Spatial solitons in nematic liquid crystals

被引:174
作者
Assanto, G [1 ]
Peccianti, M [1 ]
机构
[1] Terza Univ Rome, Dept Elect Engn, INFM, NOOEL, I-00146 Rome, Italy
关键词
liquid crystals; nonlinear optics; nonlinear wave propagation; optical solitons; self focusing;
D O I
10.1109/JQE.2002.806185
中图分类号
TM [电工技术]; TN [电子技术、通信技术];
学科分类号
0808 ; 0809 ;
摘要
Nematic liquid crystals exhibit a saturable nonlinearity, nonlocal in time and in space, owing to light-induced reorientation of the molecular director. In such media, (2 + 1)-dimensional spatial solitons can be obtained at milliwatt-power levels and confine weaker co-polarized signals of different wavelengths, employing either coherent or partially incoherent excitations. Our experimental observations of solitons and related phenomena, ranging from angular steering to mutual interactions, are reviewed. Models are briefly discussed and used to predict and interpret the results.
引用
收藏
页码:13 / 21
页数:9
相关论文
共 36 条
[1]  
[Anonymous], 2001, SOLITON DRIVEN PHOTO
[2]   FILAMENTATION AND UNDULATION OF SELF-FOCUSED LASER-BEAMS IN LIQUID-CRYSTALS [J].
BRAUN, E ;
FAUCHEUX, LP ;
LIBCHABER, A ;
MCLAUGHLIN, DW ;
MURAKI, DJ ;
SHELLEY, MJ .
EUROPHYSICS LETTERS, 1993, 23 (04) :239-244
[3]   Theory of incoherent self-focusing in biased photorefractive media [J].
Christodoulides, DN ;
Coskun, TH ;
Mitchell, M ;
Segev, M .
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 1997, 78 (04) :646-649
[4]  
Collings P. J., 1997, INTRO LIQUID CRYSTAL
[5]  
DEGENNES PG, 1993, PHYSICS LIQUID CRYST
[6]   A thermal (2D+1) spatial optical soliton in a dye doped liquid crystal [J].
Derrien, F ;
Henninot, JF ;
Warenghem, M ;
Abbate, G .
JOURNAL OF OPTICS A-PURE AND APPLIED OPTICS, 2000, 2 (04) :332-337
[7]   SELF-FOCUSED LIGHT-PROPAGATION IN A FULLY SATURABLE MEDIUM - THEORY [J].
DOWELL, ML ;
PAUL, BD ;
GALLAGHER, A ;
COOPER, J .
PHYSICAL REVIEW A, 1995, 52 (04) :3244-3253
[8]  
DRAZIN PG, 1991, SOLITONS INTRO
[9]   Tunable non-locality of thermal non-linearity in dye doped nematic liquid crystal [J].
Henninot, JF ;
Debailleul, M ;
Warenghem, M .
MOLECULAR CRYSTALS AND LIQUID CRYSTALS, 2002, 375 :631-640
[10]   (2D+1) spatial optical solitons in dye doped liquid crystals [J].
Henninot, JF ;
Debailleul, M ;
Derrien, F ;
Abbate, G ;
Warenghem, M .
SYNTHETIC METALS, 2001, 124 (01) :9-13