Collapse of Incoherent Light Beams in Inertial Bulk Kerr Media

Abstract

We use the coherent density function theory to show that partially coherent beams are unstable and may collapse in inertial bulk Kerr media. The threshold power for collapse, and its dependence on the degree of coherence, is found analytically and checked numerically. The internal dynamics of the walk-off modes is illustrated for collapsing and diffracting partially coherent beams.