Noise radiation power of phase-conjugate mirrors based on a degenerate four-wave interaction.

An experimental investigation was made of the influence of the state of optically polished surfaces of various materials on the scattering coefficient which governs the power of the intrinsic noise of phase-conjugate mirrors based on a degenerate four-wave interaction and on the angular dependence of this coefficient. The noise power of a phase-conjugate mirror made of InAs, operating at the optimal reference wave intensities 1-2 MW/cm(2), was reduced to 2.10(-7) W per one spatial mode of the radiation to be phase-conjugated, This was achieved by increasing the angle between the axes of the signal and the reference beams up to similar to 1 rad without a significant reduction of the reflection coefficient, which can reach similar to 500%.