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Phys. Rev. A 78, 033826 (2008) [7 pages]

Few-cycle laser-pulse collapse in Kerr media: The role of group-velocity dispersion and X-wave formation

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Daniele Faccio1,4,*, Matteo Clerici1,4, Alessandro Averchi1,4, Antonio Lotti1,4, Ottavia Jedrkiewicz1,4, Audrius Dubietis2, Gintaras Tamosauskas2, Arnaud Couairon3,4, Francesca Bragheri5, Dimitris Papazoglou6,7, Stelios Tzortzakis7, and Paolo Di Trapani1,2,4
1CNISM and Department of Physics and Mathematics, Università dell’Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, IT-22100 Como, Italy
2Department of Quantum Electronics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 9, bldg. 3, LT-10222, Vilnius, Lithuania
3Centre de Physique Théorique, CNRS, École Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau, France
4Virtual Institute for Nonlinear Optics, Centro di Cultura Scientifica Alessandro Volta, Villa Olmo, Via Simone Cantoni 1, 22100 Como, Italy
5Department of Quantum Electronics, University of Pavia, Pavia
6Materials Science and Technology Department, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, 71003, Heraklion, Greece
7Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, P.O. Box 1527, 71110, Heraklion, Greece

Received 5 May 2008; published 18 September 2008

We study ultrashort laser-pulse propagation and filamentation dynamics in dispersive Kerr media. We identify the regime for which the filamentation threshold (Pth) is considerably higher than the critical power (Pcr) for monochromatic beam collapse in pure Kerr media. In particular, we compare the threshold for the formation of filaments with that for the formation of X-waves. At powers Pcr<P<Pth, self-focusing is arrested by group-velocity dispersion, and no filaments or X-waves are formed. At P⩾Pth, we observe X-wave formation and a weak filamentation regime. At P⪢Pth, we observe both X-waves and fully formed filaments.

© 2008 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.78.033826
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevA.78.033826
PACS:
42.65.Jx, 42.65.Re

*daniele.faccio@uninsubria.it

 
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