Memory effects in the long-wave infrared avalanche ionization of gases: a review of recent progress

Abstract

There are currently intense efforts being directed towards extending the range and energy of long distance nonlinear pulse propagation in the atmosphere by moving to longer infrared wavelengths, with the purpose of mitigating the effects of turbulence. In addition, picosecond and longer pulse durations are being used to increase the pulse energy. While both of these tacks promise improvements in applications, such as remote sensing and directed energy, they open up fundamental issues regarding the standard model used to calculate the nonlinear optical properties of dilute gases. Amongst these issues is that for longer wavelengths and longer pulse durations, exponential growth of the laser-generated electron density, the so-called avalanche ionization, can limit the propagation range via nonlinear absorption and plasma defocusing. It is therefore important for the continued development of the field to assess the theory and role of avalanche ionization in gases for longer wavelengths. Here, after an overview of the standard model, we present a microscopically motivated approach for the analysis of avalanche ionization in gases that extends beyond the standard model and we contend is key for deepening our understanding of long distance propagation at long infrared wavelengths. Our new approach involves the mean electron kinetic energy, the plasma temperature, and the free electron density as dynamic variables. The rate of avalanche ionization is shown to depend on the full time history of the pulsed excitation, as opposed to the standard model in which the rate is proportional to the instantaneous intensity. Furthermore, the new approach has the added benefit that it is no more computationally intensive than the standard one. The resulting memory effects and some of their measurable physical consequences are demonstrated for the example of long-wavelength infrared avalanche ionization and long distance high-intensity pulse propagation in air. Our hope is that this report in progress will stimulate further discussion that will elucidate the physics and simulation of avalanche ionization at long infrared wavelengths and advance the field. arXiv:1810.07345v2 [physics.optics]

Self-Guiding of Long-Wave Infrared Laser Pulses Mediated by Avalanche Ionization

“…Computing our model's rate coefficients using non-Maxwellian electron distributions or including inelastic contributions to collisional heating give similar variation (~2×) in 𝜈 [17]. Thus, using a Maxwellian distribution should still allow accurate discrimination between high intensity (>10 TW/cm 2 ) and low intensity (0.5-5 TW/cm 2 ) regimes, while also incorporating the delayed response [37] of avalanche growth to intensity transients. The initial electron population needed to seed LWIR avalanche in air can originate from tunneling ionization, which depends extremely sensitively on intensity as seen in Fig.…”

Powerful terahertz waves from long-wavelength infrared laser filaments

“…ν c = 0.55 ps −1 was found for both the 1.024 and 3.9 μm wavelengths. However, in view of the growing role of many-body effects in laser-plasma interactions with mid-infrared and far-infrared laser pulses, a recent theoretical study by Wright et al 58 put the simple, oneparameter description of the avalanche ionization rate into question. They proposed a two-temperature model, which provides a microscopically motivated foundation for avalanche ionization in gases with long-wavelength laser pulses.…”

Pump-Probe Study of Plasma Dynamics in Gas-Filled Photonic Crystal Fiber Using Counterpropagating Solitons

“…Studies of photoionization by strong optical fields have led to a number of interesting developments in physics, ranging from fundamental studies of ionization and subsequent plasma evolution [1][2][3] to applications such as high harmonic generation (HHG) [1] and the formation of plasma channels that can be used in particle acceleration and for the generation of coherent X-rays [4]. While these initial studies focused on low-density gases, recent research has explored the full nonlinear polarization of gases at atmospheric and higher pressures [5], as well as more exotic effects such as Kramers-Henneberger quasibound states [6], and avalanche ionisation by collisions of excited atoms in the absence of a laser pulse [7][8][9]. Understanding the dynamics of ionised gases at high pressures is also of great importance for HHG in the water window, a spectral region where phase-matching generally requires helium pressures of several atmospheres [10,11].…”