0000000000222311
AUTHOR
Jérôme Kasparian
Higher-order Kerr effect in ultrashort laser pulse propagation and laser filamentation
We discuss the contribution of the higher-order Kerr effect (HOKE) to the propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in several contexts. We show that their consideration is necessary to adequately reproduce experimental data about harmonics generation, propagation in hollow-core fibers, and laser filamentation. In the latter case, our results show that the HOKE play a key role for short pluses and/or long wavelengths, while the plasma contributes more for long pulses and/or short wavelengths.
Optical kerr effect in the strong field regime
The optical Kerr response of hydrogen atom submitted to a strong and short near infrared laser pulse excitation is studied by solving the full 3D time-dependent Schro¨dinger equation. The nonlinear polarization evaluated at the driving field frequency is compared to the canonical expression derived from perturbation theory. A discrepancy between the two models is observed at large intensity affecting the nonlinear propagation of short and intense laser pulses.
Mechanism of hollow-core-fiber infrared-supercontinuum compression with bulk material
We numerically investigate the pulse compression mechanism in the infrared spectral range based on the successive action of nonlinear pulse propagation in a hollow-core fiber followed by linear propagation through bulk material. We found an excellent agreement of simulated pulse properties with experimental results at 1.8 {mu}m in the two-optical-cycle regime close to the Fourier limit. In particular, the spectral phase asymmetry attributable to self-steepening combined with self-phase modulation is a necessary prerequisite for subsequent compensation by the phase introduced by glass material in the anomalous dispersion regime. The excellent agreement of the model enabled simulating pressur…
Transition from plasma-driven to Kerr-driven laser filamentation.
While filaments are generally interpreted as a dynamic balance between Kerr focusing and plasma defocusing, the role of the higher-order Kerr effect (HOKE) is actively debated as a potentially dominant defocusing contribution to filament stabilization. In a pump-probe experiment supported by numerical simulations, we demonstrate the transition between two distinct filamentation regimes at 800 nm. For long pulses (1.2 ps), the plasma substantially contributes to filamentation, while this contribution vanishes for short pulses (70 fs). These results confirm the occurrence, in adequate conditions, of filamentation driven by the HOKE rather than by plasma.
Spectral dependence of purely-Kerr driven filamentation in air and argon
5 pags, 4 figs.-- PACS number(s): 42.65.Jx, 42.65.Tg, 78.20.Ci. -- Publisher error corrected 27 September 2010, Erratum Phys. Rev. A 82, 039905 (2010): https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.033826
Higher-order Kerr effects improve quantitative modelling of harmonics generation and laser filamentation
The consideration of the higher-order Kerr effect (HOKE) drastically improves the quantitative agreement between measured and simulated harmonic yield as well as intensity and electron density in laser filaments generated by pulses below a few hundreds of fs. In longer pulses, the plasma defocusing plays a much more important role.
Higher-order Kerr terms allow ionization-free filamentation in gases.
We show that higher-order nonlinear indices ($n_4$, $n_6$, $n_8$, $n_{10}$) provide the main defocusing contribution to self-channeling of ultrashort laser pulses in air and Argon at 800 nm, in contrast with the previously accepted mechanism of filamentation where plasma was considered as the dominant defocusing process. Their consideration allows to reproduce experimentally observed intensities and plasma densities in self-guided filaments.
High-field quantum calculation reveals time-dependent negative Kerr contribution
The exact quantum time-dependent optical response of hydrogen under strong field near infrared excitation is investigated and compared to the perturbative model widely used for describing the effective atomic polarization induced by intense laser fields. By solving the full 3D time-dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation, we exhibit a supplementary, quasi-instantaneous defocusing contribution missing in the weak-field model of polarization. We show that this effect is far from being negligible in particular when closures of ionization channels occur and stems from the interaction of electrons with their parent ions. It provides an interpretation to higher-order Kerr effect recently observed in v…