Evaluation of nonlinear absorptivity in internal modification of bulk glass by ultrashort laser pulses.

Thermal conduction model is presented, by which nonlinear absorptivity of ultrashort laser pulses in internal modification of bulk glass is simulated. The simulated nonlinear absorptivity agrees with experimental values with maximum uncertainty of ± 3% in a wide range of laser parameters at 10 ps pulse duration in borosilicate glass. The nonlinear absorptivity increases with increasing energy and repetition rate of the laser pulse, reaching as high as 90%. The increase in the average absorbed laser power is accompanied by the extension of the laser-absorption region toward the laser source. Transient thermal conduction model for three-dimensional heat source shows that laser energy is absorbed by avalanche ionization seeded by thermally excited free-electrons at locations apart from the focus at pulse repetition rates higher than 100 kHz.