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Pulsed light beams in vacuum with superluminal and negative group velocities
Miguel A Porras1, Isabel Gonzalo, Alessia Mondello
1Departamento de Física Aplicada, ETSI Minas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|October 26, 2005
Abstract:
We study the group velocity of pulsed light beams in vacuum. Gouy's phase associated with the diffraction of transversally limited pulses can create a strong anomalous dispersion in vacuum leading to highly superluminal and negative group velocities. As a consequence, a focusing pulse can diverge beyond the focus before converging into it. The experimental feasibility is discussed.
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