Nonlinear Absorption of 1030-nm Ultrashort Laser Pulses in Polymethyl Methacrylate
摘要
The nonlinear interaction of 250-fs laser pulses at a wavelength of 1030 nm with polymethyl methacrylate is investigated using an optimized z-scan technique. It is shown that the mechanism of pulse attenuation for peak intensities below 0.65 TW/cm2 can be described as four-photon absorption with the coefficient β4 = (35 ± 5) cm5/TW3. The nonlinear refractive index n2 = (7.6 ± 0.4) × 10−4 cm2/TW and the critical power for the onset of self-focusing Pcr = (1.42 ± 0.08) MW are determined and these results are used to demonstrate the correspondence between the calculated shift of the nonlinear focal point and the location of the laser-modified regions.