Temperature effect on the diffraction efficiency of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator

Temperature effect on the diffraction efficiency of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is investigated. The birefringence of the liquid crystal as functions of the temperature is measured with and without the power supply. It is shown that the birefringence reduces while the temperature increases. And the change magnitude of the birefringence has an exponential decay relation with the applied voltage for different temperature intervals. The scalar diffractive theory is used to analyze this effect on the diffraction efficiency. It indicates that the diffraction efficiency decreases from 98.7% to 27.2% while the temperature increases from 10 to 90 °C for 16 quantified levels. At last, temperature effect on its applications in optical testing and wavefront correction is discussed. It indicates that it has almost no effect on optical testing, but has an important effect on wavefront correction. And two solutions are given to eliminate this effect.     

Total internal reflection diffraction grating in conical mounting

The main conditions and parameters for obtaining surface relief total internal reflection diffraction gratings in conical mounting are presented. Calculated and experimental investigations reveal that there are ranges of grating periods, incidence angles, diffraction angles and gratings depths for which such gratings could be obtained, both for TE and TM polarizations. With optimized grating parameters the diffraction efficiency of the total internal reflection diffraction gratings can be greater than 90%.     

Influence of auxiliary violet light on holographic kinetics at low and high recording intensities in bacteriorhodopsin film

The photochromic bacteriorhodopsin (BR) film can be used as a rewritable holographic recording medium. Due to the saturation absorption and the scattering and reflecting lights from the BR film, the grating contrast-ratio of the hologram is diminished during the hologram recording. When the intensity of the recording light is low, the influence of the saturation absorption and the scatter and reflection of BR film on the grating contrast-ratio is weak. But for the case of intense recording light, this influence is more serious. It is found that the influence of the auxiliary violet light on the holographic kinetics of diffraction efficiency is distinct under different recording intensities. At the low recording light intensity, the steady diffraction efficiency is increased and the peak diffraction efficiency is suppressed by the auxiliary violet light. But for intense recording light, the steady diffraction efficiency and the peak diffraction efficiency are both increased by the auxiliary violet light. Based on the two-state model of BR photochromism, we give a good theoretical explanation to the above phenomena.     

Orthogonal geometry of wave interaction in a photorefractive crystal for linear phase demodulation

We present a novel configuration of an interferometer which is implemented by using vectorial wave mixing in the orthogonal geometry of wave interaction in a cubic photorefractive crystal, for the detection of small phase transients. The orthogonal geometry of wave interaction allows the linear regime of the phase-to-intensity transformation even when phase transients are encrypted in a depolarized wave without using any polarizing element. The use of a depolarized beam without a polarizing element strongly diminishes the noise level, thus increasing the sensitivity to phase transients.     

Formation of Hot Images in Laser Beams through a Self-defocusing Kerr Medium Slab

A nonlinear hot image is usually thought as of a special case of self-focusing, and thus occurs when a laser beam propagates through a slab of self-focusing medium. Here we show theoretically that a hot image may also be formed by a thin slab of self-defocusing medium. The physical origin for this hot image formation is akin to the in-line volume-phase holographic imaging due to the intensity-dependent refractive-index modulation of the self- defocusing medium. NumericM simulations confirm the theoretical prediction and further identify the dependence of the hot image on the beam power, the modulation depth of obscuration and the thickness of self-defocusing medium. The analysis presented here brings new insight into the physics of hot image formation in the high power laser system.     

Subluminal and superluminal propagation in a three-level atom in the radiative limit based on coherent population oscillations

We investigate a three-level atomic system in the radiative limit to control the light propagation from the subluminal regime to the superluminal one. Here the three levels are connected between them by radiative transitions. We show that depending on the decay rates, this scheme, which is based on coherent population oscillations, allows to switch from one regime to the other by changing the Rabi frequencies of the driving fields. We also show that this scheme is also capable of producing absorptionless self-phase modulation.     

Second-order grazing-angle scattering in uniform wide holographic gratings

Grazing-angle scattering (GAS) is a type of Bragg scattering in slanted wide periodic gratings. It occurs when the diffracted order satisfying the Bragg condition (scattered wave) propagates at a grazing angle to the grating boundaries. Previous research has been concerned only with first-order GAS, which has been shown to be a highly unusual type of scattering characterised by a strong resonant increase of amplitudes of the scattered and incident waves in the grating. In this paper, a rigorous numerical study of second-order GAS is presented for the case of bulk TE electromagnetic waves in planar holographic gratings. A highly unusual pattern of strong resonances in the grating, which is strongly different from that for first-order GAS, is predicted, described, and discussed. Physical interpretations of the predicted results are presented. In particular, a special new type of eigenmodes in a slanted wide periodic grating with large amplitude is predicted. These eigenmodes are shown to be guided by the grating alone without any conventional guiding effect in the structure. The typical field structure in such eigenmodes is investigated and discussed. Received: 16 September 2002 / Revised version: 4 November 2002 / Published online: 22 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +61-7/3864-9079, E-mail: d.pile@osa.org     

Extremely asymmetrical scattering in gratings with weak dissipation: some physical analogies

A detailed analysis of new effects related to extremely asymmetrical scattering (EAS) of bulk and guided weakly dissipating electromagnetic waves in oblique periodic gratings is presented. A very important role of the previously determined critical grating width is demonstrated for EAS in dissipative gratings. Incident and scattered wave amplitudes inside and outside the grating are analysed as functions of dissipation coefficient, grating width, grating amplitude, etc. Strong differences in the patterns of scattering in gratings that are narrower and wider than the critical width are demonstrated and discussed. Deep analogies between EAS and other resonant optical effects, such as attenuated total reflection, Fabry–Pérot interferometry, etc. are revealed and discussed. A physical interpretation of the obtained results is presented. Received: 19 February 2002 / Revised version: 28 June 2002 / Published online: 22 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +61-7/3864-9079, E-mail: d.gramotnev@qut.edu.au     

Reflection holograms in iron-doped lithium niobate

Received: 7 November 1996/Revised version: 16 December 1996     

The effect of impedance boundary conditions on the potential function of the boundary diffraction wave theory

A novel potential function of the boundary diffraction wave theory is obtained for the impedance surfaces by the asymptotic reduction of the modified theory of physical integrals. The function is expressed in terms of the direction vectors of the incident and scattered rays. The application of the method is performed on the problem of diffraction of plane waves by an impedance half plane for oblique incidence.     

Quantitative analysis of subdiffractive light propagation in photonic crystals

We present a qualitative study of the subdiffractive light beam propagation in photonic crystals, based on the theoretical analysis of full Maxwell equation system beyond the slowly varying envelope and paraxial approximations. We calculate the zero diffraction curve in the parameter space, we calculate the weak asymptotical broadening (spreading in transverse direction), and we also analyze the dependence of subdiffractive propagation on the polarization orientation (both for TM and TE polarization).     

Rubinowicz transform of the MTPO surface integrals

The surface integral of the modified theory of physical optics is reduced to a line integral by using the Rubinowicz transform for the incident scattered fields by an arbitrary aperture in a black surface. The integral theorem of Kirchhoff is applied to the scattering geometry and the diffracted fields are expressed in terms of a line integral along the contour of the diffracting edge.     

Inscription of holographic gratings using circularly polarized light: influence of the optical set-up on the birefringence and surface relief grating properties

The polarization properties of the optical set-up used for holographic recording of diffraction gratings on azopolymer thin films are analyzed. The state of polarization of circularly polarized light is fully analyzed after reflection on a mirror at various incidences (Lloyd-mirror set-up). The Stokes analysis is performed using a photopolarimeter and the phase shift, the ellipticity and the azimuth orientation are compared with those calculated from Fresnel formulae. At large angles of incidence, an initially right circularly polarized (RCP) beam becomes elliptically polarized with an azimuth of nearly +45°. From these results, holographic diffraction gratings are recorded on an azobenzene-containing polymer thin film using (i) co- and contra-circularly polarized beams and (ii) a right circularly polarized beam interfering with a +45° linearly polarized light beam. Using Jones-matrix formalism, the polarization states of the diffracted orders from the birefringence (Δn) and the surface-relief (2Δd) gratings are derived and compared with experimental measurements. Finally, the induced local birefringences and surface-relief amplitudes are discussed in connection with atomic force microscopy measurements. The diffraction efficiencies obtained under the (+45°+RCP) and (LCP + RCP) (where LCP = left circularly polarized) configurations are thus compared and discussed. Received: 5 October 2001 / Revised version: 26 November 2001 / Published online: 17 January 2002     

Dynamic Behaviour of Self-Diffraction in Bacteriorhodopsin Film

We investigate the dependences of the diffraction efficiency of the first order self-diffracted beam in bacteriorhodopsin (bR) films on the illumination time, the intensity and wavelength of the incident light. When the blue light (λ = 488 nm) and low intensity red light (λ = 632.8 nm) are incident on the bR film respectively,the diffraction efficiencies increase from zero to a stable value with the illumination time. When the green light (λ = 533 nm) and high-intensity red light illuminate the bR film respectively, the diffraction efficiencies increase from zero to the maximum and then decrease to a stable value with the illumination time. Rise and decay times are dependent on the intensity and wavelength of the incident light. The maximal diffraction efficiency of the red light is twice as high as that of the green light. The highest diffraction efficiency of 5.4% is obtained at 633nm.The diffraction efficiency change with the time for the green light is larger than that for the blue and red light.     

Tunable grating-assisted surface plasmon resonance by use of nano-polymer dispersed liquid crystal electro-optical material

This paper reports on the experimental observation of the displacement of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excited by a metallic diffraction grating. This effect is achieved by the use of an electro-optical material composed of nano-sized droplets of liquid crystals dispersed in a host polymer. The average refractive index of this material in the form of a thin film on the undulated metal surface can be modified with the application of an external electric field and to tune the wavelength at which the SPR excitation leads to a reflection minimum. The theoretical design and experimental demonstration of the principle of this component are described.     

Optimal phase steps of multi-level spiral phase plates

We analyze vortex properties of the optical beams generated by a multi-level spiral phase plate (MLSPP) and find that this kind of beams consists of vortex components with topological charges of L − kM, where k is zero or any integer, M is the level number and L is the intrinsic topological charge of the MLSPP. We proved that the orbital angular momentum of the beams generated by a MLSPP reaches its maximum only if the phase steps (or the ratio of M to L) satisfies some special conditions.     

Dynamic diffraction behaviors of bacteriorhodopsin film at 532 nm

To show the relations between dynamic diffraction behaviors of two coupled waves and parameters of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) film, we presented a model of numerical simulation, in which the thermal effect is considered. Using wavelength of 532 nm, the relations between dynamic diffraction behaviors and parameters of bR film are revealed and the numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. For different incident intensities, the higher the intensity, the lower the stable normalized diffraction intensity. For different bR molecular concentrations in the M state, the higher the molecular concentration, the higher the stable value of normalized diffraction intensity. For different thickness of bR film, the larger the thickness, the higher the stable value of normalized diffraction intensity. For different lifetime in the M state, the longer the lifetime of the M state, the lower the stable value of normalized diffraction intensity. The normalized diffraction intensity with low stable value corresponds to its fast rising and decaying rate.     

Generation of optical vortices with tunable intensity modulation

We analyze vortex properties of the optical beams generated by a spiral phase plate (SPP) which cannot modulate the phase of the incident beam range from 0 to 2π nicely, and find that the vortices have intensity modulation (IM) with central bright speckle. We construct an improved SPP to produce high quality optical vortices with definite IM. Theoretical analysis and real experiments show that this improved SPP can be used to produce optical vortices with configurable intensity modulation degree and without central bright spot.     

Effects of recording wavelength on three-dimensional vector holograms in photoreactive liquid crystal composites

Effects of recording wavelength on the recently proposed (Sasaki, 2008) three-dimensional vector holograms, in which the optical anisotropy is three-dimensionally modulated, are presented experimentally and theoretically. The polarization states of the interference light are three-dimensionally modulated due to both the polarization interference and optical anisotropy in the recording medium. These spatial distributions of the polarization states and the resulting diffraction properties in the three-dimensional vector holograms are strongly dependent on the recording wavelength. Theoretical consideration based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method reveals the mechanism of the optical characteristics of the three-dimensional vector holograms recorded by various kinds of light sources with different wavelengths.     

Phase Controlled Laser Interference for Tunable Phase Gratings in Dye-Doped Nematic Liquid Crystals

A phase controlled multi-beam interference is applied to excite the doped liquid crystals. Control of the phase difference between the exciting beams allows the external control of the interference pattern inside the liquid crystal. The dynamic variation of the grating is made possible with a time-dependent phase change to derive the nonlinear refractive index as well as the responding speed of the material. The induced grating structure is numerically modelled with reorientational phase gratings in the liquid crystal, and the diffraction dynamics is found to be in good agreement between theoretical and experimental results.