  We show that experiments clearly verify the assumptions made by the
first-order two-wave coupling theory for one dimensional lossless unslanted
planar volume holographic gratings using the beta-value method rather than
Kogelnik's K-vector closure method. Apart from the fact that the diffraction
process is elastic, a much more striking difference between the theories
becomes apparent particularly in the direction of the diffracted beam in
off-Bragg replay. We therefore monitored the direction of the diffracted beam
as a function of the off-Bragg replay angle in two distinct cases: [a] the
diffracted beam lies in the plane of incidence and [b] the sample surface
normal, the grating vector and the incoming beam do not form a plane which
calls for the vectorial theory and results in conical scattering.
