Experimental investigation of wavefront conjugation during Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering of focused laser beams in condensed media

The effectiveness and quality of wavefront conjugation during stimulated Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering in acetone and optical glass was investigated as a function of the focusing conditions, spectral composition and pumping radiation powers greater than and less than the optical breakdown threshold power. It was found that when a system consisting of a spherical and cylindrical lamp is used for focusing, there is no reconstruction of the image of the wire mask in the range of powers investigated, regardless of whether a phase plate is used. The findings are important for developing short pulse wavefront conjugation schemes, and for the use of wavefront conjugation in laser systems operating in the frequency mode.