Uri El-Hanany

Photorefractive solitons and light-induced resonance control in semiconductor CdZnTe.

We demonstrate the formation of (1+1) - and (2+1) -dimensional solitons in photorefractive CdZnTe:V, exploiting the intensity-resonant behavior of the space-charge field. We control the resonance optically, facilitating a 10-mus soliton formation times with very low optical power.

Light-induced symmetry breaking and related giant enhancement of nonlinear properties in CdZnTe:V crystals

We report on enormous light-induced reversible strain effects in CdZnTe:V crystals, which lead to a remarkable enhancement of their nonlinear properties, such as electrostriction and electro-optic effects. Using both high resolution x-ray diffraction and optical interferometry we measure light-induced relative deformation of the initial crystalline lattice (changes in d-spacings) up to 0.15%. The experimental findings are attributed to light-induced breaking of the initial cubic crystalline symmetry. Our results point to a family of inorganic materials whose nonlinear properties can be remarkably enhanced by light, offering new possibilities for nonlinear frequency conversion, generation of Terahertz radiation, electro-optic modulation, and self-deflection of optical beams.

Self-deflection and all-optical beam steering in CdZnTe

We report on the experimental observation of large self-deflection of optical beams and all-optical beam steering. We have observed optically-induced index changes in excess of 0.08, resulting in up to 27 resolvable spots of deflection.

Light-induced reversible shift and control of the bandgap of bulk CdZnTe:V crystals

We present the experimental observation of very large, light-induced, reversible change in the bandgap (up to 70meV) of CdZnTe:V crystals. Above a specific threshold, the bandgap shift persists when illumination is turned off.

Spatial modulation instability driven by light-enhanced nonlinearities in semiconductor CdZnTe:V crystals

We present the observation of spatial-modulation-instability in CdZeTe:V, where the nonlinearities are greatly enhanced by light. We find that the index-change is composed of a huge (~0.01) uniform component and a 20-times smaller periodic component.

Light-induced ionic displacement in CdZnTe:V crystals giving rise to crystalline symmetry breaking and giant nonlinearities

We report on direct experimental evidence that light-induced ionic displacement, driven by charge separation, is responsible for the enormous enhancement of the nonlinear properties of CdZnTe:V crystals.