Propagation of light in linear and quadratic GRIN media: The Bohm potential

Abstract It is shown that field propagation in linear and quadratic gradient-index (GRIN) media obeys the same rules of free propagation in the sense that a field propagating in free space has a (mathematical) form that may be exported to those particular GRIN media. The Bohm potential is introduced in order to explain the reason of such behavior: it changes the dynamics by modifying the original potential. The concrete cases of two different initials conditions for each potential are analyzed.