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Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Collapsing Ultrashort Laser Pulses

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Self-focusing: Past and Present

Part of the book series: Topics in Applied Physics ((TAP,volume 114))

Abstract

In nonlinear optics, a wave collapse manifests itself as the self-focusing of light. There exist a number of universal features associated with wave collapse, such as self-similar evolution, pulse splitting, filamentation, and shock formation, in which nonlinear optics has offered an unparalleled opportunity for study and comparison of theory with experiment. This chapter reviews recent theoretical and experimental work in which such phenomena have been observed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Alexander L. Gaeta

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  1. University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, UK

    Robert W. Boyd  & Svetlana G. Lukishova  & 

  2. University of California, Berkeley, CA

    Y.R. Shen

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Gaeta, A.L. (2009). Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Collapsing Ultrashort Laser Pulses. In: Boyd, R.W., Lukishova, S.G., Shen, Y. (eds) Self-focusing: Past and Present. Topics in Applied Physics, vol 114. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-34727-1_16

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