= Optical parametric oscillator
An <optical parametric oscillator> places an <optical parametric amplifier> inside an <optical resonator> that feeds back at least one generated wave. Pump <energy> is converted into signal and idler waves satisfying the <frequency> relation of the underlying <three-wave mixing> process.
Oscillation begins when round-trip gain overcomes loss at an allowed resonator mode. Below that threshold, weak generated emission can still occur, but sustained oscillation is absent. Tuning the <phase matching> and resonator together gives a tunable source at <wavelengths> difficult to obtain directly from a particular <laser>. Pump power alone does not select the output: cavity resonances, conversion gain and optical losses also matter.
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