Abstract

The combined properties of phase conjugation and optical fibers offer a novel solution to some problems associated with phase locking lasers. The task of coupling light from the lasing mode of one laser to the lasing mode of another laser can be simplified by making use of optical phase conjugation to achieve automatic mode matching. Double phase conjugation has been demonstrated to be particularly well suited to this task,¹–³ since the process provides mode matched coupling between two sources that are mutually incoherent. Thus, coupling can be established without requiring the lasers to be phase locked a priori. Optical alignment can be further simplified by propagating the coupling beams through optical fibers. In addition to eliminating steering optics from the geometry, fibers provide an optical path for the coupling beams that is isolated from environmental effects. This isolation should reduce phase fluctuations in the coupled outputs that are caused by path-length fluctuations in the coupling arms.

© 1992 Optical Society of America