Measurement of stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold by the optical limiting of pump output energy

A new approach to measure stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold based on the output energy characteristic of stimulated Brillouin scattering optical limiting is proposed. The stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold or its exponential gain, G(th), can be accurately and conveniently determined by the intersection point of linear-fitting lines of the output energy below and above the threshold. The values of G(th) in CS2 and FC-72 for different wavelengths and interaction lengths are measured in Continuum's Nd:YAG Q-switched laser and its frequency-doubled system. We show that G(th) for transient regime is larger than that for steady state, and increases with the pump wavelength and the in length.