Nonlinear optical polarization response and plasma generation in noble gases: Comparison of metastable-electronic-state-approach models to experiments

Anand Bahl, Jared K. Wahlstrand, Sina Zahedpour, Howard M. Milchberg, and Miroslav Kolesik
Phys. Rev. A 96, 043867 – Published 30 October 2017

Abstract

The nonlinear polarization response and plasma generation produced by intense optical pulses, modeled by the metastable-electronic-state approach, are verified against space-and-time resolved measurements with single-shot supercontinuum spectral interferometry. This first of a kind theory-experiment comparison is done in the intensity regime typical for optical filamentation, where self-focusing and plasma generation play competing roles. Excellent agreement between the theory and experiment shows that the self-focusing nonlinearity can be approximated by a single resonant state. Moreover, we demonstrate that inclusion of the post-adiabatic corrections, previously tested only in theoretic models, provides a viable description of the ionization rate in real gases.

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  • Received 26 August 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.96.043867

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Anand Bahl1, Jared K. Wahlstrand2,3, Sina Zahedpour2, Howard M. Milchberg2, and Miroslav Kolesik1,*

  • 1College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA
  • 2Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
  • 3Engineering Physics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8443, USA

  • *kolesik@optics.arizona.edu

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Issue

Vol. 96, Iss. 4 — October 2017

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