Abstract

A geometrical theory of optical phase conjugation with an arbitrary frequency shift is developed. It is shown that an ideal phase conjugator can be described as an interface between a negative and a positive refractive index. By use of this description the primary aberration coefficients of a general centered lens system that includes a phase-conjugate mirror are derived. The geometrical resolution limit imposed by the wavelength shift of the conjugator is discussed in the case of lensless imaging. It is found that a relative wavelength shift larger than 10⁻⁵ can degrade the image in a high-resolution system. It is also shown that the aberrations introduced by the external lenses in a reciprocal two-pass system are corrected by the phase conjugator to a factor approximately equal to the relative wavelength shift.

© 1996 Optical Society of America

Image formation in phase conjugation with large wavelength conversion

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