Femtosecond filamentation in transparent media

Arnaud Couairon (1) , André Mysyrowicz (2)

1 CPHT - Centre de Physique Théorique [Palaiseau]
2 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée

This paper introduces and discusses the main aspects of ultrashort laser pulse filamentation in various transparent media such as air (gases), transparent solids and liquids. The properties of femtosecond filaments and their applications are presented. Theoretical models developed to explain filaments and the main predictions inferred from these models are reviewed. The various techniques to observe filaments and to measure their characteristics are described. The main measurements of filament features performed so far are reviewed.

Keywords: Filamentation; Ultrashort laser pulses; Optical Kerr effect; Multiphoton ionization; Nonlinear propagation

Domains: Optics [physics.optics]

Arnaud Couairon, André Mysyrowicz. Femtosecond filamentation in transparent media. Physics Reports, 2007, 441 (2-4), pp.47-189. ⟨10.1016/j.physrep.2006.12.005⟩. ⟨hal-00454778⟩