Submit to Sensors Review for Sensors Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Published Papers

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2023) | Viewed by 20453

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Weiwei Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Modern Optics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Interests: ultrafast nonlinear optics and THz photonics

Prof. Dr. Huailiang Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130015, China
Interests: laser spectroscopy; femtosecond Laser fabrication; sensors; microlasers; laser-matter interaction; combustion diagnotics; laser sensing; atomic and molecular spectroscopy; laser filamentation; molecular dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Liu Yi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Optical-electrical Information Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: ultrafast nonlinear optics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Femtosecond filamentation is a unique nonlinear optical phenomenon observed extensively in liquids, solids, and gases, in which ultrashort laser pulses propagate over long distances with high intensity. Its applications in remote sensing, laser communication, laser fabrication, advanced laser technology, etc., have aroused broad research interests. During filamentation, several physical processes are involved. The scales of the space and time are also widely spanned in the study of filamentation, and the electromagnetic wave frequency covers broad range from ultraviolet to microwave. Currently, the study of the filamentation remains very challenging, being a new interdisciplinary frontier involving physics, chemistry, material science, biomedical science, environment, artificial intelligent, electronics, and so on.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together cutting-edge research and advancements in this fascinating topic, particularly focusing on

Sensing of filamentation, including characterizing the filamentary light pulse, the evolution of plasma, the molecular/atom excitation dynamic, modification of materials, etc.;
Sensing using filamentation, including remote sensing, super-resolution imaging, THz spectroscopy, etc.;
New sensing technology based on filamentation, including new light source generation (for example, THz, UV, IR laser pulse) , acoustic detection, micro structure/device fabrication, etc.

It is expected that this coming Special Issue will benefit the community by reporting new advances in this forefront field crossing broad topics and help newcomers easily gain familiarity with the community.

Prof. Dr. Weiwei Liu
Prof. Dr. Huailiang Xu
Prof. Dr. Liu Yi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 11612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Simulation of Air Lasing Seeded by an External Wave in a Femtosecond Laser Filament

by Tao Zeng, Ya Gui, Yuliang Yi, Nan Li, Zhi Zhang, Jiewei Guo, Binpeng Shang and Lanjun Guo

Sensors 2023, 23(20), 8364; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23208364 - 10 Oct 2023

Viewed by 673

Abstract

Air lasers induced by femtosecond laser filaments play an important role in remote sensing applications. Few studies have been dedicated to the spatial distribution of external-seeded air laser radiation in the laser filament based on the numerical simulation method, which can pave the way to understanding the mechanism of the external-seeded air lasing process during filamentation. In this study, numerical simulations of the propagation of an air laser seeded by an external plane wave with a wavelength of 391 nm during femtosecond laser filamentation were performed. The results indicated that the air laser’s beam intensity distribution varies from a ring pattern to a donut pattern when the filament length and nitrogen ion density are raised as a result of the defocusing and lasing effects of the filament plasma. Here, the ring pattern is formed by several thin rings, while the donut pattern refers to a notably thicker, ring-like structure. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the air laser’s beam power would increase exponentially versus the filament length and the nitrogen ion density. The knowledge about the angular distribution of air lasing could be important for optimizing the detection geometry of the LIDAR setup, including the view angle and the size of the collecting optical component. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 10079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improved Algorithms of Data Processing for Dispersive Interferometry Using a Femtosecond Laser

by Tao Liu, Jiucheng Wu, Amane Suzuki, Ryo Sato, Hiraku Matsukuma and Wei Gao

Sensors 2023, 23(10), 4953; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23104953 - 21 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1184

Abstract

Two algorithms of data processing are proposed to shorten the unmeasurable dead-zone close to the zero-position of measurement, i.e., the minimum working distance of a dispersive interferometer using a femtosecond laser, which is a critical issue in millimeter-order short-range absolute distance measurement. After demonstrating the limitation of the conventional data processing algorithm, the principles of the proposed algorithms, namely the spectral fringe algorithm and the combined algorithm that combines the spectral fringe algorithm with the excess fraction method, are presented, together with simulation results for demonstrating the possibility of the proposed algorithms for shortening the dead-zone with high accuracy. An experimental setup of a dispersive interferometer is also constructed for implementing the proposed data processing algorithms over spectral interference signals. Experimental results demonstrate that the dead-zone using the proposed algorithms can be as small as half of that of the conventional algorithm while measurement accuracy can be further improved using the combined algorithm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 2428 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Revealing Local Temporal Profile of Laser Pulses of Intensity above 10¹⁴ W/cm²

by Qi Lu, Xiang Zhang, Arnaud Couairon and Yi Liu

Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3101; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063101 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1257

Abstract

We demonstrated a method for in situ temporal characterization of an intense femtosecond laser pulse around its focus where the laser intensity exceeds 10¹⁴ W/cm². Our method is based on the second harmonic generation (SHG) by a relatively weak femtosecond probe pulse and the intense femtosecond pulses under analysis in the gas plasma. With the increase in the gas pressure, it was found that the incident pulse evolves from a Gaussian profile to a more complicated structure featured by multiple peaks in the temporal domain. Numerical simulations of filamentation propagation support the experimental observations of temporal evolution. This simple method can be applied to many situations involving femtosecond laser–gas interaction, when the temporal profile of the femtosecond pump laser pulse with an intensity above 10¹⁴ W/cm² cannot be measured in traditional ways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3176 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Air Turbulence on Vortex Beams in Nonlinear Propagation

by Di Zhu, Chunhua Li, Xiaodong Sun, Yali Liu, Yuqi Zhang and Hui Gao

Sensors 2023, 23(4), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041772 - 04 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1340

Abstract

Vortex beams with orthogonality can be widely used in atmospheric applications. We numerically analyzed the statistical regularities of vortex beams propagating through a lens or an axicon with different series of turbulent air phase screens. The simulative results revealed that the distortion of the transverse intensity was sensitive to the location and the structure constant of the turbulence screen. In addition, the axicon can be regarded as a very useful optical device, since it can not only suppress the turbulence but also maintain a stable beam pattern. We further confirmed that a vortex beam with a large topological charge can suppress the influence of air turbulence. Our outcomes are valuable for many applications in the atmospheric air, especially for optical communication and remote sensing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 2310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensing Trace-Level Metal Elements in Water Using Chirped Femtosecond Laser Pulses in the Filamentation Regime

by Shanming Chen, Xun Cong, Junyan Chen, Hongwei Zang, Helong Li and Huailiang Xu

Sensors 2022, 22(22), 8775; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22228775 - 13 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1299

Abstract

Femtosecond filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy (FIBS) is an efficient approach in remote and in situ detection of a variety of trace elements, but it was recently discovered that the FIBS of water is strongly dependent on the large-bandgap semiconductor property of water, making the FIBS signals sensitive to laser ionization mechanisms. Here, we show that the sensitivity of the FIBS technique in monitoring metal elements in water can be efficiently improved by using chirped femtosecond laser pulses, but an asymmetric enhancement of the FIBS intensity is observed for the negatively and positively chirped pulses. We attribute the asymmetric enhancement to their different ionization rates of water, in which the energy of the photons participating in the ionization process in the front part of the negatively chirped pulse is higher than that in the positively chirped pulse. By optimizing the pulse chirp, we show that the limit of detection of the FIBS technique for metal elements in water, e.g., aluminum, can reach to the sub-ppm level, which is about one order of magnitude better than that by the transform-limited pulse. We further examine the FIBS spectra of several representative water samples including commercial mineral water, tap water, and lake water taken from two different environmental zones, i.e., a national park and a downtown business district (Changchun, China), from which remarkably different concentrations of Ca, Na, and K elements of these samples are obtained. Our results provide a possibility of using FIBS for direct and fast metal elemental analysis of water in different field environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 1559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broadband Terahertz Detection by Laser Plasma with Balanced Optical Bias

by Xu Sun, Zhi-Hui Lyu, Hai-Zhong Wu, Cong-Sen Meng, Dong-Wen Zhang, Zhi-Zhong Lu, Xiao-Wei Wang, Zeng-Xiu Zhao and Jian-Min Yuan

Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7569; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197569 - 06 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1369

Abstract

Using a controlled optical bias and balanced geometry, we propose a new scheme for broadband terahertz detection by laser-gas interaction without high-voltage manipulation. Compared to the conventional optical bias scheme, the common noise is reduced and the dynamic range as well as the signal-to-noise ratio are doubled. It provides a simple alternative for coherent broadband terahertz detection. The influence of optical bias on terahertz waveform is also investigated, and the evolution of the terahertz-induced second harmonic with probe delay is further revealed. This new detection scheme for broadband terahertz will boost the application of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy for its miniaturization and integrability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 2547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Focusing Properties on Astigmatic Gaussian Beams in Nonlinear Medium

by Shishi Tao, Jiayun Xue, Jiewei Guo, Xing Zhao, Zhi Zhang, Lie Lin and Weiwei Liu

Sensors 2022, 22(18), 6981; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22186981 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1969

Abstract

Ultra-short laser filamentation has been intensively studied due to its unique optical properties for applications in the field of remote sensing and detection. Although significant progress has been made, the quality of the laser beam still suffers from various optical aberrations during long-range transmission. Astigmatism is a typical off-axis aberration that is often encountered in the off-axis optical systems. An effective method needs to be proposed to suppress the astigmatism of the beam during filamentation. Herein, we numerically investigated the impact of the nonlinear effects on the focusing properties of the astigmatic Gaussian beams in air and obtained similar results in the experiment. As the single pulse energy increases, the maximum on-axis intensity gradually shifted from the sagittal focus to the tangential focus and the foci moved forward simultaneously. Moreover, the astigmatism could be suppressed effectively with the enhancement of the nonlinear effects, that is, the astigmatic difference and the degree of beam distortion were both reduced. Through this approach, the acoustic intensity of the filament (located at the tangential focal point) increased by a factor of 22.8. Our work paves a solid step toward the practical applications of the astigmatism beam as the nonlinear lidar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2671 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nonlinear Propagation and Filamentation on 100 Meter Air Path of Femtosecond Beam Partitioned by Wire Mesh

by Yuri E. Geints, Olga V. Minina, Ilia Yu. Geints, Leonid V. Seleznev, Dmitrii V. Pushkarev, Daria V. Mokrousova, Georgy E. Rizaev, Daniil E. Shipilo, Irina A. Nikolaeva, Maria V. Kurilova, Nikolay A. Panov, Olga G. Kosareva, Aurélien Houard, Arnaud Couairon, Andrey A. Ionin and Weiwei Liu

Sensors 2022, 22(17), 6322; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22176322 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1439

Abstract

High-intensity (∼1 TW/cm

^{2}

High-intensity (∼1 TW/cm

^{2}

and higher) region formed in the propagation of ∼60 GW, 90 fs Ti:Sapphire laser pulse on a ∼100 m path in air spans for several tens of meters and includes a plasma filament and a postfilament light channel. The intensity in this extended region is high enough to generate an infrared supercontinuum wing and to initiate laser-induced discharge in the gap between the electrodes. In the experiment and simulations, we delay the high-intensity region along the propagation direction by inserting metal-wire meshes with square cells at the laser system output. We identify the presence of a high-intensity region from the clean-spatial-mode distributions, appearance of the infrared supercontinuum wing, and occurrence of the laser-induced discharge. In the case of free propagation (without any meshes), the onset of the high-intensity zone is at 40–52 m from the laser system output with ∼30 m extension. Insertion of the mesh with 3 mm cells delays the beginning of the high-intensity region to 49–68 m with the same ∼30 m extension. A decrease in the cell size to 1 mm leads to both delay and shrinking of the high-intensity zone to 71–73 m and 6 m, respectively. Three-dimensional simulations in space confirm the mesh-induced delay of the high-intensity zone as the cell size decreases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 3645 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measurement and Control of Radially Polarized THz Radiation from DC-Biased Laser Plasma Filaments in Air

by Bonan Han, Yanping Chen, Tianhao Xia, Linzheng Wang, Chen Wang and Zhengming Sheng

Sensors 2022, 22(14), 5231; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22145231 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1375

Abstract

Detection and manipulation of radially polarized terahertz (THz) radiation is essential for many applications. A new measurement scheme is proposed for the diagnosis of radially polarized THz radiation from a longitudinal dc-biased plasma filament, by introducing a movable metal mask. The amplitude and spectrum of the radially polarized THz beam was measured with a <110>-cut ZnTe crystal, where the THz beam pattern was modulated by the mask. Based on this measurement scheme, it was demonstrated that the amplitude and spectrum of the radially polarized THz radiation from the longitudinal dc-biased filament could be manipulated by controlling the strength and the location of the dc-biased field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2952 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Beam Wander Restrained by Nonlinearity of Femtosecond Laser Filament in Air

by Jiewei Guo, Lu Sun, Jinpei Liu, Binpeng Shang, Shishi Tao, Nan Zhang, Lie Lin and Zhi Zhang

Sensors 2022, 22(13), 4995; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22134995 - 02 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1384

Abstract

The filamentation process under atmospheric turbulence is critical to its remote-sensing application. The effects of turbulence intensity and location on the spatial distribution of femtosecond laser filaments in the air were studied. The experimental results show that the nonlinear effect of the filament [...] Read more.

3.31 \times 10^{- 13} {cm}^{- 2 / 3}

, the mean deviation of the wander of the filament center was only 27% of that of the linear transmitted beam. The change in turbulence location would lead to a change in the standard deviation of the beam centroid drift. Results also show that the filament length would be shortened, and that the filament would end up earlier in a turbulent environment. Since the filamentation-based LIDAR has been highly expected as an evolution multitrace pollutant remote-sensing technique, the study promotes our understanding of how turbulence influences filamentation and advances atmospheric remote sensing by applying a filament. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

49 pages, 19636 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation

by Pengfei Qi, Wenqi Qian, Lanjun Guo, Jiayun Xue, Nan Zhang, Yuezheng Wang, Zhi Zhang, Zeliang Zhang, Lie Lin, Changlin Sun, Liguo Zhu and Weiwei Liu

Sensors 2022, 22(18), 7076; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22187076 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5763

Abstract

Femtosecond laser filamentation is a unique nonlinear optical phenomenon when high-power ultrafast laser propagation in all transparent optical media. During filamentation in the atmosphere, the ultrastrong field of 10¹³–10¹⁴ W/cm² with a large distance ranging from meter to kilometers can effectively ionize, break, and excite the molecules and fragments, resulting in characteristic fingerprint emissions, which provide a great opportunity for investigating strong-field molecules interaction in complicated environments, especially remote sensing. Additionally, the ultrastrong intensity inside the filament can damage almost all the detectors and ignite various intricate higher order nonlinear optical effects. These extreme physical conditions and complicated phenomena make the sensing and controlling of filamentation challenging. This paper mainly focuses on recent research advances in sensing with femtosecond laser filamentation, including fundamental physics, sensing and manipulating methods, typical filament-based sensing techniques and application scenarios, opportunities, and challenges toward the filament-based remote sensing under different complicated conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sensing with Femtosecond Laser Filamentation

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Published Papers (11 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI