Kenneth R. MacDonald

Theory of a self-pumped phase conjugator with two coupled interaction regions

We present a plane-wave analysis of a recently demonstrated self-pumped phase conjugator. This device uses four-wave mixing to produce the phase-conjugate replica of an incident optical wave. All the waves are derived from the single incident wave: there are no externally supplied pumping beams. We consider the case of four-wave mixing in two interaction regions coupled by simple reflection. We calculate the phase-conjugate reflectivity as a function of coupling strength, taking into account imperfect coupling between the two interaction regions, and show that there is a threshold coupling strength below which the reflectivity is zero and above which the reflectivity is multiple valued. We also compute the coupling strength per unit length for a photorefractive crystal of barium titanate.

Asymmetric transmission through a photorefractive crystal of barium titanate

Abstract We have investigated the feasibility of using a barium titanate crystal as a unidirectional device. The nonlinear interaction between a beam and its own reflection from the back face of the crystal causes an effective increase or decrease in the transmission through the crystal, depending on whether the incident beam propagates along or against the crystal c -axis, respectively. This effect was investigated for several wavelengths and compared with theory. It is possible to make a device that has an average transmission of ≈94% and a transmission asymmetry of 1% by using a crystal whose front and back faces are cut so that their normals are at angle of ≈30° to the crystal c -axis.

Passive one-way aberration correction using four-wave mixing

We have demonstrated a passive method for recovering an optical image that has been degraded by being passed through a thin phase-aberrating medium. This method relies on a point source situated near the object of interest to sample the aberration impressed upon the wave front. Degenerate four-wave mixing in fluorescein-doped boric acid glass was used to reconstruct the wave front.

Laser beam combining in potassium vapor

Energy transfer between two laser beams of comparable intensity due to their nonlinear interactions in an atomic vapor was investigated. Strong coupling occurs due to stimulated Rayleigh scattering when the frequencies of the two waves differ by the inverse of the excited-state lifetime. The energy transfer between two nearly equal energy pulses from an alexandrite laser tuned near the 4/sup 2/S/sub 1/2/ to 4/sup 2/P/sub 3/2/ transition of potassium vapor was measured. It was found that as much as 85% of the total incident energy was contained in one of the output beams. >

Vector Phase Conjugation And Beam Combining By Multiwave Optical Mixing

This paper presents a review of the various techniques for achieving vector phase conjugation and some results on a new method for laser beam combining based on multiwave optical mixing in atomic vapors.

Laser Beam Combining Through The Nonlinear Response Of A Strongly Driven Atomic Transition

We present the results of an experimental and theoretical study of the gain experienced by a weak probe beam propagating through a sodium vapor in the presence of an intense pump field that is nearly resonant with the 3s→3p atomic transition. This interaction provides a means by which the outputs of two lasers can be combined coherently. The probe transmission spectrum is comprised of three distinct features, two of which result in amplification of the probe wave. The origin of these features can be traced to the modification of the atomic level structure by the ac Stark effect. The experimentally measured spectra are in good agreement with the predictions of a theoretical model based on the solution of the density-matrix equations of motion for a two-level atom and including the effects of Doppler broadening. The dependence of the induced gain on the pressure of a helium buffer gas has been measured and is in good agreement with the predictions of theory. The maximum gain observed in these experiments occurs at one of the Rabi sidebands and leads to a 38-fold increase in the intensity of the probe wave.