Size Effects in Volume Holograms Recorded in Photorefractive Crystals

Abstract

In several applications as pattern recognition by dynamic coherent optical correlation, interference patterns whose typical width is of the same order of magnitude or less than the thickness of the recording materials are recorded in the bulk of photorefractive materials. In addition to the well known Bragg selectivity of the volume holograms, this geometric configuration influences the diffraction behavior of the reading beam. We have theoretically investigated this effect and experimental results are provided.