Self-trapping with picosecond light pulses

Molecular mechanisms in liquids, which are responsible for the self-trapping of small-scale filaments of light, have been tested with regard to inertial response. Picosecond light pulses are found to self-trap even in viscous liquids and rigid glass where linear and rotational diffusional motions are frozen out. This and other evidence based on the characteristics of these filaments supports a molecular electronic distortion mechanism. © 1968 The American Physical Society.