Reduction of multiple filamentation due to atmospheric turbulence during the propagation of a laser pulse

Abstract

• The purpose of this article is to discuss the propagation of high-power laser pulses in the atmosphere. • It has been shown that multiple filamentation can be minimized when the atmosphere is turbulent using several analytical approaches. A beam of light that is almost free of intensity discontinuities should be the outcome • This article presents a significant innovation in the treatment of stochastic problems at the mathematical level. Multiple filamentation poses a significant challenge for laser pulse propagation in the atmosphere. The purpose of this article is to explore how atmospheric turbulence influences the development of modulational instability, which results in multiple filamentation. We confirm a result that we previously published. We show through multiple analytical approaches that the growth rate of this instability decreases when the refractive index displays stochastic behavior.