From self-focusing light beams to femtosecond laser pulse filamentation

S.V. Chekalin^a, V.P. Kandidov^b
^aInstitute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Fizicheskaya 5, Troitsk, Moscow, 108840, Russian Federation
^bLomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Leninskie Gory 1 build. 2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the first published prediction of the self-focusing phenomenon in light beams. The recent revived interest in the subject is due to advances in high-power femtosecond laser technology and due to the possibility they provided of creating extended filaments of high light field intensity in gases and condensed media. This review shows in retrospect how our understanding of the self-action of light evolved from the self-focusing of laser beams in the 1960s to the filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses at present. We also describe the current status of this rapidly growing area of nonlinear optics and laser physics. Finally, we discuss, in general terms, what the phenomena of laser beam self-focusing and laser pulse filamentation have in common and how they differ.

PACS: 42.65.−k, 42.65.Jx, 42.65.Ky, 42.65.Re, 52.38.Hb (all)
DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.0183.201302b.0133
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2013/2/b/
Web of Science

000319332300002
ADS NASA

2013PhyU...56..123C
Citation: Chekalin S V, Kandidov V P "From self-focusing light beams to femtosecond laser pulse filamentation" Phys. Usp. 56 123–140 (2013)

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Received: 14th, February 2012, revised: 30th, March 2012, accepted: 3rd, April 2012

Оригинал: Чекалин С В, Кандидов В П «От самофокусировки световых пучков — к филаментации лазерных импульсов» УФН 183 133–152 (2013); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0183.201302b.0133

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