Spatial resonance in four-photon interaction between concurrent waves in a cubic medium

An analysis is made of the conditions for efficient nonlinear interaction during propagation of four concurrent waves in a cubic medium. It is found that the evolution of the energy distribution between the waves depends on their phase relationships. An investigation is made of the influence of thermal nonlinearity on the time dependence of the four-photon scattering process. Possible variants of the application of this effect in physical research are described.