Effect of the interaction of spatial modes on the nonlinear dynamics of sound beams

Propagation of an acoustic beam in a medium with a combined second-and third-order nonlinearity is studied. The derivation of the dynamics equations and the determination of modes is performed using the orthogonal-projection operator technique. The problem on the beam evolution considered with allowance for weak nonlinearity, diffraction, and dissipation leads to a set of equations describing the interaction of directed waves and a quasi-stationary (thermal) mode. In the conditions of a directed beam, the inclusion of the interaction leads to a modified Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. The solutions to the problem are obtained in the region near the beam axis, in the form of series expansions in the transverse coordinate up to the focal point. The results of calculations are represented in graphical form for different nonlinearity combinations.