Bacteriorhodopsin Films Containing the Variant D96N as Media for Dynamic Holography and Interferometry

The photochromic retinal protein bacteriorhodopsin which was obtained from Halobacterium salinarium has been studied as the photoactive component of recording materials for different dynamic holographic applications like degenerate - four - wave - mixing (DFWM) and interferometry. With the mutated BR-variant D96N resonantly induced reflectivities of up to 20% are observed at 647 nm in DFWM. The excellent reversibility of the BR-materials and the extended thermal decay time of this particular BR-variant support its application in real - time interferometry.