Amplitude concentration in a phase-modulated spectrum due to femtosecond filamentation.

We present a method by which the spectral intensity of an ultrafast laser pulse can be accumulated at selected frequencies by a controllable amount. Using a 4-f pulse shaper we modulate the phase of the frequency components of a femtosecond laser. By inducing femtosecond filamentation with the modulated pulse, we can concentrate the spectral amplitude of the pulse at various frequencies. The phase mask applied by the pulse shaper determines the frequencies for which accumulation occurs, as well as the intensity of the spectral concentration. This technique provides a way to obtain pulses with adjustable amplitude using only phase modulation and the nonlinear response of a medium. This provides a means whereby information which is encoded into spectral phase jumps may be decoded into measurable spectral intensity spikes.

Femtosecond-laser-induced shockwaves in water generated at an air-water interface.

We report generation of femtosecond-laser-induced shockwaves at an air-water interface by millijoule femtosecond laser pulses. We document and discuss the main processes accompanying this phenomenon, including light emission, development of the ablation plume in the air, formation of an ablation cavity, and, subsequently, a bubble developing in water. We also discuss the possibility of remotely controlling the characteristics of laser-induced sound waves in water through linear acoustic superposition of sound waves that results from millijoule femtosecond laser-pulse interaction with an air-water interface, thus opening up the possibility of remote acoustic applications in oceanic and riverine environments.