POLARIZATION PROPERTIES OF TRANSMISSION AND DIFFRACTION IN BSO - A UNIFIED ANALYSIS

The evolution of polarization in holographically coupled beams travers ing bismuth silicon oxide (BSO) in the E perpendicular to(($) over bar 110) configuration is analyzed. The phenomena of electrical birefring ence, optical activity, and holographic diffraction are taken into acc ount in a unified and exact manner. The holographic grating is assumed to be static and to be created uniformly in a prior step. Formulas ar e derived that readily describe quantitatively the amplitudes,. azimut h, and ellipticity of the polarization at any depth in the crystal. Th is analysis extends the research of others [J. Opt. Sec. Am. B 3, 321 (1986); J. Opt. Sec. Am. A 4, 325 (1987)]. Relevant literature is revi ewed. Simple examples of applications are presented, as well as experi mental work relating to parameter quantification.