Numerical studies of beam and pulse propagation in lasers and nonlinear media: Transverse pattern dynamics and nonparaxial effects (Q1382333)

This paper presents a review of recent work in numerical modelling of transverse pattern formation and dynamics in lasers and nonparaxial beam propagation. The algorithms developed involve the field decomposition in terms of the Gauss-Laguerre modes. Three models are discussed in detail. In the first one, the transverse pattern evolution of a short pulse in a ring unidirectional laser with a homogeneously broadened optically thin active medium is considered under the approximation of transversely synchronous pulse. In the second model the limitation of thin active medium is removed and the propagation of self-acting beam through the active medium of arbitrary thickness is taken into account solving the conventional paraxial wave equation. In the third model, the Gauss-Laguerre decomposition is used to solve the Helmholtz equation describing nonparaxial beam propagation in nonlinear media.