Phase control of two-color filamentation

An original way to control the nonlinear propagation of an intense pulse is presented. The co-propagation of a weak $(\simeq 1\%)$ third-harmonic pulse with an intense laser pulse experiencing filamentation allows control of the nonlinear propagation of the latter. Because of quantum interference during the two-color ionisation process, the latter can be significantly enhanced or suppressed by a simple tuning of the relative phase between the two fields. As a first application, we demonstrate the production and control of an axially modulated plasma channel. Finally, an analytical formula describing the two-color ionisation rate as a function of the relative phase and intensity of the two fields is presented and tested in a propagation code. The numerical results successfully reproduce the experimental ones. (paper)