High-energy laser-pulse self-compression in short gas-filled fibers

We examine the spatiotemporal compression of energetic femtosecond laser pules within short gas-filled fibers. The study is undertaken using an advanced nonlinear pulse propagation model based on a multimode generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation that has been modified to include plasma effects. Plasma defocusing and linear propagation effects are shown to be the dominant processes within a highly dynamical mechanism that enables 100-fs pulses to be compressed into the few-cycle regime after <50 mm of propagation. Once the mechanism has been introduced, parameter spaces are explored and compressor designs suitable for performing high-field experiments in situ are presented. We finish by showing how these designs may be extended to novel wavelengths and driving pulses delivered by state-of-the-art high-repetition-rate lasers.