Spatial light modulation based on photoinduced change in the complex refractive index of bacteriorhodopsin

Bacteriorhodopsin exhibits photoinduced changes in both absorption and refractive index at 633 nm. To explore the possibility of exploiting this property in constructing a photoaddressed spatial light modulator, we investigated the transmission property of a Fabry-Perot interferometer containing a bacteriorhodopsin thin film. Film was formed that had a phase shift of π/4 and sufficient interference fringe contrast for spatial light modulation. This establishes the possibility of constructing a spatial light modulator that features nonlinear input-output characteristics and can operate at moderate light intensities of the order of tens of milliwatts per centimeter square.