Dynamics of Gaussian and Super-Gaussian optical beams in weakly nonlinear nonlocal media

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of Gaussian and Super-Gaussian optical beams in weakly nonlocal nonlinear media with cubic quintic nonlinearities. Through the variational method, a set of internal parameters of beam propagation are constructed and their properties, illustrated from numerical simulations. We discover that Gaussian and Super-Gaussian optical beams generally perform stable propagation with different dynamics depending on whether beams order, quintic nonlinearity and/or nonlocality are taken into account. The evolution of the light beams is periodic due to the competition between nonlinearities and diffraction. The phase front curvature increases with the beams order when the width decreases. The numerical study of the interaction between a Gaussian and Super-Gaussian optical beams, shows that with or without the quintic nonlinearity and/or nonlocality, various behaviours such as repulsion, attraction and soft shock waves are observed. Moreover, new phenomena are exhibited in the case of the Super-Gaussian, according to their shape.