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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing
Published on: April 25, 2019
Nonlinear absorption of intense femtosecond laser radiation in air
Abstract:
A new mechanism of nonlinear absorption of intense femtosecond laser radiation in air in the intensity range I = 10(11)-10(12) W/cm(2) when the ionization is not important yet is experimentally observed and investigated. This absorption is much greater than for nanosecond pulses. A model of the nonlinear absorption based on the rotational excitation of molecules by linearly polarized ultrashort pulses through the interaction of an induced dipole moment with an electric field is developed. The observed nonlinear absorption of intense femtosecond laser radiation can play an important role in the process of propagation of such radiation in the atmosphere.

