Photorefraction in LiNbO3:Fe crystals with femtosecond laser pulses

The photorefractive effect in lithium niobate crystals (LiNbO
3
) is investigated using femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. This research is triggered by an increasing interest in using LiNbO3 for nonlinear applications with high light intensities [1]. Such applications are affected by the photorefractive effect, since it can destroy the beam profiles and the phase matching conditions due to “optical damage” and “light-induced scattering”. To make measurements with ultra-high intensities, fs pulses are quite convenient. In addition, interesting photorefractive effects have already been discovered using short pulses and LiNbO
3
[2, 3].