Abstract
The growing amount of small space debris poses a serious threat to space development. One proposed
solution to this problem is the removal of small space debris using laser ablation. For this method, the
automatic targeting and pointing capability of phase conjugate light (PCL) can be used. In this study, a
fl ashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG rod in a laser oscillator is used as the phase conjugator. An investigation of
the dependence of PCL energy on pumping energy reveals a maximum PCL output of 20 mJ. Moreover,
wavefront correction is demonstrated using a dynamic phase object. Finally, PCL generation is
confi rmed using an aluminum target.
