Photorefractive Crystals in Coherent Optical Systems

This book describes the processes of optical information recording in photorefractive crystals and applications of these materials in phase-conjugating devices, holographic interferometry, optical computers and sensors. It is in essence an extensive introduction to this new and rapidly developing area of quantum electronics. It presents physical concepts, fundamentals of theory, and important experimental data. A rigorous treatment of basic phenomena is accompanied by a quantitative analysis, which makes the book interesting to experts and accessible for newcomers to the field. Of particular interest to researchers is an extensive summary of basic physical and holographic parameters of all presently known photorefractive crystals and structures and also a detailed critical analysis of their applications.