Abstract

The theory of self-focusing has been applied to beams propagating in the atmosphere. The effects of density variation, absorption, and air breakdown which limit the self-focusing through power driven instabilities are estimated. It is found that laser pulses whose pulse lengths are between 10 ns and 10 μs with powers from 10²P_c to 10³P_c have a chance to self-focus. Here P_c is the critical power for self-focusing in an ideal nonattenuating medium with a nonlinear index of refraction.

© 1987 Optical Society of America

Laser resonators containing self-focusing elements

David Metcalf, Pascal de Giovanni, Jerzy Zachorowski, and Michèle Leduc
Appl. Opt. 26(21) 4508-4517 (1987)

Self-focusing of tightly focused laser beams

Oleg M. Efimov
Appl. Opt. 54(22) 6895-6903 (2015)

Self-focusing effect of annular beams propagating in the atmosphere

Yuqiu Zhang, Xiaoling Ji, Xiaoqing Li, Qiang Li, and Hong Yu
Opt. Express 25(18) 21329-21341 (2017)

Engineering equation for filamentation self-focusing collapse distance in atmospheric turbulence

Larry B. Stotts, Joseph Peñano, and Vincent J. Urick
Opt. Express 27(11) 15159-15171 (2019)

Self-focusing and group-velocity dispersion of pulsed laser beams in the inhomogeneous atmosphere

Yuqiu Zhang, Xiaoling Ji, Hao Zhang, Xiaoqing Li, Tao Wang, Huan Wang, and Yu Deng
Opt. Express 26(11) 14617-14625 (2018)