Two-dimensional spatial solitons in nematic liquid crystals

Marco Peccianti; Cesare Umeton; Iam-Choon Khoo; Alfredo DeRossi; Gaetano Assanto

doi:10.1117/12.424716

12 April 2001 Two-dimensional spatial solitons in nematic liquid crystals

Marco Peccianti, Cesare Umeton, Iam-Choon Khoo, Alfredo DeRossi, Gaetano Assanto

Proceedings Volume 4271, Optical Pulse and Beam Propagation III; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424716
Event: Photonics West 2001 - LASE, 2001, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

We have observed, for the first to the best of our knowledge, time 2+1 dimensional spatial solitons with an Argon-ion beam in planar cells containing an undoped nematic liquid crystal. The cells provided planar anchoring for the liquid crystal molecules, with transparent electrodes for applying an external voltage across the 75µm-thick crystal. The voltage allowed to pre-orientate the director field m the prmcipal plane contammg the lmearly polarized optical field vector thereby elimmatmg the Fréedericks threshold In this regime, powers low enough to prevent thermal effects could be employed to obtam transverse localization through a local light induced mdex mcrease, trappmg the beam into a spatial soliton Self trapping as-well-as guidance of a copolarized probe at 633nm, were demonstrated at biases of 1v with 3.9 mW powers m the green at 514nm. A beam orthogonally polarized with respect to the director tilt-plane failed to produce self localization thereby confirming the reorientational nature of the phenomenon.

Citation Download Citation

Marco Peccianti, Cesare Umeton, Iam-Choon Khoo, Alfredo DeRossi, and Gaetano Assanto "Two-dimensional spatial solitons in nematic liquid crystals", Proc. SPIE 4271, Optical Pulse and Beam Propagation III, (12 April 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424716

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