Self-diffraction at a dynamic photonic crystal formed in a colloidal solution of quantum dots

Self-diffraction at a one-dimensional dynamic photonic crystal formed in the colloidal solution of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots has been discovered. This self-diffraction appears simultaneously with self-diffraction at induced transparency channels at the resonant excitation of the main electron–hole (excitonic) transition of quantum dots by two laser beams with a Gaussian intensity distribution over the cross section. It is shown that a nonlinear change in the absorption of colloidal quantum dots results in the formation of a transparency channel and an induced amplitude diffraction grating, and a significant nonlinear change in the refractive index (Δn ≈ 10−3) in the absorbing medium is responsible for the formation of the dynamic photonic crystal. Self-diffracted laser beams are revealed propagating not only in directions corresponding to self-diffraction at the induced diffraction grating but also in directions satisfying the Laue condition.