High repetition rate ultrashort laser cuts a path through fog

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that high repetition rate ultrashort laser pulses can clear fog by ejecting droplets through filament-induced shockwaves, enhancing transmission for applications like free-space communication.

Contribution

It experimentally shows that increasing laser repetition rate improves fog transmission by creating shockwaves that remove droplets, a novel approach for clearing fog using ultrashort lasers.

Findings

Higher repetition rates increase fog transmission.

Laser filaments eject droplets via shockwaves.

Efficient energy deposition enables fog clearing.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that the transmission of a 1030~nm, 1.3~ps laser beam of 100 mJ energy through fog increases when its repetition rate increases to the kHz range. Due to the efficient energy deposition by the laser filaments in the air, a shockwave ejects the fog droplets from a substantial volume of the beam, at a moderate energy cost. This process opens prospects for applications requiring the transmission of laser beams through fogs and clouds.