Abstract

Nonlinear interactions of radiation with the atmosphere have been of interest to the scientific community for some time now, primarily in connection with nonlinear propagation phenomena such as self-focusing, thermal blooming, and stimulated scattering¹. The nonlinear interaction of radiation with atmospheric aerosols, including such interesting applications as dispersal of fogs and hazes has also been thoroughly treated². These processes are all examples of nonlinear interactions strong enough to significantly alter either the real or imaginary part the propagation vector of the radiation. The high radiation fluences required for these processes limits their occurrence in the atmosphere to short ranges or requires the use of very high energy beams.

© 1990 Optical Society of America