Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena, 2nd Edition

Preface to the First Edition xxi

to use such pulses for laser fusion. To reach TW intensities, tabletop devices

are replacing the building size high energy facilities previously required. First

attempts to generate short X-ray pulses by using fs pulse–induced plasmas have

already proven successful.

The short geometrical lengths of fs light pulses suggest interesting applications

for optical ranging with micrometer resolution, as well as for combinations of

micrometer spatial resolution with femtosecond temporal resolution.

The ultrashort phenomena to which this book refers are created by light

pulses, which are wave packets of electromagnetic waves oscillating at optical

frequencies. The emphasis of this book is not on the optical frequency range

but on physical phenomena associated with ultrafast electromagnetic pulses. The

latter will be ephemeral when consisting of only a small number of optical peri-

ods and spatially confined when made up of a small number of wavelengths.

Another criterion for short is that the length of the pulse be small compared with

the distance over which it propagates, particularly when large changes of shape

and modulation take place. In the particular area of light–matter interaction, a

pulse is generally considered as a δ function excitation when its duration is small

compared to that of all atomic or molecular relaxations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] J. Orear. Physik. Carl Hansen Verlag, Munchen, Vienna, Austria, 1982.

[2] R. A. Serway, C. J. Moses, and C. A. Moyer. Modern Physics. Saunders College Publishers,

Philadelphia, PA, 1989.

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