Affiliation:
1. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University)
2. Russian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
In this paper, we study the optical anisotropy induced by femtosecond laser radiation in air during an optical breakdown. Using a transverse pump-probe technique, we demonstrate that this anisotropy appears in a narrow range of pump intensities, which are close to the optical breakdown threshold in air and lead to a phase shift of probe radiation, polarized collinear to the pump. The intensity range where an induced intense anisotropy occurs makes it possible to estimate the magnitude of the 5th-order Kerr nonlinear refractive index component in air.
Funder
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Subject
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics,Engineering (miscellaneous),Electrical and Electronic Engineering