A perturbative approach to self-phase modulation and self-steepening of short laser pulses propagating in nonlinear media
Abstract
The solution of the wave equation in the envelope approximation with temporal corrections for a laser pulse propagating in a medium where the Kerr effect, field ionization, and associated absorption take place, is obtained through a first order perturbative approach. Dispersion is, however, neglected to decouple the equations for the amplitude and the phase. The closed-form expressions so obtained clarify the influence of the various terms of the equation on the laser amplitude and on the frequency generation as a function of the retarded time. Furthermore, they allow extracting scaling parameters which size the nonlinear effects. The results are illustrated quantitatively in the case of a femtosecond pulse focused in the air with typical parameters.
- Publication:
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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular Physics
- Pub Date:
- March 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1088/1361-6455/ab6144
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1905.02252
- Bibcode:
- 2020JPhB...53e5401V
- Keywords:
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- short laser pulse propagation;
- perturbative approach;
- self-phase modulation;
- self-steepening;
- Physics - Optics
- E-Print:
- 14 pages, 4 figures