Abstract
Ultrashort pulses can exhibit two distinctive types of singularity: self-focusing collapse and self-steepening shock. We examine various ultrashort pulse propagation models and their relative effectiveness in explaining these phenomena. In particular, the modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvilli equation of type 1 (MKP1) is examined in some detail. We show that MKP1 is not simply a few-cycle pulse model but is valid in a more general broad spectrum setting. Furthermore, we emphasize that the dispersion of the MKP1 model can result in poor estimation of frequency-dependent phenomena, such as harmonic generation, which occur far away from the carrier frequency. Some of this loss of accuracy can be removed by using a more general MKP1 dispersion relation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 033806 |
Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
Volume | 86 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 4 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics