Measurement of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold based on waveform variation of SBS optical limiting

This paper proposes a method for measuring the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold based on waveform variation of SBS optical limiting. The output waveforms for different pump power densities are numerically simulated, and validated in the Nd:YAG seed-injected laser system. The results indicate that SBS does not take place in the case of a low pump power density and thus the output power scales up linearly with pump power. Once the pump power density exceeds the SBS threshold, SBS takes place and thereby the energies are transferred from pump to Stokes. As a result, a small shoulder appears in the trailing edge of the output waveform, which provides another method to determine the SBS threshold.