Generation of high-power short pulses with wavefront reversal under steady-state stimulated Brillouin scattering conditions

A new wavefront reversal method is proposed: it combines the high efficiency of reflection from a Brillouin mirror under steady-state scattering conditions with the feasibility of generating short light pulses whose duration is limited by the response time of an electrooptic switch. The application of this method makes it possible to generate pulses of 2 nsec duration and 50 J energy, which are focused by a lens with f = 2.5 m into a spot 50 μ in diameter.