Theory of groove-envelope phase effects in self-diffraction

Abstract: If two laser beams cross in a medium under shallow angle, the laser-induced grating consists of only a few grooves. In this situation, the phase between the grooves of the grating and its envelope is a decisive parameter for nonlinear effects. Here, models are established for reproducing the groove-envelope phase effects that have been observed in the interference pattern of self-diffraction. Four-wave mixing leads to interferences that are dominant in the spatial region between the orders of diffraction and with tilted interference fringes in the diagram of transverse coordinate vs. pulse delay. The vertical interference fringes that are dominant directly on the diffraction orders, experimentally observed at high intensity close to the damage threshold, require a model beyond four-wave mixing. A model is suggested that is based on optical transmission changes with confinement to regions in the medium that are smaller than the groove spacing.