This article is cited in 11 papers

ATOMS, SPECTRA, RADIATIONS

Self-focusing of laser radiation in cluster plasma

N. A. Zharova, A. G. Litvak, V. A. Mironov

Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Novgorod

Abstract: The self-focusing of laser radiation in plasma with ionized gaseous clusters is studied both analytically and numerically. An electrodynamic model is proposed for cluster plasma in a field of ultrashort laser pulse. The radiation self-action dynamics are studied using the equation for wave-field envelope with allowance for the electronic nonlinearity of the expanded plasma bunches and the group-velocity dispersion in a nanodispersive medium. It is shown that, for a laser power exceeding the self-focusing critical power, the wave-field self-compression occurs in a medium with dispersion of any type (normal, anomalous, or combined). Due to the strong dependence of the characteristic nonlinear field on the size of ionized cluster, the corresponding processes develop faster than in a homogeneous medium and give rise to the ultrashort pulses.

PACS: 36.40.-c, 52.38.Hb

Received: 07.07.2003
Revised: 14.10.2003

 English version: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters, 2003, 78:10, 619–623

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