SUPERLUMINAL PULSE TRANSMISSION THROUGH A PHASE-CONJUGATING MIRROR

We theoretically analyze wave packet transmission through a phase-conj ugating mirror and show that the transmission of a suitably chosen inp ut pulse is superluminal, i.e. the peak of the pulse emerges from the mirror before the time it takes to travel the same distance in vacuum. This pulse reshaping effect can be attributed directly to the dispers ion relation in the nonlinear medium constituting the mirror. Thus, fo r the first time a connection is laid between optical phase conjugatio n and superluminal behavior. In view of its additional amplifying abil ity, a phase-conjugating mirror is a most promising candidate for an e xperimental observation of tachyonic signatures. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sci ence B.V.