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On the localization of the high-intensity region of simultaneous space-time foci

Abstract:

Simultaneous space-time focusing (SSTF) is sometimes claimed to reduce the longitudinal extent of the high-intensity region near the focus, in contradiction to the original work on this topic. Here we seek to address this confusion by using numerical and analytical methods to investigate the degree of localization of the spatio-temporal intensity of an SSTF pulse. The analytical method is found to be in excellent agreement with numerical calculations and yields, for bi-Gaussian input pulses, expressions for the three-dimensional spatio-temporal intensity profile of the SSTF pulse, and for the on-axis bandwidth, pulse duration, and pulse-front tilt (PFT) of the SSTF pulse. To provide further insight, we propose a method for determining the transverse input profile of a non-SSTF pulse with equivalent spatial focusing. We find that the longitudinal variations of the peak axial intensities of the SSTF and spatially equivalent (SE) pulses are the same, apart from a constant factor, and hence that SSTF does not constrain the region of high intensity more than a non-SSTF pulse with equivalent focusing. We demonstrate that a simplistic method for calculating the pulse intensity exaggerates the degree of intensity localization, unless the spatio-temporal couplings inherent to SSTF pulses are accounted for.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1364/oe.546012

Authors

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Physics
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Engineering Science
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Physics
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Engineering Science
Oxford college:
St Hugh's College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-9525-8981
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Physics
Sub department:
Atomic & Laser Physics
Oxford college:
Merton College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-1243-520X


More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/057g20z61
Grant:
ST/V001655/1
More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/0439y7842
Grant:
EP/V006797/1


Publisher:
Optica Publishing Group
Journal:
Optics Express More from this journal
Volume:
33
Issue:
4
Pages:
7645-7660
Publication date:
2025-02-14
Acceptance date:
2025-02-05
DOI:
EISSN:
1094-4087


Language:
English
Pubs id:
2090916
Local pid:
pubs:2090916
Deposit date:
2025-03-03
ARK identifier:

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