Honeycomb pattern formation by laser-beam filamentation in atomic sodium vapor.
We have observed transverse pattern formation leading to highly regular structures in both the near and far fields when a near-resonant laser beam propagates without feedback through an atomic sodium vapor. One example is a regular far-field honeycomb pattern, which results from the transformation of the laser beam within the vapor into a stable three-lobed structure with a uniform phase distribution and highly correlated power fluctuations. The predictions of a theoretical model of the filamentation process are in good agreement with these observations.
Bennink
Ryan S
RS
The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
Wong
Vincent
V
Marino
Alberto M
AM
Aronstein
David L
DL
Boyd
Robert W
RW
Stroud
C R
CR
Lukishova
Svetlana
S
Gauthier
Daniel J
DJ