This second volume of the series on photorefractive effects focuses on the most recent developments in the field and highlights the parameters which govern the photoinduced nonlinearity. Besides reviewing conventional electro-optic crystals, this book deals with organic photorefractive materials, giving an in-depth assessment of the present understanding of the effect in a variety of materials. The materials considered in this volume will play a significant role in the development of applications such as presented in the third volume.

Introduction.- Defects in inorganic photorefractive materials and their investigations.- Recording speed and determination of basic material properties.- Photorefractive effects in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3.- Growth and photorefractive properties of stoichiometric LiNbO3 and LiTaO3.- Optical damage resistance in lithium niobate.- Photorefractive effects in KNbO3.- Photorefractive properties of BaTiO3.- Space charge waves in sillenites: rectification and second harmonic generation.- Photorefractive effects in Sn2P2S6.- Photorefractive semiconductors and quantum well structures.- Recent progress in semiconductor photorefractive crystals.- Amorphous organic photorefractive materials.- Organic photorefractive materials and their applications.- Photosensitivity and treatments for enhancing the photosensitivity of silica-based glasses and fibers.- Photorefractive effects in liquid crystals.- Photorefractive effects in organic photochromic materials.