Self-focusing of CW Laser Beam with Variable Radius in Rubidium Atomic Vapor

Self-focusing of a cw laser beam in rubidium atomic vapor was studied. The beam power and beam spot size at entrance of a glass cell with the rubidium vapor were variable parameters. A steep grow of the threshold power of self-focusing for the small beam radii (< 30 {\mu}m) was observed. Our experimental data are in an agreement with the theoretical results published by Semak and Shneider in 2013. Additional experiments in resonance and transparent media are suggested in order to check and extend our measurements.