Microstructure of the multiple filamentation region of femtosecond laser radiation in a solid dielectric

Abstract

Properties of multiple filamentation of gigawatt femtosecond laser pulses in optical glass are considered. The fine structure of the plasma region that is produced upon photoionization of quartz and accompanies light filaments are analyzed experimentally and in numerical simulation. The dependence of the number, position, and length of individual generations of plasma channels on the laser energy is studied for the first time. The role of pulse refocusing events in the plasma region formation is discussed.