ABSTRACT
The main approach in SBS phase conjugate lasers is to use the SBS reflection as one of the cavity mirrors of a laser resonator, to form a so-called phase conjugate resonator. The motivation for incorporating the SBS mirror is for the production of high spatial quality radiation despite aberrations within the laser system. Due to the threshold nature of the SBS process, the laser normally requires a conventional ‘start-up’ cavity to initiate the SBS mirror. Some simple cavity configurations are shown in figure 9.1. The nonlinearity of the SBS process can also change the temporal characteristics of the laser, including producing self-Q-switching.
