Maximizing energy deposition by shaping few-cycle laser pulses

We experimentally investigate the impact of pulse shape on the dynamics of laser-generated plasma in rare gases. Fast-rising triangular pulses with a slower decay lead to early ionization of the gas and depose energy more efficiently than their temporally reversed counterparts. As a result, in both...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. B, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics, 2018-06, Vol.51 (13), p.135402
Main Authors: Gateau, Julien, Patas, Alexander, Matthews, Mary, Hermelin, Sylvain, Lindinger, Albrecht, Kasparian, Jérôme, Wolf, Jean-Pierre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
and thermal blooming
beam trapping
Chemical Sciences
Engineering Sciences
laser-plasma interactions
Physics
plasma kinetic equations
self-focusing
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Summary:We experimentally investigate the impact of pulse shape on the dynamics of laser-generated plasma in rare gases. Fast-rising triangular pulses with a slower decay lead to early ionization of the gas and depose energy more efficiently than their temporally reversed counterparts. As a result, in both argon and krypton, the induced shockwave as well as the plasma luminescence are stronger. This is due to an earlier availability of free electrons to undergo inverse Bremsstrahlung on the pulse trailing edge. Our results illustrate the ability of adequately tailored pulse shapes to optimize the energy deposition in gas plasmas.
ISSN:0953-4075
1361-6455
DOI:10.1088/1361-6455/aac783