Abstract

Energy transfer between waves in photorefractive media occurs generally in one direction only, with a coupling dependent on the imaginary part of the modulated space charge field. Ringhofer and Solymar¹ have described a mechanism in which energy is transferred inward from two pump beams and in which the coupling is partially dependent on the real part of the space charge field. This talk explores qualitative features of this mechanism such as the symmetry between the internal companion orders and the two pump beams and the required frequency detuning among the four beams. Experimental studies in which one pump beam was frequency shifted off a moving mirror allowed experimental verification of this mechanism in ring and linear resonators.

© 1992 Optical Society of America