Ionization-induced blueshift of high-peak-power guided-wave ultrashort laser pulses in hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers

Abstract

Ionization-induced change in the refractive index of a gas is shown to give rise to a substantial spectral blueshift of megawatt light pulses transmitted through a gas-filled hollow photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). This effect suggests the ways of controlling not only the rate, but also the sign of the soliton frequency shift for high-peak-power ultrashort light pulses guided in hollow PCFs filled with Raman-active ionizing gases.