Conical emission from self-guided femtosecond pulses in air

Nibbering, Erik T. J.; Curley, P. F.; Grillon, G.; Prade, B.; Michel, F. C.; Salin, F.; Mysyrowicz, A.

doi:10.1364/ol.21.000062

Cited by 439 publications

(220 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Several groups gave persistent reports on multifilamentary structures propagating over several hundreds of meters [9,29,64,92]. The formation of filaments at kilometric distances in the sky was also reported from the detection of the supercontinuum by a telescope [70,89].…”

Section: Long Range (Outdoor) Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Femtosecond Filamentation in Air

Couairon

Mysyrowicz

2006

Springer Series in Chemical Physics

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Section: Long Range (Outdoor) Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For specific pulse parameters or experimental conditions, additional physical effects such as group velocity dispersion, or self-steepening occasionally become important in the filamentation process itself or in the interpretation of associated phenomena, as e.g. the conical emission of white light in the form of colored rings [5,64].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Femtosecond Filamentation in Air

Couairon

Mysyrowicz

2006

Springer Series in Chemical Physics

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“…The spectral properties of these waves (usually referred as conical emissions) have been studied in [18]. They give support to the formation of new filaments from pulse MI.…”

Section: Liquid Light Solitons Arising By Coalescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Filamentation processes and dynamical excitation of light condensates in optical media with competing nonlinearities

et al. 2010

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We analyze both theoretically and by means of numerical simulations the phenomena of filamentation and dynamical formation of self-guided nonlinear waves in media featuring competing cubic and quintic nonlinearities. We provide a theoretical description of recent experiments in terms of a linear stability analysis supported with simulations, showing the possibility of the observation of modulational instability suppression of intense light pulses travelling across such nonlinear media. We also show a novel mechanism of indirect excitation of light condensates by means of coalescence processes of nonlinear coherent structures produced by managed filamentation of high power laser beams.

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“…core, which result in the bright emission of broadband supercontinuum light (10). This emission is a signature phenomenon of filamentation; it makes femtosecond laser filaments potentially useful as light sources in LIDAR, but it cannot be used in our SOS scheme because the supercontinuum emission by filaments is forward-propagating.…”

Section: Lasing Of N 2 and O 2 In Airmentioning

confidence: 99%

Standoff spectroscopy via remote generation of a backward-propagating laser beam

Hemmer

Miles

Polynkin

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

148

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In an earlier publication we demonstrated that by using pairs of pulses of different colors (e.g., red and blue) it is possible to excite a dilute ensemble of molecules such that lasing and/or gain-swept superradiance is realized in a direction toward the observer. This approach is a conceptual step toward spectroscopic probing at a distance, also known as standoff spectroscopy. In the present paper, we propose a related but simpler approach on the basis of the backward-directed lasing in optically excited dominant constituents of plain air, N 2 and O 2 . This technique relies on the remote generation of a weakly ionized plasma channel through filamentation of an ultraintense femtosecond laser pulse. Subsequent application of an energetic nanosecond pulse or series of pulses boosts the plasma density in the seed channel via avalanche ionization. Depending on the spectral and temporal content of the driving pulses, a transient population inversion is established in either nitrogen-or oxygen-ionized molecules, thus enabling a transient gain for an optical field propagating toward the observer. This technique results in the generation of a strong, coherent, counterpropagating optical probe pulse. Such a probe, combined with a wavelength-tunable laser signal(s) propagating in the forward direction, provides a tool for various remote-sensing applications. The proposed technique can be enhanced by combining it with the gain-swept excitation approach as well as with beam shaping and adaptive optics techniques.air laser | atmospheric surveillance | threat detection | Raman T he continuous monitoring of the atmosphere for traces of gases and pathogens at kilometer-scale distances is an important and challenging problem, with applications in environmental science and national security. Measurements using light detection and ranging (LIDAR) techniques coupled with differential absorption LIDAR have been reported (1, 2). These techniques provide valuable tools for the measurement of trace impurities in the atmosphere.However, to enhance sensitivity and information content retrieved by the return signal, a different technology is needed. In ref. 3, we presented standoff spectroscopy (SOS) technique for detection of trace impurities in the atmosphere via gain-swept superradiance (4). In that scheme, we first pump the molecules of interest, e.g., nitric oxide or phosgene, at some prearranged distance, say, 300 m. These molecules decay spontaneously to a lower state via a specific radiation frequency. Then the impurity molecules at, say, 290 m, are excited at a later time that is delayed from the first pulse by Δτ ¼ 10m c ≅3 × 10 −8 s, so that some gain is realized in the second region. Subsequent regions of inversion are generated by later pulse pairs as in Fig. 1. In ref. 3, which will be briefly reviewed in Gain-Swept Lasing of Impurities in Air, the impurity molecules themselves constitute the lasing medium. In the present paper, we propose a simpler alternative approach that is based on transient backward-directed lasing i...

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Conical emission from self-guided femtosecond pulses in air

Cited by 439 publications

References 13 publications

Femtosecond Filamentation in Air

Femtosecond Filamentation in Air

Filamentation processes and dynamical excitation of light condensates in optical media with competing nonlinearities

Standoff spectroscopy via remote generation of a backward-propagating laser beam

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