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 ...