Abstract

Based on the Wigner distribution approach, an analysis is made of the longitudinal (in 1D), and transversal (in 2D), modulational instabilities of partially incoherent light in nonlinear Kerr media. It is found that the consequences of the partial incoherence for the modulational instability depend crucially on the form of the incoherence spectrum, even to the point that qualitatively different behavior may be observed for increasing incoherence.

© 2004 Optical Society of America