Optical Carrier-Wave Subcycle Structures Associated with Supercritical Collapse of Long-Wavelength Intense Pulses Propagating in Weakly Anomalously Dispersive Media

A. Hofstrand, J. V. Moloney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

We predict the emergence of attosecond-duration structures on an optical carrier wave when intense, long-wavelength pulses propagate through bulk media with weak anomalous dispersion. Under certain conditions, these structures can undergo a new type of carrier-resolved supercritical collapse, forming infinite spatiotemporal gradients in the field. The mathematical conditions for the onset of this singularity are briefly overviewed, and we demonstrate with a full 3D+time (3+1) simulation that such structures persist under realistic conditions for a 10 micron laser pulse propagating in air.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number043901
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume124
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 29 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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