Features of the electron density dynamics in the filamentation of femtosecond laser radiation in air at elevated pressure

The electron density in the plasma channel of a femtosecond filament in air at pressures from 1 to 7 atm is measured at different instants, starting from the ionisation onset and up to several hundreds of picoseconds after it. The initial electron density is found to increase sharply in the pressure range of 3 – 4 atm. The plasma channel diameter is found to decrease with an increase in pressure from 3 to 7 atm.