ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of two transform methods used to solve the problem of propagation of light through linear media for radially symmetric and arbitrarily shaped light distributions. It deals with examples of numerical beam propagation methods applied to two examples, one for the linear propagation case and the other for the case of propagation in a nonlinear medium. Hankel transform method can be used for description of propagation in an anisotropic medium when the refractive index is constant along the propagation direction, such as along a crystallographic axis. In an isotropic medium, where the refractive index is independent of propagation direction, the Hankel transform can be used to describe propagation of radially symmetric electric fields. To accurately model propagation of a complex electro-magnetic field, both the spatial amplitude and phase distributions of the incident beam must be known.
