Static and Dynamic Photo-Induced Index of Refraction Changes

This article deals upon three aspects of the interaction of light with matter. First of all, we consider exploitation of photo-induced chemical and structural changes for fabrication of integrated optical circuits and realization of phase matching in second harmonic generation. The systematic generation of spatial variations in index of refraction, which we demonstrate, can be a crucial factor in the development of nonlinear optical devices for commercial application. We then examine development of dynamic second order optical nonlinearities and the exploitation of these for frequency generation, electro-optic modulation, and beam steering. Our particular focus in this article is the stabilization of poling-induced order and second order nonlinear optical activity. The final discussion focuses upon third order optical nonlinearities. This area of research is less advanced and attention is directed toward definition of mechanisms of optical nonlinearity and upon identifying research avenues for significantly improving optical nonlinearities for device applications such as sensor protection, dynamic holography, and optical computing.