Authors: Y E Geints A D Bulygin A A Zemlyanov
Publish Date: 2011/10/11
Volume: 107, Issue: 1, Pages: 243-255
Abstract
We present a new outlook on the problem of ultrashort laser pulse selffocusing and filamentation when propagating in air Two previously known qualitative physical models of optical pulse filamentation scenario the dynamic multiple focusing and the waveguiding models are considered and partially revisited In terms of the averaged effective laser beam radius the filament is treated as a net product of layerbylayer in time selffocusing of separate temporal pulse slices By means of the developed timeaveraged diffraction ray tracking technique the crucial role of the diffraction effects in the formation of a light filament and next following a lowdivergent light channel near the beam axis is revealed
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