Controlled multibeam supercontinuum generation with a spatial light modulator

We report on deterministic femtosecond multifilamentation in fused silica by encoding a diffractive microlens array into a spatial light modulator. The efficiency and focal length of each microlens are modified through the addressing voltage. This allows for a precise control on the energy coupled to the filaments thus obtaining a homogenized supercontinuum pattern from an inhomogeneous irradiance input distribution. Slight changes in the focal length of the microlenses allow for independent tailoring of the supercontinuum spectra. ? 1989-2012 IEEE.