Coherent and partially coherent CW laser beam propagation in lens-like media: a diffractive ray-theoretic approach

The wave-kinetic method, a technique developed recently by Tappert and Besieris¹⁻³ or extending conventional ray-tracing methods to incorporate diffractive, refractive, and stochastic effects associated with the propagation of beamed signals, is illustrated in this thesis by considering the propagation of coherent and partially coherent cw Gaussian laser beams in lens-like media (e.g., selfoc fibers, laser induced plasmas, etc.). The main results presented here extend those reported recently in connection with vacuum propagation and deterministic propagation through media characterized by a parabolic profile. Special attention is paid on the irreversible degradation of the focusing ability of a beam due to random imperfections in a lens, with allowance for the presence of a medium having a parabolic profile.