This book explains the principles of laser beam interactions applied to the recording, readout, and processing of information-carrying optical waves. It treats both quantitatively and qualitatively the specific effects that appear due to the fine-scale speckle structure of the spatial profile of a laser-originated wave. The basics of the nature, physics, and properties of the speckle fields, as well as the fundamentals of holography and nonlinear optics, are discussed.
Speckles in Holography. Introduction to the Problem: Interference and Spatial Structure of a Light Beam. Properties of Speckle Fields. Types of Holograms of Speckle Fields. Main Parameters of Holograms. Diffraction of Light by Sinusoidal Grating. Noise Characteristics of HologramS. The Problem of Information Capacity of Holographic Memory: Light Beam Degrees of Freedom. Capacity Limit for Two-Dimensional Recording of Information. Holographic Memory with Three-Dimensional Recording. Estimates for Limiting the Information Retrieval Rate. First Born Approximation Theory of Hologram Readout: Derivation of the Scalar Helmholtz Equation for Nonuniform Media. Amplitude of Reconstructed Object Waves. Strength of the Hologram. Amplitude of Conjugate Waves. The Condition of Volume Regime. Spectral-Angular Selectivity. Photoresponse Saturation and Grating Strength. Holograms of Speckle Waves: Diffraction Efficiency of Holograms of Speckle Waves. Diffraction Efficiency and Noise at Photoresponse Saturation for Thin-Layer and Thick-Layer Holograms. Selectivity of Holograms of Speckle Fields. Spectral-Angular Distortions. Holograms of Speckle Reference Waves. Readouts of Holograms at High Grating Strength: Thin- and Thick-Layer Holograms of Enhanced Efficiency. Specklon. Calculation of Extinction Coefficients for Specklon. Reconstruction of Speckle Fields by Volume Holograms and Effect of Selectivity Curve Shift. Intramodulation Noise of 3-D Holograms. Referenceless Holograms. Superimposing Exposures at Partial Correlation between Object Fields. Hymn of Praise for 3-D Holograms. Self-Action of Speckle Beams in Nonlinear Media: Brief Review of Nonlinearities for Dynamic Holography. Self Phase Modulation of Speckle Beam. Suppression of Self-Focusing by Speckles. Self-Binding of a Speckle Beam. Two Wave Mixing: Plane Wave Model of Two Wave Mixing. Self-Phase Conjugation Via Backscattering. Transient Energy Transfer of Speckle Beams in Accumulating Media. Stabilization of Dynamic Recordings of Volume Holograms. Checking (Verifying) the Specklon Theory in Two-Wave Mixing Experiment. Two-Wave Coupling Via Diffusion Nonlinearity. Speckle Effects in Multiwave Mixing: Instability of Phase Conjugated Speckle Waves in Kerr-Like Media. Double Phase Conjugation. Self-Biting Scheme of Phase Conjugation. Build-up of Self-Conjugating Oscillation in Nonlinear Cavities.