Ultrafast all-optical deflection based on an induced area modulation in nonlinear materials

A novel all-optical area-modulation scheme is suggested and experimentally demonstrated. In a mutually perpendicular interaction geometry inside a nonlinear material, the signal beam, which passes through an induced temporal prism formed by an area-modulated optical pump beam, undergoes a spatial phase modulation that leads to a beam deflection. Advantages and potential applications of the new all-optical modulation are addressed.