Propagations of Fresnel diffraction accelerating beam in Schrödinger equation with nonlocal nonlinearity*

Abstract

Accelerating beams have been the subject of extensive research in the last few decades because of their self-acceleration and diffraction-free propagation over several Rayleigh lengths. Here, we investigate the propagation dynamics of a Fresnel diffraction beam using the nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NNLSE). When a nonlocal nonlinearity is introduced into the linear Schrödinger equation without invoking an external potential, the evolution behaviors of incident Fresnel diffraction beams are modulated regularly, and certain novel phenomena are observed. We show through numerical calculations, under varying degrees of nonlocality, that nonlocality significantly affects the evolution of Fresnel diffraction beams. Further, we briefly discuss the two-dimensional case as the equivalent of the product of two one-dimensional cases. At a critical point, the Airy-like intensity profile oscillates between the first and third quadrants, and the process repeats during propagation to yield an unusual oscillation. Our results are expected to contribute to the understanding of NNLSE and nonlinear optics.