Elongation of energy exchange between femtosecond laser pulses via plasma formation in air

TL;DR

This study experimentally shows that plasma formation in air can significantly extend the duration of energy exchange between femtosecond laser pulses, enabling better control of filamentation.

Contribution

It introduces a method to elongate energy exchange in femtosecond laser pulses through plasma grating formation, advancing filament control techniques.

Findings

Energy exchange duration extended up to 40 ps with plasma grating

Filament coupling can be effectively controlled via plasma formation

Demonstrates spatiotemporal overlap effects on laser pulse interaction

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate energy exchange between a delay-tuned femtosecond beam and two delay-fixed ones as they spatiotemporally overlapped and experienced filamentation in air. The energy exchange process in the relative time delay is dramatically elongated up to 40 ps in the presence of plasma grating, indicating that filamentary beams coupling may be an effective method for filament control.