Effect of atmospheric turbulence on modulational instability in laser-pulse propagation

Multiple filamentation is a major problem for laser pulse propagation in the atmosphere. In this article, we study the influence of a turbulent atmosphere on the growth of the modulational instability which is the cause of multiple filamentation. It is shown that the growth rate of this instability decreases when it is considered that the index of refraction has a stochastic behavior. A good qualitative agreement between the analytical and numerical results is obtained.

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In this article, the influence of a turbulent atmosphere on the growth of modulational instability, which is the cause of multiple filamentation, is studied. It is found that considering the stochastic behavior of the refractive index leads to a decrease in the growth rate of this instability. Good qualitative agreement between analytical and numerical results is obtained.