Polarization characteristics of two-wave self-diffraction in media with a nonlinear response of the Kerr type

Characteristics of transient two-wave self-diffraction, due to the polarization of the interacting waves, are considered for media with an orientational optical nonlinearity. It is shown that the efficiency of energy exchange is maximal between the waves with mutually orthogonal circular polarizations. On the other hand, in the case of mutually orthogonal linear polarizations the transport of energy is in the "anomalous" direction, i.e., to the stronger wave.