We are using a high power pulsed IR laser system to study IR filaments in air. Filamentation is the process by which competing non-linear phenomenon are used to "balance" beam expansion with beam contraction. The result of filamentation is a beam waist that remains small over distances far beyond the rayleigh range. The various filamentory phenomenon we are currently exploring include plasma formation, conical emission, supercontinuum generation, all in concert with beam profile diagnostics. We are also employing an aerodynamic window to launch these IR filaments into the air.

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