ABERRATIONLESS EFFECTS OF NONLINEAR PROPAGATION

For nonlinear propagation, scaled complex ray tracing [Opt. Commun. 11 9, 218 (1995)] in samples of Kerr media is accomplished in terms of fo ur independent aberrationless effects: optical self-shortening, beam w aist shift, waist width modification, and on-axis phase shift. A compl ex amplitude nonlinear modification is also introduced, and a symplect ic nonlinear ABCD matrix is determined. All the aberrationless effects are self-consistently defined, and their dynamics are shown for focus ing and defocusing nonlinearities, beam powers up to the self-trapped soliton or critical levels, and propagation ranges including those tha t contain a self-collapse point. The multidimensional nature of the an alysis is indicated, and its relevance to pulse compression, Z-scan me asurements, and higher-order mode propagation is outlined. (C) 1996 Op tical Society of America.