This thesis provides deep insights into currently controversial questions in laser filamentation, a highly complex phenomenon involving nonlinear optical effects and plasma physics. First, based on the concrete picture of a femtosecond laser beam which self-pinches its radial intensity distribution, the thesisdelivers a novel explanation for the remarkable and previously unexplained phenomenon of pulse self-compression in filaments. Moreover, the work addresses the impact of a non-adiabatic change of both nonlinearity and dispersion on such an intense femtosecond pulse transiting from a gaseous dielectric material to a solid one. Finally, and probably most importantly, the author presents a simple and highly practical theoretical approach for quantitatively estimatingthe influence of higher-order nonlinear optical effects in optics. These results shed new light on recent experimental observations, which are still hotly debated and may completely change our understanding of filamentation, causing a paradigm change concerning the role of higher-order nonlinearities in optics. INDICE: Theoretical Foundations of Femtosecond Filamentation.- Pulse Self-Compression in Femtosecond Filaments.- Saturation and Inversion of the All-Optical Kerr Effect.
- ISBN: 978-3-642-30929-8
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Fecha Publicación: 31/07/2012
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés