Recording of dynamic gratings in the nonlinear optical coating of a planar waveguide

The possibility of controlled energy exchange between interfering waveguide modes in a singlemode planar waveguide with a nonlinear optical coating is analyzed. As the coating, a suspension of bacteriorhodopsin D96N was used, which makes it possible to realize two spectrally separated mechanisms of recording and controlling dynamic gratings, i.e., the spatial modulation of the trans-cis excitation rate and the spatial modulation of the cis-trans relaxation rate. The method of phase-modulated beams was used to implement the energy exchange. The dynamic gratings in the coating were recorded by using both radiation with a wavelength within the absorption band of the trans state (630 nm) and radiation with a wavelength within the absorption band of the cis state (440 nm). Efficient control of the energy exchange between the waveguide modes by means of uniform exposure of their interference region to radiation with another wavelength was observed. A completely integral geometrical layout for optically controlled energy exchange was realized. The results obtained are compared with known data on energy exchange between beams in the bulk of a similar nonlinear medium.