Influence of multiple internal reflections and thermal expansion on the effective diffraction efficiency of holograms stored in lithium niobate

Abstract

In experimentally determining the diffraction efficiency of holograms stored in lithium niobate and similar materials by exposure to known amounts of light, it is necessary to take into account multiple internal reflections from the surfaces. In particular, the effective diffraction efficiency is very sensitive to small changes in temperature (∼ 1 °C) such as those which are easily produced by exposure to medium−intensity laser beams.