Spatial light modulation based on photoinduced change in the complex refractive index of bacteriorhodopsin

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Abstract
Bacteriorhodopsin exhibits photoinduced changes in both absorption and refractive index at 633 nm. To explore the possibility of exploiting this property in constructing a photoaddressed spatial light modulator, we investigated the transmission property of a Fabry-Perot interferometer containing a bacteriorhodopsin thin film. Film was formed that had a phase shift of π/4 and sufficient interference fringe contrast for spatial light modulation. This establishes the possibility of constructing a spatial light modulator that features nonlinear input-output characteristics and can operate at moderate light intensities of the order of tens of milliwatts per centimeter square.