Formation of a conducting channel in air by self-guided femtosecond laser pulses

We report a drastic reduction of air resistivity following the passage of a self-guided femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser system at 800 nm with energies per pulse between 1 and 14 mJ and a pulse duration of 120 fs. Connected plasma filaments with a length that can exceed 150 cm are created...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 1999-10, Vol.60 (4 Pt A), p.R3505-R3507
Main Authors: Tzortzakis, S, Franco, M A, André, Y B, Chiron, A, Lamouroux, B, Prade, B S, Mysyrowicz, A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We report a drastic reduction of air resistivity following the passage of a self-guided femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser system at 800 nm with energies per pulse between 1 and 14 mJ and a pulse duration of 120 fs. Connected plasma filaments with a length that can exceed 150 cm are created by these pulses. The presence of a conducting plasma channel results from multiphoton ionization of air molecules in the filament core.
ISSN:1063-651X
1095-3787
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.60.R3505