White-light filaments induced by diffraction effects

K. Cook, A. K. Kar, R. A. Lamb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The effect of beam spatial profile on self-focusing has been investigated. A circular aperture is used to create a Fresnel diffraction pattern. It is shown that self-focusing (a pre-requisite for filament formation) occurs in the presence of the aperture but that no formation is observed when the aperture is removed, even though the beam has higher power well above the threshold for critical power. An analytical solution to the Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral shows that the axial intensity oscillates between maxima and minima as the distance from the aperture increases and that filament formation coincides with the presence of an axial maximum. © 2005 Optical Society of America.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2025-2031
Number of pages7
JournalOptics Express
Volume13
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2005

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