Adaptive laser tracking using phase-conjugate coupled resonators

Summary form only given. We report the experimental realization of a coupled laser system that employs a phase conjugate mirror (PCM) and is capable of adaptively tracking a moving output coupler. A number of approaches have been suggested in order to develop a laser system that can lock-on and track a remote object. Active laser-based systems have an advantage over passive systems because they can establish communication channels, measure target velocity and spatial coordinates, and/or deliver high optical power levels. Active systems have been demonstrated in the laboratory using PCMs; however, they have generally been limited to locking on to static or very slow moving objects. For tracking remote, high velocity targets, several problems exist including: low returned power, high Doppler frequency shift, and large temporal delays. In this work we show that laser resonators coupled with a PCM in a Michelson type arrangement can be used to overcome some of these limitations and track a remote moving object.