Carrier-envelope phase of a light bullet

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the influence of carrier-envelope phase on the dynamics of light bullets, revealing oscillations in their parameters and effects on nonlinear optical interactions during femtosecond filamentation.

Contribution

First experimental demonstration of carrier-envelope phase effects on light bullet dynamics in bulk dielectrics during filamentation.

Findings

Carrier-envelope phase causes oscillations in light bullet parameters.

Oscillation period decreases with increasing carrier wavelength.

Light bullet oscillations affect nonlinear optical interactions.

Abstract

A light bullet is an extremely compressed in space and time wave packet of a few optical cycles, which is formed in the bulk transparent dielectric during femtosecond filamentation under anomalous group velocity dispersion. The effect of a carrier-envelope phase on the dynamics of the light bullet was demonstrated for the first time. The carrier-envelope phase change during a light bullet propagation causes synchronous oscillations of its spatial, temporal and energy parameters with the period decreasing with increasing carrier wavelength. The oscillation period of parameters of a near-single cycle light bullet with broadband frequency-angular spectrum can be described by an analytical estimate written for a Gaussian pulse with a harmonic carrier wave. When analyzing the structure of color centers and induced plasma channels in fluorides, it was experimentally found that light bullet parameters oscillations lead to a periodic change in its nonlinear optical interaction with the dielectric.