Anomalous long-range propagation of femtosecond laser pulses through air: moving focus or pulse self-guiding?
Self-guided propagation of femtosecond laser pulses is studied for a converging-beam configuration. Channeling of the pulse energy through various gases is observed over distances well beyond the lens focal point, a fact that cannot be explained by the moving-focus model. The results are in good agreement with three-dimensional numerical simulations.
Lange
H R
HR
Grillon
G
G
Ripoche
J F
JF
Franco
M A
MA
Lamouroux
B
B
Prade
B S
BS
Mysyrowicz
A
A
Nibbering
E T
ET
Chiron
A
A