RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SELF-PUMPED PHASE-CONJUGATE MIRROR TO SPATIALLY NONUNIFORM PHASE-CHANGES OF AN INCIDENT WAVE AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

The response of a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror to spatially nonuniform phase change of incident wave is examined with a phase-conjugate Fizeau interferometer. The experimental results make it clear that the spatially nonuniform phase change of the incident wave is not reversed by the self-pumped phase-conjugate wave (SPPCW) immediately after the phase change, and the decrease of phase-conjugate reflectivity caused by the nonuniform phase change is proportional to the nonuniformity of the phase change. The phase characteristic of the SPPCW makes the phase-conjugate Fizeau interferometer for surface profile measurements insensitive to object vibrations. The reflectivity characteristics enable us to measure the nonuniform phase change by detecting the intensity of the SPPCW.