Formation of multidomain structures in the interaction of elliptic light beams with a gas mixture

It is shown that the absorption of optical energy by vibrational levels of a gas mixture can lead to the formation of several high-temperature domains along the region of propagation of a light pulse. Point and distributed mo dels of the interaction of laser radiation with a gas are analyzed. The con trol of parameters can be used to control the position of domains and their number. For practical applications (e.g., data recording in the bulk of a medium), the existence of two or more high-temperature regions in combinati on with the dynamics of chemical reactions may have both positive and negat ive effects. (C) 2001 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".