Abstract
Although laser diode-pumped ring passive phase-conjugate mirrors (PPCM) have been studied before, not much interest has been paid to the system formed by a semiconductor laser with a phase-conjugate external activity. To this end we have been investigating the properties of just such a coupled cavity. Here we present the results of our beam quality measurements. In our experiment we use a ring PPCM that includes an optical isolator to make it unidirectional. This gives it the characteristics of a double phase-conjugate mirror (DPCM). It is coupled by a variable attenuator to a Hitachi HLP-1400 laser diode. Because of the slow response time of the nonlinear medium (barium titanate) the PPCM can act as either a phase conjugator or a dynamic hologram depending on the time scale chosen for the experiment. We investigate both cases and compare the results to a conventional external cavity. We find the beam quality of the ring PPCM to be rather poor. The rise time of the fidelity is slower than that of the phase-conjugate reflectivity. External cavity modes of the system are measured as well. We observe nonphase-conjugate spots directed back to the laser.
© 1991 Optical Society of America
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