Dynamics of photoinduced refractive index changes in As2S3 fibers

We investigate the dynamics of photoinduced index changes in chalcogenide As(2)S(3) fibers. Using a novel phase sensitive technique for measuring the photoinduced index change, we find that the index evolution is a two-stage process: it consists of a fast reduction and a subsequent slow increase in the refractive index. We show that the index change depends strongly on the beam intensity with both positive and negative changes possible. These findings can have application in design and fabrication of photoinduced devices such as Bragg gratings and photonic cavities.