Abstract

Optical filamentation has been the subject of intense studies and is exploited in many applications, including THz waves generation and pulse compression [1]. Filamentation in molecular gases shows peculiar features with respect to analogous phenomena in atomic media, owing to the occurrence of rotational and vibrational molecular excitation. Indeed spatio-temporal effects, ascribed to the rotational Raman response, have been recently demonstrated in the wake of an optical filament excited in N₂ [2]. The study of vibrational effects in filamentation is, on the other hand, at an early stage [3].

© 2009 IEEE