Abstract

The mode structure of an oscillator consisting of a phase conjugate mirror (PCM) and a conventional mirror (CM) has been discussed by several authors.¹ These oscillators exhibit different behaviour than their conventional counterparts. In particular, a phase conjugate oscillator (PCO) is always geometrically stable regardless of the cavity length or the CM radius of curvature, positive or negative. We have constructed a PCO which incorporates a PCM based on a Brillouin-enhanced four-wave mixing process that has been discussed previously.² This PCM has a reflectivity greater than unity and no frequency shift on reflection; hence this PCM facilitates PCO designs which lend themselves to simple theoretical analysis.

© 1987 Optical Society of America