Phase and amplitude near-resonance self-action in periodically modulated laser beams

Abstract

Full space-time numerical modeling of near-resonance self-action of a beam, whose frequency is harmonically modulated in time, is presented. Maxwell-Bloch equations describing the propagation of the beam through a two-level medium with saturable absorption and refraction are solved using an original stable numerical scheme for multidimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equations. Delayed redistribution of intensity over the beam cross-section due to nonlinear self-focusing and self-phase-modulation effects is shown to affect the phase and the amplitude dynamics of the output signal in a rather nontrivial way, depending on the carrier laser frequency.