Abstract
The focusing property of a focal spot of a femtosecond laser pulse is presented under tight focusing conditions (below f-number of 1). The spatial and temporal intensity distributions of a focused electric field are calculated by vector diffraction integrals and coherent superposition method. The validity of the calculation method is examined by comparing the intensity distribution obtained under a high f-number condition to that obtained with the fast Fourier transform method that assumes the scalar paraxial approximation. The spatial and temporal modifications under tight focusing conditions are described for a focused femtosecond laser pulse. The calculation results show that a peak intensity of about 2.5×1024 W/cm2 can be achievable by tightly focusing a 12-fs, 10 PW laser pulse with a f/0.5 parabolic optic. The precise information on intensity distributions of a femtosecond focal spot obtained under a tight focusing condition will be crucial in assessing a focused intensity and in describing the motion of charged particles under an extremely strong electric field in ultra-relativistic and/or relativistic laser matter-interaction studies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11641-11656 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Optics Express |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 04 May 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics