It has been predicted that an intense light beam in a plasma will break up into a number of self-focused filaments. We show that as a result of filamentation, strong plasma heating can occur in a wider range of densities than has been expected. The laser light decays into lower frequency modes which then heat the electrons and assist in the further development of a narrow filament.

• Received 11 April 1974

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.34.934