Two-way diffusion model for short-exposure holographic grating formation in acrylamidebased photopolymer

A theoretical model for formation of a short-exposure holographic grating is presented. The model accounts for both monomer and polymer diffusion and distinguishes between short polymer chains capable of diffusing and long polymer chains that are immobile. It is shown that the experimentally observed decrease of diffraction efficiency at higher spatial frequency can be predicted by assuming diffusion of short-chain polymers away from the bright fringes. The time evolution of the refractive-index modulation after a short exposure is calculated and compared with experimental results. The effects of diffusion coefficients, polymerization rates, intensity, and spatial frequency of recording on the properties of weak diffraction gratings are investigated by numerical simulations.