Optical beams in sub-strongly non-local nonlinear media: A variational solution

Discussed is the propagation of optical beams in non-local nonlinear media modelled by 1 + 1D non-local nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NNLSE). In the sub-strongly non-local case, an approximate analytical solution is obtained for an arbitrary response function by a variational approach. Described by a combination of the Jacobian elliptic functions, the solution is periodic, and its period depends on not only the input power but also the initial beam width, which is confirmed by the numerical simulation of the NNLSE.