Spatiotemporal control of laser intensity through cross-phase modulation.

Spatiotemporal pulse shaping provides control over the trajectory and range of an intensity peak. While this control can enhance laser-based applications, the optical configurations required for shaping the pulse can constrain the transverse or temporal profile, duration, or orbital angular momentum (OAM). Here we present a novel technique for spatiotemporal control that mitigates these constraints by using a "stencil" pulse to spatiotemporally structure a second, primary pulse through cross-phase modulation (XPM) in a Kerr lens.

Emission of electromagnetic waves as a stopping mechanism for nonlinear collisionless ionization waves in a high-β regime.

A high energy density plasma embedded in a neutral gas is able to launch an outward-propagating nonlinear electrostatic ionization wave that traps energetic electrons. The trapping maintains a strong sheath electric field, enabling rapid and long-lasting wave propagation aided by field ionization. Using 1D3V kinetic simulations, we examine the propagation of the ionization wave in the presence of a transverse MG-level magnetic field with the objective to identify qualitative changes in a regime where the initial thermal pressure of the plasma exceeds the pressure of the magnetic field (β>1).