Fine control of terahertz radiation from filamentation by molecular lensing in air

Opt Lett. 2010 May 15;35(10):1710-2. doi: 10.1364/OL.35.001710.

Abstract

We demonstrate a method to control remotely the terahertz (THz) source in air based on the bifilamentation of femtosecond laser pulses. By fine tuning the time delay between the two pulses, a significant modulation of the THz intensity from bifilamentation is observed. The phenomenon is attributed to the molecule quantum lensing effect around the air molecule revival time, which changes the separation between the two neighboring plasma producing filaments.