Influence of certain radiation parameters on wavefront reversal of a pump wave in a Brillouin mirror

A study was made of wavefront reversal, accompanying stimulated Brillouin scattering in various media, and of the way it was affected by the geometrical, temporal, and polarization characteristics of the exciting radiation. In an oscillator-amplifier system, practically complete compensation was achieved for phase distortions of the oscillator signal introduced by the amplifier components. The output energy of the light beam was then 3 J, its diameter was 4 mm, and its divergence (diffraction limited) was 0.3 mrad. The results of the experiments indicated a practical possibility of applying the wavefront reversal phenomenon in high-power multichannel lasers.