Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Optics Letters

Investigation of multipass geometries for efficient degenerate four-wave mixing in Nd:YAG

Graham J. Crofts, R.P.M. Green, Michael J. Damzen

Published Jul 1, 1992• 60 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Degenerate four-wave mixing in the saturable gain of a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier has been investigated. Three different geometries are examined in which the probe beam experiences (a) one pass, (b) two passes, and (c) four passes of the four-wave interaction region. It is found that multipassing the gain medium has a dramatic effect on the efficiency of the process, with a phase-conjugate reflectivity of 2500 and a conjugate energy extraction efficiency of greater than 200% demonstrated.

DOI
10.1364/ol.17.000920

Related papers

Efficient degenerate four-wave mixing in a diode-pumped microchip Nd:YVO_4 amplifier

A. Brignon, Gilles A. Feugnet, Jean‐Pierre Huignard +1 more

The process of saturable-gain degenerate four-wave mixing in a diode-pumped microchip Nd:YVO(4) amplifier is investigated. To enhance the efficiency of the interaction, multipass geometries are employed in which the weak signal beam and therefore the conjugate beam experience several passes in the gain medium. Degenerate fourwave mixing reflectivities as high as R = 10% and R = 170% have been obtained experimentally for 130-W diode pumping with two-pass and four-pass geometries, respectively. Finally, the imaging capabilities of the volume population hologram written in the Nd:YVO(4) amplifier are demonstrated.

Optics Letters•Mar 15, 1995•30 citations

Transient degenerate four-wave mixing in a saturable Nd:YAG amplifier: the effect of pump-beam propagation

A. Brignon, J. Raffy, Jean‐Pierre Huignard

A transient model of degenerate four-wave mixing in saturable amplifiers is developed for calculation of the phase-conjugate reflectivity in the weak-probe-beam limit. Our model takes into account the laser amplification of all the interacting beams together with the wave-mixing process between the two counterpropagating pump waves. Experimental investigations are made in a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier with nanosecond pulses at 1.06 microm. A reflectivity of 22% is achieved when all the waves interfere within the laser medium.

Optics Letters•Jun 15, 1994•25 citations

Transient analysis of degenerate four-wave mixing with orthogonally polarized pump beams in a saturable Nd:YAG amplifier

A. Brignon, Jean‐Pierre Huignard

Degenerate four-wave mixing with orthogonally polarized pump beams at /spl lambda/=1.06 /spl mu/m in the saturable gain of a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier is investigated, both experimentally and theoretically, using pulses of duration much less than the population relaxation time. We introduce a new set of coupled-wave equations in this short pulse regime that includes the effect of the four interacting waves and the laser gain experienced by all the beams. The dependence of the efficiency of the process on the small-intensity-gain-length product, beam ratios, and fluences is analyzed. A reflectivity of a weak probe beam of 25 percent and a transmission-gain-grating diffraction efficiency of 32 percent are achieved. Finally, the temporal shape of the conjugate signal is studied for various gain-saturation regimes.>

IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics•Jan 1, 1994•29 citations

Multipass degenerate four-wave mixing in a diode-pumped Nd:YVO_4 saturable amplifier

A. Brignon, Gilles A. Feugnet, Jean‐Pierre Huignard +1 more

The process of saturable-gain four-wave mixing (DFWM) in a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 amplifier with interacting beams provided by a Nd:YAG oscillator is investigated. Multipass geometries are employed that arrange for the signal beam to experience an increased interaction length relative to that of the pump beams. DFWM reflectivities up to R = 170% and a diffraction efficiency η = 6% of the volume population hologram written in the Nd:YVO4 amplifier are obtained experimentally. A theoretical analysis of multipass DFWM is presented in the transient (pulsed) regime, including the laser amplification and the mutual interaction of all the interacting beams as well as the spectral mismatch between the beam frequency and the gain line-center frequency of the Nd:YVO4 amplifier. It is shown that because of the close spectral matchup of the Nd:YAG oscillator and the Nd:YVO4 amplifier, the amplitude (gain) grating contribution is predominant compared with that of the phase grating.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jul 1, 1995•29 citations

Phase conjugation by saturable-gain degenerate four-wave mixing in solid state laser media

A. Brignon, Jean‐Pierre Huignard, Henri J. Rajbenbach

We present a method to achieve phase conjugation based on saturable-gain degenerate four- wave mixing in the laser medium itself. Experimental and theoretical investigations show that phase conjugate reflectivities and efficiencies higher than 100% can be achieved with such an interaction. High conjugate-reflectivity at (lambda) equals 1.06 micrometers is demonstrated in conventional flash-pumped Nd:YAG amplifiers and in compact diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 amplifiers.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Apr 11, 1996•2 citations

Effect of pump beam propagation on transient degenerate four-wave mixing in saturable Nd:YAG amplifiers

A. Brignon, Jean‐Pierre Huignard

Phase distortion correction of an optical wave propagating in laser media is a crucial problem to be taken into account in most of laser systems. For this purpose, phase conjugation through stimulated Brillouin scattering using the master oscillator-power amplification configuration has shown a very good potential to obtain high beam quality in solid-state lasers that operate at variable repetition rates. Another attractive alternative to generate the phase-conjugate wavefronts is to use a four-wave mixing (DFWM) process in the laser amplifier. In this medium, the interference between the interacting beams leads to a spatial modulation of the complex susceptibility of the medium by gain saturation (amplitude gain grating). This all-solid-state solution presents the advantage of suppressing the external nonlinear medium and would realize the required functions in the laser medium itself. Moreover, due to the amplification experienced by all the interacting beams, associated to the resonant nonlinearity of the gain saturation, high reflectivities already have been achieved in Nd:YAG amplifiers using a multipass geometry.1,2

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jan 1, 1994•0 citations
Degenerate four-wave mixing in the saturable gain of a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier has been investigated. Three different geometries are examined in which the probe beam experiences (a) one pass, (b) two passes, and (c) four passes of the four-wave interaction region. It is found that multipassing the gain medium has a dramatic effect on the efficiency of the process, with a phase-conjugate reflectivity of 2500 and a conjugate energy extraction efficiency of greater than 200% demonstrated.
The process of saturable-gain degenerate four-wave mixing in a diode-pumped microchip Nd:YVO(4) amplifier is investigated. To enhance the efficiency of the interaction, multipass geometries are employed in which the weak signal beam and therefore the conjugate beam experience several passes in the gain medium. Degenerate fourwave mixing reflectivities as high as R = 10% and R = 170% have been obtained experimentally for 130-W diode pumping with two-pass and four-pass geometries, respectively. Finally, the imaging capabilities of the volume population hologram written in the Nd:YVO(4) amplifier are demonstrated.
A transient model of degenerate four-wave mixing in saturable amplifiers is developed for calculation of the phase-conjugate reflectivity in the weak-probe-beam limit. Our model takes into account the laser amplification of all the interacting beams together with the wave-mixing process between the two counterpropagating pump waves. Experimental investigations are made in a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier with nanosecond pulses at 1.06 microm. A reflectivity of 22% is achieved when all the waves interfere within the laser medium.
Degenerate four-wave mixing with orthogonally polarized pump beams at /spl lambda/=1.06 /spl mu/m in the saturable gain of a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifier is investigated, both experimentally and theoretically, using pulses of duration much less than the population relaxation time. We introduce a new set of coupled-wave equations in this short pulse regime that includes the effect of the four interacting waves and the laser gain experienced by all the beams. The dependence of the efficiency of the process on the small-intensity-gain-length product, beam ratios, and fluences is analyzed. A reflectivity of a weak probe beam of 25 percent and a transmission-gain-grating diffraction efficiency of 32 percent are achieved. Finally, the temporal shape of the conjugate signal is studied for various gain-saturation regimes.>
The process of saturable-gain four-wave mixing (DFWM) in a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 amplifier with interacting beams provided by a Nd:YAG oscillator is investigated. Multipass geometries are employed that arrange for the signal beam to experience an increased interaction length relative to that of the pump beams. DFWM reflectivities up to R = 170% and a diffraction efficiency η = 6% of the volume population hologram written in the Nd:YVO4 amplifier are obtained experimentally. A theoretical analysis of multipass DFWM is presented in the transient (pulsed) regime, including the laser amplification and the mutual interaction of all the interacting beams as well as the spectral mismatch between the beam frequency and the gain line-center frequency of the Nd:YVO4 amplifier. It is shown that because of the close spectral matchup of the Nd:YAG oscillator and the Nd:YVO4 amplifier, the amplitude (gain) grating contribution is predominant compared with that of the phase grating.
Phase distortion correction of an optical wave propagating in laser media is a crucial problem to be taken into account in most of laser systems. For this purpose, phase conjugation through stimulated Brillouin scattering using the master oscillator-power amplification configuration has shown a very good potential to obtain high beam quality in solid-state lasers that operate at variable repetition rates. Another attractive alternative to generate the phase-conjugate wavefronts is to use a four-wave mixing (DFWM) process in the laser amplifier. In this medium, the interference between the interacting beams leads to a spatial modulation of the complex susceptibility of the medium by gain saturation (amplitude gain grating). This all-solid-state solution presents the advantage of suppressing the external nonlinear medium and would realize the required functions in the laser medium itself. Moreover, due to the amplification experienced by all the interacting beams, associated to the resonant nonlinearity of the gain saturation, high reflectivities already have been achieved in Nd:YAG amplifiers using a multipass geometry.1,2