Department of Physics and Astronomy: Publications and Other Research
Date of this Version
11-1991
Abstract
A new physical mechanism is proposed for generating transient phase gratings in transparent pyroelectric materials. The mechanism combines the pyroelectric and electro-optic effects to convert spatial intensity variations into transient phase gratings. The grating diffraction efficiency increases with a figure of merit that is proportional to the pyroelectric, electro-optic, and absorption coefficients and is inversely proportional to the specific heat. The grating response time is proportional to the specific heat and inversely proportional to the thermal conductivity. Diffraction efficiencies that approach unity are predicted in several readily available electro-optic materials with modest pulse energies from Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers. Observation with cw laser sources is also proposed. The pyro-electro-optic mechanism is compared with other known mechanisms.
Comments
Published in Optics Letters 16:22 (November 15, 1991), pp. 1791-1793; and Optics Letters 17:6 (March 15, 1992), p. 459 (Erratum). Copyright 1991, 1992 Optical Society of America. Used by permission.