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Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

2008

Plasma generation

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Simulation And Analysis Of Ultrafast-Laser-Pulse-Induced Plasma Generation In Fused Silica, Jeremy Gulley, Sebastian Winkler, W. M. Dennis May 2008

Simulation And Analysis Of Ultrafast-Laser-Pulse-Induced Plasma Generation In Fused Silica, Jeremy Gulley, Sebastian Winkler, W. M. Dennis

Jeremy R. Gulley

Recent experiments on optical damage by ultrashort laser pulses have demonstrated that the temporal pulse shape can dramatically influence plasma generation in fused silica. We use a modified 3+1D nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the pulse propagation coupled to a rate equation for the plasma density in the dielectric material to simulate pulse propagation and plasma formation in fused silica. We use these simulations to analyze the influence of pulse shape and beam geometry on the formation of the electron plasma and hence modification in the bulk material. In particular, we simulate the effect of pulses reconstructed from experimental data. It …

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Modeling Plasma Induced Dispersion In A Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation, Jeremy Gulley, William Dennis Feb 2008

Modeling Plasma Induced Dispersion In A Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation, Jeremy Gulley, William Dennis

Jeremy R. Gulley

Ultrafast laser pulse propagation in dielectrics is often modeled by a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). At laser intensities sufficient to cause ionization, a plasma term can be included in the modified NLSE to account for free-carrier optical effects. This term is linear in the field and may be calculated from the classical Drude theory. We explore the consequences of a newly developed method for including dispersion relations of the plasma term as predicted by the Drude theory into the framework of the modified NLSE. The plasma induced dispersion terms can be shown to strongly effect ultrashort pulse evolution through …

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