Diffraction by a Laser Induced Thermal Phase Grating. I

The problem of diffraction by a laser induced thermal phase grating is solved in a self-consistent manner. Solutions, valid over a wide range of experimentally attainable conditions, are given and a sum rule is derived to test the validity of the solutions. These solutions are compared with those obtained by other workers and the experiments of Eichler et al. and Eichler and Kluzowski are examined in the light of our new solutions.