Theoretical simulation of the dead zone in hologram recording on photopolymerizable materials

Recording of a diffraction grating in a photopolymerizable material in the presence of a liquid crystal is studied theoretically in terms of the polymerization equation with allowance for diffusion. A model explaining the occurrence of recording delay time (dead zone) by the presence of oxygen or other impurities that prevent the formation of free radicals is put forward. The dead zone duration versus the writing radiation intensity is derived.