Stimulated Brillouin scattering of a KrF laser

A series of experiments in which the efficiency and fidelity of SBS (stimulated Brillouin scattering) wavefront reconstruction are measured as a function of the temporal coherence, focusing geometry, and power of the laser source is described. The primary motivation of the research is to assess the potential of SBS as the basis of a high-resolution image protection system. Thus, a series of high-resolution image projection experiments using a SBS mirror is also described. It is shown that provided that the coherent length of the laser is longer than the active focal region primarily responsible for the growth of the SBS wave, high SBS reflectivities can be obtained which are independent of the Rayleigh range of the focusing system used. In addition, wavefront reconstruction fidelities having values approaching unity can be observed when using laser powers near the threshold for the SBS process