2020/09/30 by Tanner T. Simpson, Dillon Ramsey, Philip Franke +4
Physics and Astronomy · #Focus (optics) #Intensity (physics) #Laser #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics #Light intensity #Nonlinear system #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Pulse (music) #Pulse shaping #Range (aeronautics) #Trajectory #physics.optics #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1364/oe.411011
openalex created_date 2020/10/01 · openalex publication_date 2020/11/28 · arxiv created 2020/12/04 · arxiv updated 2020/12/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Spatiotemporal control over the intensity of a laser pulse has the potential to enable or revolutionize a wide range of laser-based applications that currently suffer from the poor flexibility offered by conventional optics. Specifically, these optics limit the region of high intensity to the Rayleigh range and provide little to no control over the trajectory of the peak intensity. Here, we introduce a nonlinear technique for spatiotemporal control, the "self-flying focus," that produces an arbitrary trajectory intensity peak that can be sustained for distances comparable to the focal length. The technique combines temporal pulse shaping and the inherent nonlinearity of a medium to customize the time and location at which each temporal slice within the pulse comes to its focus. As an example of its utility, simulations show that the self-flying focus can form a highly uniform, meter-scale plasma suitable for advanced plasma-based accelerators.