Abstract
We present here instabilities observed in the transverse profile of a continuous-wave light beam that crosses a sample of sodium vapor twice by means of a feedback mirror. The wave front and the intensity of the beam are spatially modulated by the intensity-dependent dispersive and absorptive action of the vapor. Experimental evidence indicates that the vapor acts as a phase-conjugate mirror, thus providing an active cavity when it is coupled with the feedback mirror. The instabilities develop as a consequence of sideband generation at the resonant modes of this cavity. The transverse-mode profiles of these sidebands are analyzed experimentally.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1181-1192 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of the Optical Society of America B: Optical Physics |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1988 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics