Cumulative air density depletion during high repetition rate filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses: Application to electric discharge triggering

We study the influence of the laser repetition rate on the generation of low-density channels of air left in the path of femtosecond laser filament. At high repetition rates, we observe the formation of a permanent millimeter-wide low-density channel that exceeds the depth and width of the transient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2021-12, Vol.119 (26)
Main Authors: Walch, P., Mahieu, B., Arantchouk, L., André, Y.-B., Mysyrowicz, A., Houard, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Breakdown
Density
Depletion
Electric discharges
Electric potential
Femtosecond pulses
Lasers
Optics
Physics
Repetition
Voltage
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Summary:We study the influence of the laser repetition rate on the generation of low-density channels of air left in the path of femtosecond laser filament. At high repetition rates, we observe the formation of a permanent millimeter-wide low-density channel that exceeds the depth and width of the transient depletion due to a single filament. We also show that this permanent cumulative effect decreases the breakdown voltage between two electrodes and can alter the path of the discharge. By comparing this effect in air and in pure nitrogen, we show that an accumulation of O 2 − ions contributes to the reduction in the breakdown voltage.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/5.0077635