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Lithium niobate crystal is widely used for the design and fabrication of integrated electro-optic modulators. As a ferroelectric material, one sees its spontaneous polarization change with temperature variations. This phenomenon, known as the pyroelectric effect, induces strong waveguide transmission variations for waveguides realized on Z -cut wafers. Waveguides made by titanium in-diffusion either on the Z + or Z - side of the crystal show a significant difference in temperature behavior. Experimental data, enlightened by numerical simulations, help to show why Z - waveguides are more immune to temperature changes than Z + ones.

Spatially entangled twin photons provide a test of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox in its original form of position (image plane) versus impulsion (Fourier plane). We show that recording a single pair of images in each plane is sufficient to safely demonstrate an EPR paradox. On each pair of images, we have retrieved the fluctuations by subtracting the fitted deterministic intensity shape and then have obtained an intercorrelation peak with a sufficient signal to noise ratio to safely distinguish this peak from random fluctuations. A 95% confidence interval has been determined, confirming a high degree of paradox whatever the considered single pairs. Last, we have verified that the value of the variance of the difference between twin images is always below the quantum (poissonian) limit, in order to ensure the particle character of the demonstration. Our demonstration shows that a single image pattern can reveal the quantum and non-local behavior of light.

We report on low-loss vertical tapers for efficient coupling between confined LiNbO 3 optical ridge waveguides and Single Mode Fibers. 3D-Pseudo-Spectral-Time-Domain calculations and Optical-Coherence-Tomography-based methods are advantageously used for the numerical and experimental study of the tapers. The tapered-section is done simultaneously with the ridge waveguide by means of a circular precision dicing saw, so that the fabrication procedure is achieved in only two steps. The total insertion losses through a 1.6 cm long ridge waveguide are measured to be improved by 3 dB in presence of the taper. These tapered-ridge waveguides open the way to the low-cost production of low-loss phase modulators or resonators.

We report light-beam self-trapping triggered by the pyroelectric effect in an isolated ferroelectric thin film. Experiments are performed in an 8-μm-thick congruent undoped LiNbO(3) film bonded onto a silicon wafer. Response time two orders of magnitude faster than in bulk LiNbO(3) is reported. The original underlying physics specific of this arrangement is discussed.

A photorefractive BSO single crystal can be used for axially resolved acousto-optic imaging of thick scattering media in absence of a reference beam. This configuration renders the experimental setup easier to realize for imaging through thick scattering media with an improved optical etendue. We present here a model and simulations that explains these results. It is based on the spatial heterogeneity of the speckle pattern incident on the crystal. Optimization of the detector position and of the speckle grain size is confirmed by the model.

We report the formation of surface self-written waveguides by means of surface pyrolitons in lithium niobate. By a specific orientation of the crystal axis the quasi-local slow photorefractive response of lithium niobate was used to induce a self-confined beam exactly at the crystal-air interface. The mode profile of the photo-induced waveguide is strongly asymmetric due to the interface presence.

A tridimensional pseudo-spectral time domain (3D-PSTD) algorithm, that solves the full-wave Maxwell's equations by using Fourier transforms to calculate the spatial derivatives, has been applied to determine the time characteristics of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous media. Since the 3D simulation gives access to the full-vector components of the electromagnetic fields, it allowed us to analyse the polarization state of the scattered light with respect to the characteristics of the scattering medium and the polarization state of the incident light. We show that, while the incident light is strongly depolarized on the whole, the light that reaches the output face of the scattering medium is much less depolarized. This fact is consistent with our recently reported experimental results, where a rotation of the polarization does not preclude the restoration of an image by phase conjugation.

We demonstrate writing and probing of light-induced waveguides in photorefractive bulk LiNbO3 crystal using an endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fiber. The optical waveguides are written at visible wavelengths by slightly raising the ferroelectric crystal temperature to benefit from the pyroelectric-driven photorefractive effect and the guiding properties are investigated at telecom wavelengths using the same photonic crystal fiber. End butt coupling with this photonic crystal fiber enables writing and probing of optical waveguides due to the self-alignment properties of spatial solitons.

An optical medium whose nonlinearity can be spatially adjusted is considered to study beam reshaping. The concept is applied to perform adiabatic self-focusing of broad beams. Experimental results are obtained in a photorefractive lithium niobate crystal where the self-focusing nonlinearity is controlled over propagation by a temperature gradient. As a demonstration, gradual self-focusing is shown to transform an incoming beam into an output circular spot 10 times smaller over a 2 cm long crystal submitted to a 30 °C temperature gradient. Once formed, the adiabatic self-focused beam has inscribed a funnel waveguide in the crystal., (© 2011 Optical Society of America)

Spatial and temporal locking of fundamental and second harmonic pulses was realized by means of photorefractive nonlinearity and highly mismatched harmonic generation. Due to the presence of both phase-locked and unlocked second harmonic pulses, a twin simultonic state was observed. Simultonic filamentation occurring at high pumping rates allowed us to determine a relation between the simulton's waist and its intensity.

We report on the reversal of degradation of information masks stored in self-defocusing lithium niobate. After a long writing time, the image degradation appears as the splitting of refractive-index patterns stored in the medium. The reversal is achieved simply by illuminating the crystal with incoherent light from a halogen lamp. The reversal occurs because the refractive-index changes responsible for the splitting are of a smaller magnitude and are therefore erased first during incoherent illumination. Additionally, we gain insight into the storage, degradation, and erasure dynamics using a time-dependent numerical model of the photorefractive effect in this medium. Since the data can be recovered from a degraded state in which the original data are unrecognizable, this technique could be utilized in such applications as image scrambling or encryption.

Influence of the anisotropic tensorial electro-optic effect of LiNbO(3):Fe photorefractive defocusing medium on propagation of a vortex beam is numerically and experimentally investigated. Characteristic behaviors are depicted by varying light polarization, sign of vortex angular momentum and propagation directions.