Two-dimensional analysis of the power transfer between crossed laser beams

The power transfer between crossed laser beams made possible by an ion-acoustic wave is studied. A simple formula is derived for the steady-state power transfer, which depends on two dimensionless parameters: the ratio of the incident beam intensities and the normalized beamwidth. Numerical simulations show that the transient power transfer is larger than the steady-state power transfer and usually oscillates in time. The convective depletion of the higher-frequency beam saturates the power transfer more quickly than the damping of the ion-acoustic wave. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.