Compensation for small-scale nonlinear distortions of optical beams using wavefront reversal

A statistical description of four-wave parametric scattering of complex optical fields is used to investigate interaction of high-power radiation with a transparent nonlinear distorting medium and a nonideal wavefront-reversing mirror. It is found that the regime involving compensation for nonlinear perturbations of the wavefront based on averaging these perturbations is unstable when the coefficients of energy reflection from the reversing mirror are high (of the order of or greater than unity). Possible conditions for suppression of this instability are discussed.