Dynamic small-scale self-focusing of a femtosecond laser pulse

The formation of many filaments in a laser pulse with initial perturbations of the intensity propagated in a turbulent atmosphere is studied numerically. It is shown that the competition between nonlinear focuses can slow down the formation of filaments during their propagation. The number of filaments in the turbulent atmosphere increases with distance. Nonstationary interference upon defocusing in a laser plasma leads to the appearance of secondary filaments. The dynamic competition between filaments produced during the pulse shortens their length and the length of plasma channels.