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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Frequency Dependence In The Initiation Of Laser-Induced Damage, Jeremy Gulley Aug 2010

Frequency Dependence In The Initiation Of Laser-Induced Damage, Jeremy Gulley

Jeremy R. Gulley

Numerous studies have investigated the role of photoionization in ultrafast laser-induced damage of bulk dielectrics. This study examines the role of spectral width and instantaneous laser frequency in laser-induced damage using a frequency dependent multiphoton ionization model and numerical simulation of an 800 nm laser pulse propagating through fused silica. When the individual photon wavelengths are greater than 827 nm, an additional photon is required for photoionization, reducing the probability of the event by many orders of magnitude. Simulation results suggest that this frequency dependence may significantly affect the processes of laser-induced damage and filamentation.


Ultrashort-Pulse Propagation Through Free-Carrier Plasmas, Jeremy Gulley, William Dennis Mar 2010

Ultrashort-Pulse Propagation Through Free-Carrier Plasmas, Jeremy Gulley, William Dennis

Jeremy R. Gulley

The past decade has seen frequent use of a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation to describe ultrashort pulse propagation in materials where free-carrier plasmas are present. The optical contribution from the resulting free-current densities in this equation is often described using a classical Drude model. However, the ultimate form of this contribution in the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is somewhat inconsistent in the literature. We clarify this ambiguity by deriving the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation from the classical wave equation containing a free-current density contribution. The Drude model is then used to obtain an expression for the complex free-carrier current density …


Evolution Of Solitary Waves For A Perturbed Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation, Tim Marchant Dec 2009

Evolution Of Solitary Waves For A Perturbed Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation, Tim Marchant

Tim Marchant

Soliton perturbation theory is used to determine the evolution of a solitary wave described by a perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Perturbation terms, which model wide classes of physically relevant perturbations, are considered. An analytical solution is found for the first-order correction of the evolving solitary wave. This solution for the solitary wave tail is in integral form and an explicit expression is found, for large time. Singularity theory, usually used for combustion problems, is applied to the large time expression for the solitary wave tail. Analytical results are obtained, such as the parameter regions in which qualitatively different types of …