Formation of extended plasma channels in a condensed medium upon axicon focusing of a femtosecond laser pulse

摘要

The formation of plasma channels of a femto-second laser pulse in the bulk of fused silica is studied by numerical simulation, and the advantages of using a conical lens (axicon) over conventional parabolic lenses are shown. It is found that the length of the plasma channel formed with the help of an axicon exceeds the length of the channel formed upon lens focusing.