High-resolution four-photon intracavity laser spectroscopy with the external phase conjugation mirror

Abstract

The phase conjugation regime is experimentally implemented in a cell with a liquid (water, ethanol, carbon tetrachloride) at the four-wave mixing of counter-propagating beams of diode lasers. Intracavity enhancement of the conjugate wave and the wave of the coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) arising in the interaction of the conjugate wave and one of the pumping waves in CARS scheme is detected. The latter process occurs in a narrow spectral range when the geometry of the wave vectors of the interacting waves in CARS scheme ensures arrival of the CARS signal at the laser aperture. It is found out that the quality of the four-photon phase conjugate mirror in the given interaction scheme is very sensitive to any perturbations (mechanical, acoustic, thermal, etc.) of the induced grating in the sample, which manifests itself in the distortion of the signal spectrum.