Laser filamentation as a new phase transition universality class

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that laser filamentation onset behaves as a critical phase transition with unique universality class, characterized through experiments and simulations measuring critical exponents, providing a novel macroscopic platform for statistical physics.

Contribution

It introduces laser filamentation as a new universality class of phase transition, with experimental and numerical evidence of critical behavior and critical exponents.

Findings

Laser filamentation onset exhibits critical phenomena.

Measured seven critical exponents characterizing the transition.

The transition belongs to a new universality class.

Abstract

We show that the onset of laser multiple filamentation can be described as a critical phenomenon that we characterize both experimentally and numerically by measuring a set of seven critical exponents. This phase transition deviates from any existing universality class, and offers a unique perspective of conducting two-dimensional experiments of statistical physics at a human scale.