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Space-time dynamics of ultrashort pulses in vacuum

  • Atoms, Spectra, Radiation
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Abstract

An analytical study is made of the evolution of spatially bounded pulses whose length amounts to several periods of the field oscillations. An equation is analyzed that describes unidirectional (reflectionless) propagation of light pulses in vacuum. The method of moments is used to find the variations in length, effective width of the wave field, and other characteristic averaged parameters of a pulse along its propagation path. A broad class of self-similar solutions describing the focusing of the light pulses is found. Finally, by direct integration of the starting equation it is shown that a horseshoe-shaped precursor forms near the leading edge of the pulse.

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Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 35–46 (July 1999)

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Mironov, V.A. Space-time dynamics of ultrashort pulses in vacuum. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 89, 18–23 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558949

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558949

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