title: Control of multiple filamentation in air.
abstract: In this Letter we provide what is believed to be the first experimental evidence of suppression of the number of filaments for high-intensity laser pulses propagating in air by beam astigmatism. We also show that the number, pattern, and spatial stability of the filaments can be controlled by varying the angle that a focusing lens makes with the axial direction of propagation. This new methodology can be useful for applications involving atmospheric propagation, such as remote sensing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Mathematics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. fibich@math.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Gadi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fibich
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eisenmann
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ilan
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zigler