Quasi-phase-matched generation of optical intensity waves.

The evolution of modulated light in a nonlinear medium, when described in terms of intensity waves, depends critically on a phase-matching condition for the intensity waves. We formally develop the conditions for quasi-phase matching of the interacting intensity waves and show that a periodic nonlinearity can be utilized to eliminate the dephasing between them. This is verified using stimulated Brillouin scattering with a periodically nonlinear optical fiber that has a period length equal to one-half of the (modulation) wavelength of the intensity waves.