Detection of Surface Waves During Femtosecond Filamentation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Garrett, Travis, Janicek, Anna, Fayard II, J. Todd, Elle, Jennifer
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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_version_ 1866915052784713728
author Garrett, Travis
Janicek, Anna
Fayard II, J. Todd
Elle, Jennifer
author_facet Garrett, Travis
Janicek, Anna
Fayard II, J. Todd
Elle, Jennifer
contents Ultrashort pulsed lasers (USPL) can produce thin columns of plasma in air via femtosecond filamentation, and these plasmas have been found to generate broadband TeraHertz (THz) and Radio Frequency (RF) radiation. A recent theory argues that the currents driven at the boundary of the plasma excite a Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) surface wave (in particular a Sommerfeld-Goubau wave given the cylindrical symmetry), which proceeds to detach from the end of the plasma to become the RF pulse. We have performed near-field measurements of these plasmas with a D-dot probe, and find an excellent agreement with this theory. The radial field dependence is precisely fit by a Hankel function, with an outer length scale in agreement with plasma conductivity and radius, and a measured longitudinal drift in frequency maxima closely matches both SPP simulations and analytic expectations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_05472
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detection of Surface Waves During Femtosecond Filamentation
Garrett, Travis
Janicek, Anna
Fayard II, J. Todd
Elle, Jennifer
Plasma Physics
Computational Physics
Optics
Ultrashort pulsed lasers (USPL) can produce thin columns of plasma in air via femtosecond filamentation, and these plasmas have been found to generate broadband TeraHertz (THz) and Radio Frequency (RF) radiation. A recent theory argues that the currents driven at the boundary of the plasma excite a Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) surface wave (in particular a Sommerfeld-Goubau wave given the cylindrical symmetry), which proceeds to detach from the end of the plasma to become the RF pulse. We have performed near-field measurements of these plasmas with a D-dot probe, and find an excellent agreement with this theory. The radial field dependence is precisely fit by a Hankel function, with an outer length scale in agreement with plasma conductivity and radius, and a measured longitudinal drift in frequency maxima closely matches both SPP simulations and analytic expectations.
title Detection of Surface Waves During Femtosecond Filamentation
topic Plasma Physics
Computational Physics
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05472