title: Saturation of the all-optical Kerr effect.
abstract: Saturation of the intensity dependence of the refractive index is directly computed from ionization rates via a Kramers-Kronig transform. The linear intensity dependence and its dispersion are found to be in excellent agreement with complete quantum mechanical orbital computations. Higher-order terms concur with solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Expanding the formalism to all orders up to the ionization potential of the atom, we derive a model for saturation of the Kerr effect. This model widely confirms recently published and controversially discussed experimental data and corroborates the importance of higher-order Kerr terms for filamentation.
authors.affiliation: Weierstrass-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brée
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demircan
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinmeyer