Abstract

We have observed accurate correction of laser-induced thermal blooming by optical phase conjugation. The thermal blooming produced up to a 36-fold increase in the far-field spot diameter and up to a 60-fold decrease in the far-field peak intensity. Stimulated Brillouin scattering was used as the phase-conjugate mirror with a reflectivity of 35% to 65%. A previously published theory regarding phase-conjugate correction of intensity-dependent aberrations suggested that nonunity reflectivity would adversely affect the phase conjugate’s ability to compensate for thermal blooming. We found no evidence of this being the case.

© 1989 Optical Society of America

Theory of thermal blooming correction by phase conjugation

Lee P. Schelonka and Mark A. Kramer
Opt. Lett. 14(17) 949-951 (1989)

Experimental observation of thermal-blooming phase-compensation instability

Bernadette Johnson and Charles A. Primmerman
Opt. Lett. 14(12) 639-641 (1989)

Target loop adaptive optics: thermal blooming correction

Prasad R. Akkapeddi, E. T. Siebert, J. Baker, G. T. Volpe, and H. J. Robertson
Appl. Opt. 20(4) 564-572 (1981)

Zernike-ordered adaptive-optics correction of thermal blooming

Daniel E. Novoseller
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 5(11) 1937-1942 (1988)

Demonstration of spontaneous thermal-blooming phase-compensation instability

Bernadette Johnson and Jonathan F. Schonfeld
Opt. Lett. 16(16) 1258-1260 (1991)