Photorefractive two-step recording in a piezoelectric La3Ga5SiO14 crystal doped with praseodymium

The first experimental verification to the authors' knowledge of efficient two-step recording in a photorefractive and piezoelectric crystal of La(3)Ga(5)SiO(14):Pr(3+) with cw laser light (I<20 W/cm(2)) is reported. We found nonlinear behavior of the photorefractive sensitivity and photovoltaic current, indicating that the excitation process is connected to excitation of 4f(2) electrons of the Pr(3+) dopant through an intermediate level to the conduction band. This two-step nature of the photorefractive effect makes the crystal an exciting new candidate for applications in holographic storage.