Monomode Guiding of 10 16 W/cm 2 Laser Pulses over 100 Rayleigh Lengths in Hollow Capillary Dielectric Tubes

Monomode guiding over 100 Rayleigh lengths (10 cm) of high intensity ultrashort laser pulses ( ${10}^{16}\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, 120 fs) has been demonstrated in hollow dielectric capillary tubes (45\char21{}70 \ensuremath{\mu}m internal diameter) without inner wall damage. Analytical predictions for coupling conditions and damping length are confirmed experimentally for tubes under vacuum. With 5 to 40 mbar of He gas in the tube, when laser ionization occurs the energy and duration of the transmitted pulse decrease while its spectrum is broadened.