Control of filamentation for enhancing remote detection with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

We report on the use of a novel phase element to control the far-field intensity pattern generated by a high-peak-power, femtosecond laser. The pre-determined intensity pattern results in a well defined location of the filaments formed by the propagation of these beams through the atmosphere. This enhancement of the localization and repeatability of the intensity distribution can be extremely beneficial for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) of remote regions of interest.