Third Harmonic Generation in the Field of a Backward Pump Wave

Third harmonic generation in a nonlinear medium the refractive index of which is negative at the pump frequency and positive at the harmonic frequency with allowance for self-action effects is considered theoretically. An exact solution of equations that describe the parametric interaction of continuous waves has been obtained analytically. The behavior of the solution is analyzed depending on the degree of violation of the phase matching condition. It is shown that, in a definite domain of values of nonlinear susceptibilities of the third order, there exists a critical value of the phase detuning at which the monotonic transform of the pump into the harmonic is changed by a periodical one. This phenomenon does not occur when the third harmonic is generated in ordinary media with a positive refractive index. DOI: 10.1134/S0030400X12020221