Dipolar holographic gratings induced by the photorefractive process in potassium lithium tantalate niobate at the paraelectric phase

We present experimental evidence indicating the formation of dipolar holographic gratings in potassium lithium tantalate niobate at the paraelectric phase slightly above the phase transition, These gratings are formed in the dark, following the writing of space-charge-based photorefractive gratings, under an external electric field. The dipolar gratings create a spatial modulation of the low-frequency dielectric constant, and the latter induces a spatially correlated modulation of the polarization, which is transformed into birefringence gratings through the quadratic electro-optic effect. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.