Effects of the groove-envelope phase in self-diffraction

Abstract

If the laser-induced grating in a close-to-collinear two-beam geometry comprises only a few grooves, then the phase between the grooves of the grating and its envelope is decisive to nonlinear effects. Here it is shown that the groove-envelope phase, which can be altered through the delay between the pulses on a subcycle timescale, determines the interferences that arise in self-diffraction. The shape of the interference pattern changes as the laser intensity approaches the damage threshold in a thin dielectric solid, and simulations show that the shape depends on the mechanisms that lead to self-diffraction.