Incoherent-to-coherent conversion by use of the photorefractive fanning effect

A dynamic incoherent-to-coherent converter using the photorefractive fanning effect is demonstrated in a BaTiO(3):Ce crystal, and high-quality positive replicas of the incoherent image are obtained with a resolution of 32line pairs/mm. In this method the incoherent image-bearing beam modulates the transmission intensity of the coherent beam directly, and no readout beam is required. When the intensity ratio of the incoherent beam to the coherent beam is smaller than 5, the transmission intensity of the coherent beam increases almost linearly with increased intensity of the incoherent beam.