Phase conjugation lasers based on stimulated Brillouin scattering with high-power and high-energy

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is a third-order nonlinear process, which is phased conjugation reflected in the SBS phase conjugation mirror (SBS-PCM). Therefore, it is a very useful tool for the compensation of wavefront distortion induced by strongly thermally stressed active material, especially in high-power and high-energy lasers. To maximize the effectiveness of SBS-PCM, many research efforts have been poured in both theoretically and experimentally in the past decades. Several researchers have studied the liquid medium that is the best fit for SBS-PCM in high power laser systems; some have investigated the geometry (such as two-cell structure, choice of the optimum parameters, and the addition of a rotating wedge) of the system that will give the most appropriate desired characteristics; while some researched the impurities of the selected liquid. This work presents a review of the factors determining the performance of SBS-PCM, the applications of SBS-PCM in high power lasers, and recent scientific achievements in the SBS-PCM high power laser systems. This work is proposed as a reference and guiding manual for SBS-PCM-related experiments and research.