Diffraction Efficiency and Selectivity of Polarization Holographic Recording

Polarization holographic recording, based on photoinducing optical anisotropy in the recording material, is examined. The properties (diffraction efficiency and selectivity) are discussed for two types of polarization modulation—recording with two orthogonal linear polarized waves and recording with two orthogonal circular polarized waves. It is shown that in polarization recording in materials with intrinsic birefringence, there is a gradual transition between the two types of polarization modulation. In this combined type of recording both the diffraction efficiency of the holograms and the polarization of the diffracted wave depend on the polarization of the reconstructing wave.