Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 May 2013
This paper deals with the analysis of growth rate of modulation instability of a laser pulse propagating in a clustered gas. Finite pulse effects are considered to be a perturbation. Growth rates of modulation instability for 100 fs and 80 fs at the centroid as well as at the front and back of the pulses are evaluated and graphically analyzed. It has been shown that with decrease in pulse duration the growth rate of modulation instability increases at the front, back as well as at the centroid of the pulse. It is also shown that the change in growth rate of modulation instability at the front as well as at the back of the pulse in comparison to the centroid of the pulse for 80 fs pulse is less in comparison to that of 100 fs pulse.