The formation of optical shocks for paraxial pulses propagating in weakly nonlinear and weakly dispersive materials

Abstract

In this thesis leading order asymptotic equations describing the propagation of approximately paraxial pulses in a weakly nonlinear and weakly dispersive medium are derived using the method of multiple scales, and the formation of optical shocks in the nondispersive, purely paraxial case is investigated. How the state of polarization influences the shock have in particularly been looked in to.