Filamentation of beam shaped femtosecond laser pulses in gases and liquids

In this talk, we will review recent and on-going experiments on femtosecond laser filametation at the University of Arizona. Our overall approach is based on the utilization of various beam shapes for controlling filamentation in gases and liquids. In particular, Bessel beams with their extended linear foci facilitate the creation of longitudinally extended filaments. Femtosecond Airy beams allow the generation of curved filaments that follow bent trajectories of the main intensity features of these beams. The broadband conical emission by curved filaments in this case allows for the detailed study of pulse evolution along the optical path. We currently extend this work onto the generation of regular arrays of filaments by using intense femtosecond Bessel beams of higher order.