Gerard Killeen ()

Title: 

Abstract: 

Jerome Moloney ( University of Arizona, US)

Title: Ultrafast intense laser pulse propagation: Dispersion vs nonlinearity dominated physics.

Abstract: In this talk, I will briefly review the early development of the theory of ultrashort pulse (USP) filamentation. The Unidirectional Pulse Propagation equation (UPPE), a pseudo-spectral solver, will be introduced as a robust Maxwell-like full wave propagator that allows long distance propagation of arbitrary vectorial optical waveforms while resolving the underlying optical carrier wave. In limiting cases, propagating USPs, whether dispersion or nonlinearity dominated, can exhibit very different singular behaviors. In the former limit, the respective mathematical descriptions are typically the envelope NLSE-types which exhibit a blow-up singularity at a finite distance. Nonlinearity dominated interactions are best captured by the optical carrier resolved modified Kadomtsev-Petviashili (mKP)) equation, describing optical carrier shock-like singularities. Applications to be discussed will include both near-IR and long wave atmospheric propagation, multifilament generation seeded by a modulational instability, pulse splitting and X-wave generation, exotic Bessel and Airy beams, extended plasma string generation proposed for guiding high voltage discharges, RF and Microwave guiding and lightning deflection.