This paper examines ultrafast laser-induced plasma generation in dielectrics by modeling ionization and pulse propagation in glass. Photoionization models for solids predict that the multi-photon ionization rate should increase for near-UV frequencies when compared to those in the visible or near-IR. Conversely, the frequency dependence of a Drude-type absorption by free electrons can produce an increased ionization yield through avalanching for frequencies in the IR. The simulations presented in this paper reveal how such frequency-dependent models influence the plasma formation during nonlinear pulse propagation in fused silica. It is further shown by a multi-rate equation model that the contribution from avalanching, when properly delayed, is reduced by an order of magnitude at near-IR frequencies throughout the propagation. A modified multi-rate equation is then introduced to model combinations of ultrashort high-frequency and low-frequency pulses that can maximize plasma generation while operating at the lowest possible fluences.

The use of femtosecond lasers in industrial, biomedical, and defense related applications during the last 15 years has necessitated a detailed understanding of pulse propagation coupled with ultrafast laser-material interactions. Current models of ultrashort pulse propagation in solids describe the pulse evolution of fields with broad spectra and are typically coupled to models of ionization and laser-plasma interaction that assume monochromatic laser fields. In this work we address some of the errors introduced by combining these inconsistent descriptions. In particular, we show that recently published experiments and simulations demonstrate how this contradiction can produce order-of-magnitude errors in calculating the ionization yield, and that this effect leads to altered dimensions and severity of optical breakdown and laser-induced modifications to dielectric solids. We introduce a comprehensive treatment of multi-chromatic non-equilibrium laser-material interaction in condensed matter and successfully couple this model to a unidirectional (frequency-resolved) pulse propagation equation for the field evolution. This approach, while more computationally intensive than the traditional single rate equation for the free electron density, reduces the number of adjustable phenomenological parameters typically used in current models. Our simulation results suggest that intentionally multi-chromatic fields (i.e. strongly chirped pulses or co-propagating pulses of different frequencies) can be arranged to control ionization yields and hence ultrafast laser induced material modifications.