Comparison of the solutions from a novel variational method with numerical results for the study of beam propagation in a Kerr medium with nonlinear absorption.

We present results from a novel variational method for the study of beam propagation in a Kerr medium with nonlinear absorption. This new method combines the variational method and a nonlinear absorption equation and gives a concise expression for the combination. The results obtained with this method show good quantitative agreement with numerical solutions obtained with the finite-difference method. It is shown that the variational method takes much less time than a numerical simulation with the finite-difference method for analysis of beam propagation in a thick medium with nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction. The new method makes detailed analysis of beam propagation in a Kerr medium with nonlinear absorption very simple and fast.