Multifilamentation of powerful optical pulses in silica

The multiple filamentation of powerful light pulses in fused silica is numerically investigated for central wavelengths at 355 nm and 1550 nm. We consider different values for beam waist and pulse duration and compare the numerical results with behaviors expected from the plane-wave modulational instability theory. Before the nonlinear focus, the spatiotemporal intensity patterns can be explained in the framework of this theory. Once the clamping intensity is reached, for long input pulse durations (~1 ps), the ionization front defocuses all trailing components within a collective dynamic, and a spatial replenishment scenario takes place upon further propagation. Short pulses (~50 fs) undergo similar ionization fronts, before an optically turbulent regime sets in. We observe moderate changes in the total temporal extent of ultraviolet pulses and in the corresponding spectra. In contrast, infrared pulses may undergo strong temporal compression and important spectral broadening. For short input pulses, anomalous dispersion and self-steepening push all pulse components to the trailing edge, where many small-scaled filaments are nucleated. In the leading part of the pulse, different spatial landscapes, e.g., broad ring patterns, may survive and follow their own propagation dynamics. ©2010 The American Physical Society