Abstract

Radiation passing through a nonlinear optical medium can lead to a change in the refractive index of that medium. If the radiation is in the form of a focused Gaussian beam, the focal region where the radiation field is the strongest will have the greatest index change and the transverse spatial profile of this index change will be bell-shaped since the transverse radiation profile is Gaussian. For a large f-number focused beam, the focal region is a long cylinder with a transverse graded-index (GRIN) profile quite analogous to a graded index waveguide or fiber. We have used this real-time refractive index waveguide due to one beam of pulsed laser radiation to rapidly redirect or switch a second beam of laser radiation.

© 1987 Optical Society of America