Title

Curved Plasma Channel Generation Using Ultraintense Airy Beams

Abstract

Plasma channel generation (or filamentation) using ultraintense laser pulses in dielectric media has a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from remote sensing to terahertz generation to lightning control. So far, laser filamentation has been triggered with the use of ultrafast pulses with axially symmetric spatial beam profiles, thereby generating straight filaments. We report the experimental observation of curved plasma channels generated in air using femtosecond Airy beams. In this unusual propagation regime, the tightly confined main intensity feature of the axially nonsymmetric laser beam propagates along a bent trajectory, leaving a curved plasma channel behind. Secondary channels bifurcate from the primary bent channel at several locations along the beam path. The broadband radiation emanating from different longitudinal sections of the curved filament propagates along angularly resolved trajectories.

Publication Date

4-10-2009

Publication Title

Science

Volume

324

Issue

5924

Number of Pages

229-232

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1169544

Socpus ID

64849105449 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/64849105449

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