Near-field dynamics of ultrashort pulsed Bessel beams in media with Kerr nonlinearity

The near-field dynamics of a femtosecond Bessel beam propagating in a Kerr nonlinear medium (fused silica) is investigated both numerically and experimentally. We demonstrate that the input Bessel beam experiences strong nonlinear reshaping. Due to the combined action of self-focusing and nonlinear losses the reshaped beam exhibits a radial compression and reduced visibility of the Bessel oscillations. Moreover, we show that the reshaping process starts from the intense central core and gradually replaces the Bessel beam profile during propagation, highlighting the conical geometry of the energy flow.