Diffraction properties of ultrashort pulsed beams with arbitrary temporal profiles studied with a volume holographic grating

Using modified two- dimensional coupled- wave theory, the diffraction properties of ultrashort pulsed beams with arbitrary temporal profiles are studied with a volume holographic grating. Analytical expressions for the profiles of the transmitted and diffracted beams are obtained. It is shown that the Bragg selectivity bandwidth of the volume grating can be influenced by the geometry parameter. Numerical results are illustrated for three different temporal profiles. For different temporal profiles, the ratios of the diffraction bandwidths to input bandwidths are discussed.

Three-dimensional coupled wave study for finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings under ultrashort pulsed beam readout

The three-dimensional coupled wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the diffraction properties of finite-sized anisotropic volume holographic gratings (VHGs) under ultrashort pulsed beam (UPB) readout. The effects of the grating geometrical size and the polarizations of the recording and readout beams on the diffraction properties are presented, in particular under the influence of grating material dispersion. The wavelength selectivity of the finite-sized VHG is analyzed. The wavelength selectivity determines the intensity distributions of the transmitted and diffracted pulsed beams along the output face of the VHG. The distortion and widening of the diffracted pulsed beams are different for different points on the output face, as is numerically shown for a VHG recorded in a LiNbO3 crystal. The beam quality is analyzed, and the variations of the total diffraction efficiency are shown in relation to the geometrical size of the grating and the temporal width of the readout UPB. In addition, the diffraction properties of the finite-sized and one-dimensional VHG for pulsed and continuous-wave readout are compared. The study shows the potential application of VHGs in controlling spatial and temporal features of UPBs simultaneously. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America

Vectorial solution of Kukhtarev equations for doubly doped crystals and optimal choice of recording directions in nonvolatile holographic storage

Vectorial Kukhtarev equations modified for the nonvolatile holographic recording in doubly doped crystals are analyzed, in which the bulk photovoltaic effect and the external electrical field are both considered. On the basis of small modulation approximation, both the analytic solution to the space-charge field with time in the recording phase and in the readout phase are deduced. The analytic solutions can be easily simplified to adapt the one-center model, and they have the same analytic expressions given those when the grating vector is along the optical axis. Based on the vectorial analyses of the band transport model an optimal recording direction is given to maximize the refractive index change in doubly doped LiNbO3:Fe: Mn crystals. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Investigation of effective internal field in congruent lithium niobate crystal by digital holographic interferometry

The phase contrast across the crystal thickness induced by the internal field is measured by the digital holographic interferometry just after the congruent lithium niobate crystal is partially poled. The direction of applied external field is antiparallel to that of internal field, and the measured phase contrast varies linearly with the applied external field. A new internal field is obtained by this method and named effective internal field. The distinct discrepancy between effective and equivalent internal fields is observed. The authors attribute this effect to the new macroscopic representation of elastic dipole components of defect complex in the crystal. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Effect of recording conditions on the anisotropic diffraction of volume holographic gratings

The anisotropic Bragg diffraction of the volume holographic gratings in photorefractive crystals are investigated based on the model of anisotropic coupled-wave theory. The effect of the initial intensity ratio and the recording angles of the two recording waves on the anisotropic Bragg diffraction properties is discussed. It is shown that both the ratio of the initial intensity and the incident angles of the recording waves are selective action for the anisotropic Bragg diffraction efficiency of the volume holographic gratings, while these two recording conditions are not selective action for the isotropic Bragg diffraction. Furthermore, the Bragg phase matching condition of anisotropic diffraction is analyzed when the recording angles change. (C) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Anisotropic Bragg diffraction of finite-sized volume holographic grating in photorefractive crystals

Anisotropic diffraction of uniform plane wave by finite-sized volume holographic grating in photorefractive crystals is considered. It is found that the anisotropic diffraction can take place when some special conditions are satisfied. The diffracted image is obtained in experiment for the anisotropic Bragg diffraction in Fe:LiNbO3 crystals. A coupled wave analysis is presented to study the properties of anisotropic diffraction. An analytical integral solution for the amplitudes of the diffracted beams is submitted. A trade off between high diffraction efficiency and the deterioration of reconstruction fidelity is analyzed. Numerical evaluations also show that the finite-sized anisotropic volume grating exhibits strong angular and wavelength selectivity. All the results are useful for the optimizing design of VHOE based on finite-sized volume grating structures. (c) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Bragg diffraction of multilayer volume holographic gratings under ultrashort laser pulse readout

The multilayer coupled wave theory is extended to systematically investigate the diffraction properties of multilayer volume holographic gratings (MVHGs) under ultrashort laser pulse readout. Solutions for the diffracted and transmitted intensities, diffraction efficiency, and the grating bandwidth are obtained in transmission MVHGs. It is shown that the diffraction characteristics depend not only on the input pulse duration but also on the number and thickness of grating layers and the gaps between holographic layers. This analysis can be implemented as a useful tool to aid with the design of multilayer volume grating-based devices employed in optical communications, pulse shaping, and processing. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Study of near-infrared nonvolatile two-center holographic recording in LiNbO3:Fe:Rh crystal

The near-infrared nonvolatile holographic recording has been realized in a doubly doped LiNbO3:Fe:Rh crystal by the traditional two-center holographic recording scheme, for the first time. The recording performance of this crystal has been investigated by recording with 633 nm red light, 752 nm red light and 799 nm near-infrared light and sensitizing with 405 nm purple light. The experimental results show that, co-doped with Fe and Rh, the near-infrared absorption and the photovoltaic coefficient of shallow trap Fe are enhanced in this LiNbO3:Fe:Rh crystal, compared with other doubly doped LiNbO3 crystals Such as LiNbO3:Fe:Mn. It is also found that the sensitizing light intensity affects the near-infrared recording sensitivity in a different way than two-center holographic recording with shorter wavelength, and the origin of experimental results is analyzed. (C) 2007 Elsevier GrnbH. All rights reserved.

Phase mapping of domain kinetics in lithium niobate by digital holographic interferometry

The phase mapping of domain kinetics under the uniform steady-state electric field is achieved and investigated in the LiNbO3 crystals by digital holographic interferometry. We obtained the sequences of reconstructed three-dimensional and two-dimensional wave-field phase distributions during the electric poling in the congruent and near stoichiometric LiNbO3 crystals. The phase mapping of individual domain nucleation and growth in the two crystals are obtained. It is found that both longitudinal and lateral domain growths are not linear during the electric poling. The phase mapping of domain wall motions in the two crystals is also obtained. Both the phase relaxation and the pinning-depinning mechanism are observed during the domain wall motion. The residual phase distribution is observed after the high-speed domain wall motion. The corresponding analyses and discussions are proposed to explain the phenomena.