Control of laser filamentation in fused silica by a periodic microlens array

Deterministic wavelength-dependent multifilamentation is controlled in fused silica by adjusting the diffraction pattern generated by a loosely focusing 2D periodic lens array. By simply translating the sample along the propagation axis the number and distribution of filaments can be controlled and are in agreement with the results of linear diffraction simulations. The loose focusing geometry allows for long filaments whose distribution is conserved along their propagation inside the sample. The effect of incident energy and polarization on filament number is also studied. Laser filamentation controlled by a microlens array could be a promising method for easy and fast 3D track writing in transparent materials.