Effects of Crystal-Induced Optical Incoherence in Electro-Optic Field Sensors

Abstract

Electro-optic (EO) sensors, used for the nonperturbative detection of electric fields, are strongly influenced by inhomogeneities and deviations of birefringence within the nonlinear crystal. These effects can reduce optical phase coherence in the probe beam, reducing sensor responsivity. The effect is most pronounced in photorefractive materials, where distributions of birefringence are likely to occur. Our analysis suggests that a standard deviation of birefringence as little as 10−4 can reduce sensitivity by two orders of magnitude. This indicates that optically stable materials with low photorefractivity and low birefringence are ideally suited for EO sensor applications.