title: Memory in nonlinear ionization of transparent solids.
abstract: We demonstrate a shot-to-shot reduction in the threshold laser intensity for ionization of bulk glasses illuminated by intense femtosecond pulses. For SiO2 the threshold change serves as positive feedback reenforcing the process that produced it. This constitutes a memory in nonlinear ionization of the material. The threshold change saturates with the number of pulses incident at a given spot. Irrespective of the pulse energy, the magnitude of the saturated threshold change is constant (approximately 20%). However, the number of shots required to reach saturation does depend on the pulse energy. Recognition of a memory in ionization is vital to understand multishot optical or electrical breakdown phenomena in dielectrics.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6.
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Rajeev
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gertsvolf
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simova
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hnatovsky
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Bhardwaj
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rayner
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Corkum