Abstract

Interference of two non-collinear femtosecond laser pulses induces, due to the optical Kerr effect, a refractive index grating in a thin slide of barium fluoride crystal. Self diffraction and diffraction of the third harmonic of the incident light, generated within the slide, is observed to several orders with an efficiency of better than 10 %. The intensity of the third harmonic is so high that for several diffraction orders the fluorescence of a white paper screen is easily visible to the naked eye. All effects are only present upon coincidence of both incident pulses, showing their instantaneous nature.

© 1999 Optical Society of America