Use of the Principles of Conservation of Energy and Momentum in Connection with the Operation of Wave-Type Parametric Amplifiers

The operation of a wave-type parametric amplifier may be thought of in terms of the force exerted by traveling discontinuities or reflecting elements on the waves present in the device. By invoking the principles of conservation of energy and momentum it is possible to understand in very simple terms certain limitations on the operation of such devices and to arrive very easily at certain general relations governing their behavior, including the Manley-Rowe relation. It is proposed that for a guided wave the momentum per unit distance is the power divided by the product of the group and phase velocities.