Plasma Physics Seminar ( Phys 769)

Dr. Howard Milchberg, IREAP Propagation of high intensity optical/plasma filaments in atmospheric quantum wakes Extremely long range filamentary propagation of femtosecond optical pulses has been investigated by many groups. Long range filaments are accompanied by plasma generation and co-propagating coherent white light generation. Applications include terahertz generation, LIDAR, and guiding of electrical discharges. I will describe our experiments showing the strong trapping and extinguishing effects of quantum molecular wakes in the atmosphere on these filaments. Our results demonstrate that long range, high power femtosecond laser propagation can be controlled by exploiting the coherent temporal and spatial response of air molecules. Return to main page