Wideband pulse compression via Brillouin scattering in the Bragg limit

The optical characteristics of a pulse compression system which makes use of Brillouin scattering in the Bragg limit have been studied. If one makes use of a diffraction-limited laser source of illumination, it is found that the correct system geometry results in a bandwidth which is as large as simple diffraction theory predicts. The study shows that the bandwidth of the system, for maximum signal, is given by one-half the total frequency sweep of the incident chirped pulse and that the expected dynamic range of signals that the system can reproduce is of the order of 10
⁴
. The analysis also indicates how accurately certain system parameters must be controlled to achieve the maximum compressed pulse signal. These parameters include the angle of propagation of the sound pulse, the slit position of the light detector for the time compressed pulse, and the tolerance of the system to undesirable variations or fluctuations in the prescribed ideal frequency sweep of the acoustic wave.