Abstract

In this paper we discuss the characteristics of the scattering of pulsed Gaussian beams from a variety of linear-nonlinear interfaces. These results are obtained [R. W. Ziolkowski and J. Judkins, “Full-wave vector Maxwell equation modeling of the self-focusing of ultrashort optical pulses in a nonlinear Kerr medium exhibiting a finite response time”, to appear in JOSA B, January 1993.] with a multi-dimensional, full- wave, vector Maxwell’s equation solution method that models the interaction of ultra-short, pulsed optical beams with a nonlinear Kerr material having a finite response time. This nonlinear finite difference time domain (NL-FDTD) approach combines a nonlinear generalization of a standard, FDTD, full-wave, vector, linear Maxwell’s equation solver with a currently used phenomenological time relaxation (Debye) model of a nonlinear Kerr material. In contrast to a number of recently reported numerical solutions of the full-wave, vector, time-independent Maxwell’s equations and of vector paraxial equations, the FDTD approach is a time-dependent analysis which accounts for the complete time evolution of the system with no envelope approximations.

© 1993 Optical Society of America