Polarization-holographic recording in the general case of a reaction of a photoanisotropic medium

A theory of polarization-holographic recording is considered in the general case of a reaction of a photoanisotropic medium involving linear and nonlinear effects when the medium subjected to elliptically polarized light assumes the properties of a gyrotropic crystal. The matrix describing conversion of the state of polarization of a reconstructed image is obtained in the linear approximation. This matrix depends on a scalar reaction and two vector reactions of a photoanisotropic medium and also on the state of polarization of the reference and reconstructing waves. The approximation of an infinitesimally thin hologram is used to derive the equation for the characteristic ellipse of a photoanisotropic medium, which describes an elliptically polarized reference wave matched to the characteristics of the medium so as to ensure that the reconstructed image is undistorted in respect of the polarization.