Experimental study of high-intensity light channels produced on an extended air path by phase and amplitude modulated femtosecond laser pulses

We present the results of our experimental study of the propagation dynamics of high-power femtosecond laser radiation in air with initially imposed amplitude and/or phase modulations. Depending on the modulation type and magnitude, the laser pulse upon nonlinear propagation breaks up into several high-intensity spatially localized light channels, which may or may not contain air plasma and thus are referred to as laser filaments, post-filaments, or plasmaless channels. The pulse modulations are implemented by means of control of the phase or amplitude front using a bimorph deformable mirror or amplitude masks, respectively.We showthat the distance of formation and spatial length of high-intensity light channels along a propagation path strongly depend on the shapes and spatial positions of the inhomogeneities created in the transverse phase/amplitude pulse profile, butweakly depend on their sizes

Macroscopic model of formation of the domain of multiple filamentation in glass and water

The results of natural experiments of the propagation of powerful femtosecond laser radiation in glass and water

Multiple filamentation of laser beams with different diameters in the air at a 100-meter path

Results of experiments on controlling the position and length of the filamentation zone of femtosecond laser pulses in atmospheric path length 110 m using different initial spatial focusing and defocusing. The obtained distribution of filaments along the filamentation zone, measured dependence the length of the filamentation zone of the numerical aperture of the beam, its initial radius and pulse power

Global self-focusing and features of multiple filamentation of radiation of a subterawatt Ti:sapphire laser with a centimeter output aperture along a 150-m path

The formation and propagation of postfilamentation channels along a controllable path 150 m long are studied experimentally for collimated beams of different diameters. During multiple filamentation, a laser beam is compressed into a global focus, after passing which its angular divergence is much greater than the divergence of postfilamentation channels generated during the filamentation. It is shown that the intensity of the postfilamentation channels is sufficient for starting multiple filamentation in optical elements at distances much longer than the filamentation region length

Multiple filamentation of laser beams with different diameters in the air at a 150-meter path

Results of experiments on controlling the position and length of the filamentation zone of femtosecond laser pulses in atmospheric path length 150 m using different initial spatial focusing and defocusing. The obtained distribution of filaments along the filamentation zone, measured dependence the length of the filamentation zone of the numerical aperture of the beam, its initial radius and pulse power

Filamentation of terawatt laser pulses along hundred-meter atmospheric paths

Results of the experimental study of filamentation of terawatt femtosecond pulses of a Ti:Sapphire laser along an atmospheric path 106 m long using different spatial focusing and pulse power are presented. The control of filamentation region position and length by means of changing the initial laser beam focusing is shown to be highly effective. Dependencies are derived of filamentation region position and length on the initial degree of focusing, pulse power, and the number of filaments along the filamentation region. The obtained data on the filamentation region length and the number of filaments are compared with the results of our previous experiments and data from other authors

Modeling of multiple filamentation of terawatt laser pulses on a hundred-meter air path

The results of numerical simulation of multiple filamentation of terawatt femtosecond pulse Ti:Sapphire laser performed on the experimental data obtained in the airway of a length of 106 m when changing the initial spatial focusing and laser power

Localized high-intensity light structures during multiple filamentation of Ti:sapphire-laser femtosecond pulses along an air path

The results of experimental studies of the transverse structure of a laser beam after multiple filamentation are presented. A ring structure of radiation is formed around individual filaments in a beam cross section inside the multiple filamentation domain, and at a dozen meters from it a common ring structure starts forming surrounding postfilamentation light channels (PFC). It is shown that the spectra of the PFC, rings, and beam are significantly different. The ring spectrum broadens asymmetrically relative to the carrier wavelength and is mainly concentrated in the short wavelength region. The PFC spectrum has a significant and more symmetrical broadening and covers the range 630–1000 nm

Filamentation of collimated Ti:sapphire-laser pulses in water

The results of experimental studies of the spatial characteristics of multiple filamentation terawatt femtosecond Ti:Salaser in water are presented. With an increase in initial power laser pulses increases the number of filaments, the length of the field is increased filamentation and reducing the length of the filaments have been shown. The distribution of the filaments in the longitudinal direction of the field of multiple filamentation has a maximum cross-sectional filament is shifted from the center to the periphery of the beam at the end region of filamentation. The minimum diameter of the beam on the track corresponds to the position of the maximum number of filaments. After the point of maximum impulse essentially loses energy in the initial direction of propagation. Upon reaching the pulse power 2 104 Pcr of multiple filamentation area is formed of a hollow cone, the apex directed to the radiation source

Multiple filamentation of laser pulses in the glass

Results are presented of experiments on investigation of the spatial characteristics of multi-filamentation region of giga- and terawatt pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser in a glass. Dependences are obtained of the coordinate of the beginning of filamentation region, number of filaments, their distribution along the laser beam axis, and length of filaments on the pulse power. It is shown that with increasing radiation power, the number of filaments in the multi-filamentation region decreases, whereas the filament diameter has a quasiconstant value for all powers realized in the experiments. It is shown that as a certain power of the laser pulse with Gauss energy density distribution is reached, the filamentation region acquires the shape of a hollow cone with apex directed toward the radiation source