Paper
1 June 2004 Numerical calculation of nonlinear ultrashort laser pulse propagation in water
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Abstract
When ultrashort laser pulses are focused inside transparent materials, extremely high field intensities can easily be achieved in the focal volume leading to nonlinear interaction with the material. In corneal tissue this nonlinear interaction results in an optical breakdown that may serve as a cutting mechanism in ophthalmology. As a side effect of optical breakdown in corneal tissue, streak-like structures have been observed as discoloration in histological sections under a light microscope. To investigate the streak formation, a numerical model including nonlinear pulse propagation due to self-focusing, group velocity dispersion, and plasma defocusing due to generated free electrons is presented. The model consists of a (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schroedinger equation, describing the pulse propagation coupled to an evolution equation covering the generation of free electrons. The rate equation contains multi photon ionization as well as avalanche ionization. The model is applicable to any transparent Kerr-medium.
© (2004) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Cord L. Arnold, Alexander Heisterkamp, Wolfgang Ertmer, and Holger Lubatschowski "Numerical calculation of nonlinear ultrashort laser pulse propagation in water", Proc. SPIE 5340, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers IV, (1 June 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.529003
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Cited by 1 scholarly publication.
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KEYWORDS
Electrons

Tissue optics

Ultrafast phenomena

Ionization

Cornea

Refractive index

Water

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