Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) has been proven to be an effective non-linear media for a variety of applications, such as optically addressable spatial light modulators, volumetric memories, optical image processing systems, optical sensors, and optical correlators. However, practical realization of such systems with BR depends upon the specific characteristics of this material. In this report we present experimental results of the time evolution and intensity dependent characteristics of a BR gelatin film. In particular we studied the spectral dependence of the optical density/refraction index modulation. A holographic technique was used to investigate the exposure characteristics of photorefraction, recording versus storage time, as well as the connection between the diffraction efficiency of the recorded grating and light induced scattering (noise)--the parameters that are of primary importance for such applications as high density memory systems and optical correlators.

Date Published: 28 June 1999
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 3793, Operational Characteristics and Crystal Growth of Nonlinear Optical Materials, (28 June 1999); doi: 10.1117/12.351403

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3793:
Operational Characteristics and Crystal Growth of Nonlinear Optical Materials
Ravindra B. Lal; Donald O. Frazier, Editor(s)