We present a numerical model which describes the propagation of a single
femtosecond laser pulse in a medium of which the optical properties dynamically
change within the duration of the pulse. We use a Finite Difference Time Domain
(FDTD) method to solve the Maxwell's equations coupled to equations describing
the changes in the material properties. We use the model to simulate the
self-reflectivity of strongly focused femtosecond laser pulses on silicon and
gold under laser ablation condition. We compare the simulations to experimental
results and find excellent agreement.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure