One-wave optical phase conjugation mirror by actively coupling arbitrary light fields into a single-mode reflector

Abstract: Rewinding the arrow of time via phase conjugation is an intriguing phenomena made possible by the wave property of light. To exploit this phenomenon, diverse research fields have pursed the realization of an ideal phase conjugation mirror, but an optical system that requires a single-input and a single-output beam, like natural conventional mirrors has never been demonstrated. Here, we demonstrate the realization of a one-wave optical phase conjugation mirror using a spatial light modulator. An adaptable single-mode filter is created, and a phase-conjugate beam is then prepared by reverse propagation through this filter. Our method is simple, alignment free, and fast while allowing high power throughput in the time reversed wave, which have not been simultaneously demonstrated before. Using our method, we demonstrate high throughput full-field light delivery through highly scattering biological tissue and multimode fibers, even for quantum dot fluorescence.