ESTIMATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC FIELD IN LINBO3 CRYSTAL BY Z-SCAN

Based on the saturable photorefractive nonlinearity for photovoltaic c rystals under short-circuit condition, the general (on- and off-axis) Z-scan formula for a one-dimensional Gaussian laser beam is derived. T he bulk photovoltaic field in an iron doped lithium niobate crystal is estimated from Z-scan experiments. The possibility to use the Z-scan technique to detect and measure the bulk photovoltaic effects in pyroe lectric crystals with photorefraction is discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.