Evaluation of Efficiency of Energy Transport of Gaussian and Annular Laser Beams in Atmosphere

The spatial evolution of the transverse component of the average Poynting vector and the process of formation of the intensity distribution of laser beams propagating in a turbulent atmosphere in the receiving plane depending on the initial field distribution have been studied. The beam propagation has been considered in the cases of collimation and focusing of the Gaussian and annular laser beams; their effective radii at different power-cutoff levels at the receiving point have been calculated. The conditions that make it possible to reduce the effective radius of the annular beam in the beam waist region in comparison with the Gaussian beam with the same power have been formulated.