Polarization-dependent supercontinuum generation from light filaments in air

Opt Lett. 2005 Mar 1;30(5):534-6. doi: 10.1364/ol.30.000534.

Abstract

We investigate polarization-dependent properties of the supercontinuum emission generated from filaments produced by intense femtosecond laser pulses propagating through air over a long distance. The conversion efficiency from the 800-nm fundamental to white light is observed to be higher for circular polarization than for linear polarization when the laser intensity exceeds the threshold of the breakdown of air.