Energy transmittance of focused femtosecond pulses at different air pressures

Abstract

Transmission of intense femtosecond laser pulses in air is accompanied by energy depletion. By measuring the transmitted spectra of the focused femtosecond pulses in air, we study the influence of air pressure and initial pulse energy on the spectra around the central wavelength (800 nm) after the interaction of the focused femtosecond laser with air. On this basis, the energy transmittance of the central wavelength of the femtosecond pulses is obtained. It is found that as the air pressure is lower than 1 kPa, the transmitted spectra of focused femtosecond pulses change with the pressure, but there is almost no energy depletion, while as the air pressure is higher than 1 kPa, femtosecond filamentation occurs and the energy transmittance of the central wavelength of the femtosecond pulses decreases with the increase of air pressure and pulse energy. According to the different regimes (i.e., nonfilamentation, and filamentation regimes), we discuss the effect of energy conversion and transfer on the energy transmittance. This work can help to understand the energy depletion during the transmission of ultrashort intense laser pulses in air and provide a guidance for the practical applications of femtosecond filamentation.

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