Experimental demonstration of temporal-waveform-controlled spatial routing of optical beams via spatial-spectral filtering

Summary form only given. Frequency-selective recording materials have been extensively studied for optical data storage and other applications. We demonstrate here a new type of process that utilizes both the spatial and spectral processing capabilities of such recording materials. In this process, spatial-spectral gratings, preprogrammed into a frequency-selective material, process and deflect optical pulses into different directions depending on the temporal waveform of each input pulse. One application of this process is temporal-waveform controlled optical routing; a process useful in optical communications and photonic switching.