Thermal self-interaction of a partially coherent laser beam in a turbulent atmosphere

The Huygens-Kirchhoff phase approximation is used to calculate the statistical characteristics of a laser radiation field in a turbulent atmosphere under self-interaction conditions. Allowance for the induced temperature field in the beam channel is made using the constant diffraction field approximation, assuming that the coherence time of the source is short compared with the characteristic times of the processes in the medium. The wind refraction, dimensions, and coherence radius of the beam parallel and perpendicular to the direction of a fluctuating wind are obtained. It is established that nonlinear effects depend strongly on the diffraction conditions at the transmitting aperture and on the coherence of the initial field.