Abstract
This is a theoretical study of the interplay of optical phase conjugation and multiple scattering. We calculate the intensity of light reflected by a phase-conjugating mirror when it is placed behind a disordered medium. We compare the results of a fully phase-coherent theory with those from the theory of radiative transfer. Both methods are equivalent if the dwell time of a photon in the disordered medium is much larger than the inverse of the frequency shift acquired at the phase-conjugating mirror. When , in contrast, phase coherence drastically affects the reflected intensity. In particular, a minimum in the dependence of the reflectance on the disorder strength disappears when is reduced below The analogies and differences with Andreev reflection of electrons at the interface between a normal metal and a superconductor are discussed.
- Received 12 May 1997
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.56.4216
©1997 American Physical Society