On account of nonlinear refraction, arising through the
relativistic mass effect,
a short intense laser pulse tends to accumulate its energy around
the intensity maximum, leading to pulse compression over a length
Zc≈
τ0c2ω2/
ω2pv, where
τ0 and ω are the pulse duration and frequency of
the laser, v is the oscillatory
electron velocity and ωp is the plasma
frequency. When the transverse extent
of the laser is finite, nonlinear self-focusing interferes strongly
with this process. The self-focusing occurs in a periodic manner on a
shorter scale length.
However, over long lengths of pulse propagation, pulse compression could be
significant.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.