Megafilament in air formed by self-guided terawatt long-wavelength infrared laser

Tochitsky, Sergei; Welch, Eric; Polyanskiy, Mikhail; Pogorelsky, Igor; Παναγιωτόπουλος, Πάρις; Kolesík, M.; Wright, E. M.; Koch, S. W.; Moloney, Jerome V.; Pigeon, J.; Joshi, C.

doi:10.1038/s41566-018-0315-0

Cited by 97 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…For instance, intense mid-IR lasers, which provide only moderate ionization as they propagate in air [38][39][40][41], are now potentially very attractive candidates for fog clearing applications. It was recently reported in particular that TW peak powers CO 2 lasers can provide wide diameter self-guiding channels over kilometric distances [24], fulfilling the requirements for FSO between earth and satellites.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present paper, we generate and coherently control rotational wave packets in the air molecules (in particular N 2 ) to produce an acoustic wave to open transmission channels in fog and clouds over short distances without requiring plasma formation or filamentation. Larger diameter beams and/or mid-IR lasers could then be used for fog clearing, which when filamenting generate lower density plasma unsuited for shockwave creation, but for which long distance propagation is more easily achievable and controllable [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular quantum wakes for clearing fog

Schroeder¹,

Larkin²,

Produit³

et al. 2020

Opt. Express

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High intensity laser filamentation in air has recently demonstrated that, through plasma generation and its associated shockwave, fog can be cleared around the beam, leaving an optically transparent path to transmit light. However, for practical applications like free-space optical communication (FSO), channels of multi-centimeter diameters over kilometer ranges are required, which is extremely challenging for a plasma based method. Here we report a radically different approach, based on quantum control. We demonstrate that fog clearing can also be achieved by producing molecular quantum wakes in air, and that neither plasma generation nor filamentation are required. The effect is clearly associated with the rephasing time of the rotational wave packet in N 2 .Pump excitation provided in the form of resonant trains of 8 pulses separated by the revival time are able to transmit optical data through fog with initial extinction as much as −6 dB.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular quantum wakes for clearing fog

Schroeder¹,

Larkin²,

Produit³

et al. 2020

Opt. Express

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The use of a longer-wavelength driver (mid-or far-infrared) will boost the spectral intensity of the supercontinuum at these wavelengths by several orders of magnitude [8] and increase the sensitivity of femtosecond lidars [12]. Compared to far-infrared drivers, the mid-infrared (MIR) ones are amplified in solid-state media and thus have the shorter pulse duration, better pulse shape, and much lower energy for filament formation (tens of millijoules [16] as compared to several joules [17]). Enhancement of the mid-tofar-infrared wing of the supercontinuum of MIR filaments as well as the moderate pulse energy needed to form a filament * kosareva@physics.msu.ru constitute a decisive advantage of a MIR laser as compared to a source in the visible, near-infrared, or far-infrared range.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear transparency window for ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses in the atmosphere

et al. 2019

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We have found the optimum range of driver wavelengths for mid-infrared ultraintense femtosecond pulses undergoing filamentation in atmospheric air. This wavelength range between 3.1 and 3.5 μm forms a nonlinear transparency window identified through a diligent scan of pulse central wavelengths in the range 2.2-4.7 μm with a best resolution of 5 nm. Each of 123 wavelengths scanned corresponds to the solution of the full threedimensional + time pulse propagation and filamentation problem on a 7-19 m path in air. Due to the discovered universal asymmetric character of the nonlinearly enhanced linear absorption in the vicinity of atmospheric molecular band, the optimum driver wavelength belongs to the long-wavelength side of the band.

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“…The potential effect of EID ionization is significant, especially when its boost to plasma density would have a commensurately larger effect on the refractive index experienced by longer wavelength lasers. For example, under conditions where standard ionization is negligible, EID was invoked to explain a recent experiment observing self-channeling of a λ=10.2 μm, ~1 TW/cm 2 peak intensity CO2 laser pulse over 20 Rayleigh ranges in air [20], a process requiring plasma generation to offset Kerr self-focusing.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Absolute Measurement of Laser Ionization Yield in Atmospheric Pressure Range Gases over 14 Decades

et al. 2020

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Strong-field ionization is central to intense laser-matter interactions. However, standard ionization measurements have been limited to extremely low density gas samples, ignoring potential high density effects. Here, we measure strong-field ionization in atmospheric pressure range air, N2 and Ar over 14 decades of absolute yield, using mid-IR picosecond avalanche multiplication of single electrons. Our results are consistent with theoretical rates for isolated atoms and molecules and quantify the ubiquitous presence of ultra-low concentration gas contaminants that can significantly affect laser-gas interactions.The unification of tunneling ionization and multiphoton ionization (MPI) of atoms in intense laser fields by Keldysh in 1965 [1] provided an analytic foundation for strong field laser physics [2-6], but measurements of the transition from MPI to tunneling had to await later advances in short pulse lasers [7][8][9][10]. This transition is characterized in atomic units by the dimensionless Keldysh parameter = 2 ⁄ / , where is the atom's ionization potential, is the peak laser field, and is the laser frequency. At moderate intensity ( ≫ 1, MPI regime), the yield is proportional to (∝ ), while at higher intensities or longer wavelengths ( < 1), the transition to tunneling and barrier suppression ionization [7,9] is characterized by ∝ , where is the integer number of photons needed to exceed . These early measurements were conducted in extremely low density gases (typically ~10 8 −10 12 cm −3 ) in order to prevent ionization products interacting with background gas or experiencing space charge effects in transit to high voltage detectors [7,9,11]. However, many applications of strong-field ionization, such as high harmonic

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Megafilament in air formed by self-guided terawatt long-wavelength infrared laser

Cited by 97 publications

References 35 publications

Molecular quantum wakes for clearing fog

Molecular quantum wakes for clearing fog

Nonlinear transparency window for ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses in the atmosphere

Absolute Measurement of Laser Ionization Yield in Atmospheric Pressure Range Gases over 14 Decades

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