Collisionless self-focusing of CO/sub 2/ 10. mu. m P(20) laser light in SF/sub 6/

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/JQE.1983.1071957· OSTI ID:5595067

Ackerhalt, J R; Ham, D O; Nowak, A V; Phipps, Jr, C R; Thomas, S J

The authors develop a simple intuitive picture of the vibration-rotation structure of the SF/sub 6/ molecule such that the molecular susceptibility responsible for self-focusing can be calculated. They treat the propagation dynamics by generalizing the standard steady-state Gaussian propagation equations to include the important effect of absorption in the wings of the spatial profile. By calibrating the model to absorption data at CO/sub 2/ 10..mu..m P(20), they find good agreement with beam waist data at the same wavelength. Absorption in the wings is dominant at low laser fluences, and the real part of the susceptibility is responsible for the defocusing-to-focusing turnover in the beam waist near 100mJ/cm/sup 2/, consistent with the interpretation of Nowak and Ham (6).

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545
• OSTI ID: 5595067
• Journal Information: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States) Vol. QE-19:6; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
ABSORPTION
CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS
DISTRIBUTION
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
FOCUSING
GAS LASERS
GAUSSIAN PROCESSES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
LASERS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR FLUORIDES
WAVELENGTHS