Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1538319 Optics Communications 2010 5 Pages PDF
Abstract

The birefringence of a linearly polarized femtosecond laser filament in gases has been previously established. In this work, we report the time-dependent refractive index measurements of the filament based upon the spectral modulation of a weak probe pulse in air and in argon gas at 1 atmospheric pressure. The polarization dependence of the refractive index modulation induced by the delayed molecular alignment and by the electronic Kerr effect is highlighted. A numerical simulation of the refractive indices, which takes into account the molecular alignment, the electronic Kerr non-linearity and the plasma, is in good agreement with the measurements.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
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