Light Filaments in Air

New and more powerful lasers, new understandings of filament manipulation and control, and new effects produced by filaments are bringing a new area of exploration and developments in molecular optics, attoscience, meta-optics, THz emission and nonlinear wave optics. The authors are all part of a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) on this topic. This book covers from the fundamental science of single filaments, their radiation, to multiple filament formation and their cross interaction, the projection of energy sources with filaments, and the interaction of filament structures with materials. It starts with some tutorial chapters about the physics of filamentation in air, followed by in depth chapters on the latest research in the topic including applications. A first objective of this book is to present a clear and unified picture of the physics of filaments in air. A second objective is to present a realistic picture of the present and future applications of filaments. Upon initial observation of filaments, researchers got excited by the promising application to guide light, transport optical energy, over long distances etc., prospects that spurred most of the research efforts. But they got more than they bargained for. Now, after more than two decades and in light of the accumulated research efforts, it is time to take a step back and reassess what can and cannot be done.