Abstract

Self-phase modulation of light in a nonlinear medium is a well-known phenomenon resulting from the intensity dependence of refractive indices. Its occurrence in space leads to self-focusing or defocusing, while its occurrence in time yields spectral broadening. With ultrashort laser pulses, the spectral broadening can be so strong as to form a continuum extending from IR to near UV. Such a broadening has been used extensively as a continuum source in the studies of ultrafast phenomena, but its basic understanding is not yet complete.

© 1987 Optical Society of America