In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for recording holographic data in an optical data storage medium is provided. The method includes (i) providing an optical data storage medium including: (a) a thermoplastic polymer matrix, (b) a latent acid generator, (c) a non-linear sensitizer, and (d) a reactant including a latent chromophore. The method further includes (ii) irradiating a volume element of the optical data storage medium with an interference pattern, said interference pattern including an incident radiation having a wavelength and an intensity sufficient to cause upper triplet energy transfer from the non-linear sensitizer to the latent acid generator, thereby generating an acid, wherein the latent acid generator is substantially non-responsive to said incident radiation. The method furthermore includes (iii) reacting at least one protected chromophore with the acid generated to form at least one chromophore, thereby causing a refractive index change within the volume element; and (iv) producing within the irradiated volume element refractive index variations corresponding to the interference pattern, thereby producing an optically readable datum. An optical data storage medium is also provided.