Degenerate four-wave mixing of picosecond pulses in the saturable amplification of a dye laser

We demonstrate intracavity degenerate four-wave mixing in the saturable gain medium of a dye laser. The dye laser is a synchronously pumped bidirectional ring laser that produces pulses of 4 ps duration. The dynamics of the interaction provides information on the phase coherence of the pulses. A simple theory of transient degenerate four-wave mixing is presented that accurately describes the measurements.