Third-Harmonic Generation in Focused Beams as a Method of 3D Microscopy of a Laser-Produced Plasma

摘要

Analysis of the phase-matching integral for third-harmonic generation in focused laser beams shows that this process can be used as a method of 3D microscopy, allowing one to characterize the location and magnitude of inhomogeneities of linear and nonlinear optical characteristics of a medium. The potentialities of this method are illustrated by the results of experiments on 3D microscopy of an optical breakdown plasma.