Interferometry with a novel composite material

An interesting application of optical phase conjugation is phase conjugate interferometry. We report here a new approach to real-time interferometry which combines the high phase conjugate efficiency of photorefractive crystals and the fast response times offered by dye-doped polymer films by using a composite structure. The ability of this material to generate two independent but overlapping phase conjugate waves. which can interfere to reveal the phase changes in a test object, is discussed and demonstrated with a specific example.

Optical phase conjugation by two-wave mixing in iron-doped lithium niobate

A novel technique to generate forward phase conjugate wave by two-wave mixing (TWM) in photorefractive iron-doped lithium niobate crystal has been demonstrated. An optical beam from a positive transparency was forward phase conjugated by TWM technique. The experimental scheme was then extended to a specific interferometric application.

High-efficiency volume hologram recording with a pulsed signal beam

We present an efficient photorefractive volume hologram recording technique with a pulsed signal beam and continuous reference-beam illumination. The grating envelope can be simply controlled by manipulation of the duty cycle of the signal beam. Thus, for any grating coupling strength and different initial reference-signal intensity ratios, the diffraction efficiency can be maximized with this technique and can be greatly increased in comparison with that of the conventional recording technique. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.

强外加电场与大调制度下光折变动力学光栅形成研究

强外加电场与大调制度在光折变效应的研究中已经得到了广泛应用。采用PDECOL算法, 严格求解光折变带输运方程, 得到外加电场时不同调制度下光折变晶体中随时间变化的空间电荷场、载流子浓度, 并讨论了外加电场对它们的影响。通过将物质方程与耦合波方程联立数值求解, 可得到光折变光栅形成过程中两波耦合增益系数以及光束条纹相位的变化。模拟结果表明, 在强外加电场作用下, 两束记录光之间的光强与相位耦合都得到了增强, 而原有的解析式忽视了强外加电场与大调制度对空间电荷场相位耦合的影响, 此时不再适用。同时发现折射率光

组合外加电场提高Fe：LiNbO3中90°记录体全息的衍射效率

针对90°全息记录结构的特殊性，在记录和读出阶段分别施加不同极性的外加电场，实现了Fe：LiNbO3晶体中高衍射效率的全息记录和读出。在库赫塔列夫（Kukhtarev）方程基础上引人两维耦合波理论，对组合外加电场提高掺铁铌酸锂晶体光折变特性的机理进行了探讨。实验和理论计算结果都表明这种分别在记录和读出过程施加不同极性组合的外加电场是在Fe：LiNbO3中实现高衍射效率90°记录结构体全息的有效技术方案。

LiNbO3：Ru晶体的光折变特性研究

采用丘克拉斯基法生长了单掺杂的LiNbO3：Ru晶体，并对其作氧化处理。实验研究了LiNbO3：Ru晶体二波混频条件下光栅记录特性和波长的依赖关系；并且研究了氧化处理对其透射谱和光栅记录特性的影响。研究结果表明，LiNbO3：Ru晶体的最佳记录波长为458nm；氧化处理会增加LiNbO3：Ru晶体对光的吸收，同时提高光栅记录的灵敏度和饱和衍射效率，表现了不同于LiNbO3：Fe晶体的氧化态依赖特性。分析认为，LiNbO3：Ru晶体的反常氧化态依赖特性可能是由于出现了电子通道效应的暗衰减机制，以及Ru存在多

LiNbO3∶Fe∶Rh晶体近红外非挥发全息记录

采用双中心记录方案在双掺杂LiNbO3∶Fe∶Rh晶体中实现了近红外非挥发全息记录,研究了LiNbO3∶Fe∶Rh晶体在633 nm,752 nm,799 nm波长下的全息记录性能。结果表明,在使用近红外记录光时,其记录灵敏度随敏化光强的变化趋势与双中心短波长记录时的不同。通过和LiNbO3∶Fe∶Mn等传统双掺杂铌酸锂晶体的近红外波段记录效果对比,发现同时掺杂Fe和Rh可增强晶体对近红外光的吸收,获得更高的浅中心Fe光生伏特系数,从而能够在LiNbO3∶Fe∶Rh晶体中实现近红外波段的光折变全息记录。

Characteristics of recording and thermal fixing in lithium niobate

We present a theoretical model in which the band-transport equations and the coupled-wave equations are considered to study the two thermal-fixing methods (simultaneous fixing and postfixing) in Fe:LiNbO3. We found that, in simultaneous fixing, the existing ionic-grating affects the writing of the electronic grating by reduction of the coupling gain, and the grating envelope of the fixed-index grating is quite uniform inside the photorefractive crystal in comparison with the method of postfixing. The resulting diffraction efficiency of the fixed-volume grating is dependent mainly on the initial intensity modulation of the two writing beams. A set of experiments is also presented. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.

Nonvolatile holograms in LiNbO3 : Fe : Cu by use of the bleaching effect

We report our observation of a bleaching effect under an ultraviolet exposure in LiNbO3:Fe:Cu crystals. Two three-step recording-transferring-fixing schemes are proposed to record nonvolatile photorefractive holograms in such crystals. In the schemes two red laser beams and an ultraviolet illumination are used selectively to write the charge grating in the shallow-level Fe centers, to develop the charge grating in the deep-level Cu centers by transferring the charge grating in the Fe centers, and to fix only the charge grating in the Cu centers for unerasable read-out. Experimental results, verifications, and an optimal recording scheme are given. A comparison of the lithium niobate crystals of the same double-doping system of Fe:Mn, Ce:Mn, Ce:Cu, and Fe:Cu is outlined. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.

Prescription for optimizing holograms in LiNbO3 : Fe : Mn

The photorefractive holographic dynamics of grating formation in photochromic doubly doped LiNbO3:Fe:Mn crystal is studied numerically and analytically in terms of the two-center model of Kukhtarev Et al. [Ferroelectrics 22, 949 (1979)]. The relations among the recorded and fixed space-charge fields and the doping densities, the oxidation-reduction states of the fields, and the intensities of UV-sensitizing and red recording beams are studied. Important conditions and effects are feued, and an optimal prescription for material doping and oxidation-reduction processing is suggested in which the crystal can be strongly oxidized and the Mn-doping density is smaller than the Fe-doping density. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 050.7330, 190.5330, 090.2900.

Absorption characteristic and nonvolatile holographic recording in LiNbO3 : Cr : Cu crystals

The absorption characteristic of lithium niobate crystals doped with chromium and copper (Cr and Cu) is investigated. We find that there are two apparent absorption bands for LiNbO3:Cr:Cu crystal doped with 0.14 wt.% Cr2O3 and 0.011 wt.% CuO; one is around 480 nm, and the other is around 660 nm. With a decrease in the doping composition of Cr and an increase in the doping composition of Cu, no apparent absorption band in the shorter wavelength range exists. The higher the doping level of Cr, the larger the absorbance around 660 nm. Although a 633 nm red light is located in the absorption band around 660 nm, the absorption at 633 nm does not help the photorefractive process; i.e., unlike other doubly doped crystals, for example, LiNbO3:Fe:Mn crystal, a nonvolatile holographic recording can be realized by a 633 nm red light as the recording light and a 390 nm UV light as the sensitizing light. For LiNbO3:Cr:Cu crystals, by changing the recording light from a 633 nm red light to a 514 nm green light, sensitizing with a 390 nm UV light and a 488 nm blue light, respectively, a nonvolatile holographic recording can be realized. Doping the appropriate Cr (for example, N-Cr = 2.795 X 10(25)m(-3) and N-Cr/N-Cu = 1) benefits the improvement of holographic recording properties. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Improvement of sensitivity and refractive-index changes in LiNbO3 : Ce : Cu crystals with UV light

A nonvolatile recording scheme is proposed using LiNbO3:Ce:Cu crystals and modulated UV light to record gratings simultaneously in two centres and using red light to bleach the grating in the shallow centre to realize persistent photorefractive holographic storage. Compared with the normal UV-sensitized nonvolatile holographic system, the amplitude of refractive-index changes is greatly increased and the recording sensitivity is significantly enhanced by recording with UV light in the LiNbO3:Ce:Cu crystals. Based on jointly solving the two-centre material equations and the coupled-wave equations, temporal evolutions of the photorefractive grating and the diffraction effciency are effectively described and numerically analysed. Roles of doping levels and recording-beam intensity are discussed in detail. Theoretical results confirm and predict experimental results.

Optimization of nonvolatile holographic recording by application of an external electric field

The dependences of the recording properties of LiNbO3:Fe:Mn crystals on an external electric field (applied in the recording or fixing phase of the nonvolatile holographic recording process) are numerically investigated and the optimal conditions for applying an external electric field in this two-step process of nonvolatile holographic recording are discussed in detail. Significant improvement of the photorefractive performance has been found and experimental verifications using a small external electric field are described. Moreover, direct measures relating to the dominant photovoltaic mechanism in the doubly doped LiNbO3 crystals and the unconventional grating-enhanced fixing are revealed by applying an external electric field in the recording and the fixing phases, respectively.

Effect of microcosmic optical parameters of dopants on the signal-to-noise ratio in doubly doped LiNbO3 crystals

We propose a united theory that describes the two-center recording system by taking scattering noise into account. The temporal evolution of the signal-to-noise ratio in doubly doped photorefractive crystals is described based on jointly solving material equations and coupled-wave equations with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Roles of microcosmic optical parameters of dopants on the signal-to-noise ratio are discussed in detail. The theoretical results can confirm and predict experimental results. (c) 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Improvement in refractive-index change in LiNbO3 : Ce : Cu by applying an external electric field

By jointly solving two-centre material equations with a nonzero external electric field and coupled-wave equations, we have numerically studied the dependence of the non-volatile holographic recording in LiNbO3:Ce:Cu crystals on the external electric field. The dominative photovoltaic effect of the non-volatile holographic recording in doubly doped LiNbO3 crystals is directly verified. And an external electric field that is applied in the positive direction along the c-axis (or a large one in the negative direction of the c-axis) in the recording phase and another one that is applied in the negative direction of the c-axis in the fixing phase are both proved to benefit strong photorefractive performances. Experimental verifications are given with a small electric field applied externally.