Self-focusing dynamics of coupled optical beams

Self-Focusing Dynamics of Coupled Optical Beams

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the mutual collapse dynamics of two spatially separated optical beams in a Kerr medium. Depending on the initial power, beam separation, and the relative phase, we observe repulsion or attraction, which in the latter case reveals a sharp transition to a single collapsing beam. This transition to fusion of the beams is accompanied by an increase in...

Self-focusing and self-trapping of optical beams upon photopolymerization.

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that optical beams are self-focused and self-trapped upon initiating photopolymerization. This unique nonlinear optical phenomenon is dependent on the optical exposure and produces permanent index-of-refraction changes larger than 0.04. The resulting nonlinear wave equation is shown to be nonlocal in time and displays self-trapped solutions only f...

Adiabatic law for self-focusing of optical beams: erratum.

Energy shedding during nonlinear self-focusing of optical beams.

Self-focusing of intense laser beams and pulses of light in real nonlinear media is in general accompanied by material losses that require corrections to the conservative Nonlinear Schrödinger equations describing their propagation. Here we examine loss mechanisms that exist even in lossless media and are caused by shedding of energy away from the self-trapping beam making it to relax to an exa...

Small beam nonparaxiality arrests self-focusing of optical beams.

A new equation for self-focusing in the presence of small beam nonparaxiality is derived. Analysis of this equation shows that nonparaxiality remains small as the beam propagates. Nevertheless, nonparaxiality arrests self-focusing when the beam width becomes comparable to its wavelength. A series of focusing-defocusing cycles of decreasing magnitude follows, ending with a final defocusing stage...