J. Filion, N. Akozbek, Y. Chen, A. Becker, and S. L. Chin, Appl. Phys. B 87, 207 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. C. P. Hauri, W. Kornelis, F. W. Helbing, A. Heinrich, A. Couairon, A. Mysyrowicz, J. Biegert, and U. Keller, Appl. Phys. B 79, 673 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. A. Guandalini, P. Eckle, M. Anscombe, P. Schlup, J. Biegert, and U. Keller, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 39, S257 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. G. Stibenz, N. Zhavoronkov, and G. Steinmeyer, Opt. Lett. 31, 274 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. A. Couairon, J. Biegert, C. P. Hauri, W. Kornelis, F. W. Helbing, U. Keller, and A. Mysyrowicz, J. Mod. Opt. 53, 75 (2006).

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. S. Skupin, G. Stibenz, L. Bergé, F. Lederer, T. Sokollik, M. Schnürer, N. Zhavoronkov, and G. Steinmeyer, Phys. Rev. E 74, 056604 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  23. O. G. Kosareva, N. A. Panov, D. S. Uryupina, M. V. Kurilova, A. V. Mazhorova, A. B. Savel’ev, R. V. Volkov, V. P. Kandidov, and S. L. Chin, Appl. Phys. B 91, 35 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. F. Théberge, N. Akozbek, W. Liu, A. Becker, and S. L. Chin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 023904 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  25. F. Théberge, W. Liu, P. Tr. Simard, A. Becker, and S. L. Chin, Phys. Rev. E 74, 036406 (2006).

  26. T. Brabec and F. Krausz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 3282 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. N. Akozbek, M. Scalora, M. C. Bowden, and S. L. Chin, Opt. Commun. 191, 353 (2001).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. E. T. J. Nibbering, G. Grillon, M. A. Franco, B. S. Prade, and A. Mysyrowicz, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14, 650 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. M. Mlejnek, E. M. Wright, and J. V. Moloney, Opt. Lett. 23, 382 (1998).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. J. H. Marburger, Prog. Quantum Electron. 4, 35 (1975)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. W. Liu and S. L. Chin, Opt. Express 13, 5750 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. P. Simard and S. L Chin (in preparation).

  33. M. V. Ammosov, N. B. Delone, and V. P. Krainov, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 91, 2008 (1986) [Sov. Phys. JETP 64, 1191 (1986)].

    Google Scholar 

  34. N. B. Delone and V. P. Krainov, Nonlinear Ionization of Atoms by Laser Radiation (Fizmatlit, Moscow, 2001) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  35. A. M. Perelomov, V. S. Popov, and M. V. Terent’ev, Sov. Phys. JETP 23, 924 (1966).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. Y. Chen, F. Théberge, O. Kosareva, N. Panov, V. P. Kandidov, and S. L. Chin, Opt. Lett. 32, 3477 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. S. A. Akhmanov, V. A. Vysloukh, and A. S. Chirkin, Optics of Femtosecond Laser Pulses (Amer. Inst. Phys., New York, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  38. S. Xu, Y. Zhang, W. Liu, and S. L. Chin (2009, in press).

  39. J. Bernhardt, Z. Ji, M. Sharifi, W. Liu, R. Li, Z. Xu, J. Liu, Z. Wang, J. Ju, X. Lu, Y. Jiang, Y. Leng, X. Liang, O. Kosareva, and S. L. Chin, Appl. Phys. B (2009, in press).

  40. A. Talebpour, C. Y. Chien, and S. L. Chin, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 29, 5725–5733 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. S. F. J. Larochelle, A. Talebpour, and S. L. Chin, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 31, 1215 (1998).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. X. Y. Liang, Y. X. Leng, C. Wang, C. Li, L. H. Lin, B. Z. Zhao, Y. H. Jiang, X. M. Lu, M. Y. Hu, C. Zhang, H. Lu, D. Yin, Y. Jiang, X. Lu, H. Wei, J. Zhu, R. Li, and Z. Xu, Opt. Express 15, 15335 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Laser Center, Physics Department, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    O. G. Kosareva, N. A. Panov & V. P. Kandidov

  2. Institute of Modern Optics, Nankai University, Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Information Science and Technology, Education Ministry of China, Tianjin, 300071, China

    W. Liu

  3. Centre d’Optique, Photonique et Laser (COPL) and Département de physique, de génie physique et d’optique, Universite Laval, Québec, Québec, G1K 7P4, Canada

    J. Bernhardt, M. Sharifi & S. L. Chin

  4. State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optic and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China

    Z. Ji, R. Li, Z. Xu, J. Liu, Z. Wang, J. Ju, X. Lu, Y. Jiang, Y. Leng & X. Liang

Authors
  1. O. G. Kosareva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W. Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. A. Panov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Bernhardt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Z. Ji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. M. Sharifi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. R. Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Z. Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. J. Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Z. Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. J. Ju
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. X. Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Y. Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Y. Leng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. X. Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. V. P. Kandidov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. S. L. Chin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. G. Kosareva.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © Astro, Ltd., 2009.

The article is published in the original.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kosareva, O.G., Liu, W., Panov, N.A. et al. Can we reach very high intensity in air with femtosecond PW laser pulses?. Laser Phys. 19, 1776–1792 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1054660X09150250

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1054660X09150250

PACS numbers

Search

Navigation