Double-Pulse Laser Modification of Transparent Materials: Energy Coupling and Plasma Shielding

The interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with transparent materials attracts increasing attention as a powerful technique of tailoring material properties. This technique is widely adopted in many applications based on 3D photonic structures in bulk optical materials among which optical glasses are of prime importance due to their relatively low cost, processability, and possibility of governing refractive index. Dynamics of laser-induced glass modification is still not completely understood while new laser sources and novel irradiation regimes, e.g., using spatiotemporally shaped beams, demonstrate a great potential for achieving predesigned material structures.