Optical pulse propagation and holographic storage in a coupled-resonator optical waveguide

We propose a method of storage and reconstruction of a classical light pulse based on photorefractive holography in a coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW). Pulse propagation in a CROW is described in the context of the tight-binding approximation; the use of a CROW results in a large reduction of the group velocity, which is important for spatial compression of the optical pulses. Further, the efficiency of the photorefractive effect is enhanced in a CROW, enabling quasistatic holographic grating formation using much lower intensity optical pulses. We describe in detail the formation of a photorefractive index grating in a CROW via interference with a reference pulse and the subsequent holographic reconstruction of the signal pulse.