Nonlinear continuous-wave optical propagation in nematic liquid crystals: Interplay between reorientational and thermal effects

Alessandro Alberucci, Urszula A. Laudyn, Armando Piccardi, Michał Kwasny, Bartlomiej Klus, Mirosław A. Karpierz, and Gaetano Assanto
Phys. Rev. E 96, 012703 – Published 11 July 2017

Abstract

We investigate nonlinear optical propagation of continuous-wave (CW) beams in bulk nematic liquid crystals. We thoroughly analyze the competing roles of reorientational and thermal nonlinearity with reference to self-focusing/defocusing and, eventually, the formation of nonlinear diffraction-free wavepackets, the so-called spatial optical solitons. To this extent we refer to dye-doped nematic liquid crystals in planar cells excited by a single CW beam in the highly nonlocal limit. To adjust the relative weight between the two nonlinear responses, we employ two distinct wavelengths, inside and outside the absorption band of the dye, respectively. Different concentrations of the dye are considered in order to enhance the thermal effect. The theoretical analysis is complemented by numerical simulations in the highly nonlocal approximation based on a semi-analytic approach. Theoretical results are finally compared to experimental results in the Nematic Liquid Crystals (NLC) 4-trans-4'-n-hexylcyclohexylisothiocyanatobenzene (6CHBT) doped with Sudan Blue dye.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
6 More
  • Received 2 March 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.96.012703

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Polymers & Soft MatterNonlinear Dynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Alessandro Alberucci1,*, Urszula A. Laudyn2, Armando Piccardi3, Michał Kwasny2, Bartlomiej Klus2, Mirosław A. Karpierz2, and Gaetano Assanto1,3,†

  • 1Photonics Laboratory, Tampere University of Technology, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
  • 2Faculty of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology, PL-00662 Warsaw, Poland
  • 3NooEL–Nonlinear Optics and OptoElectronics Lab, University “Roma Tre,” I-00146 Rome, Italy

  • *alessandro.alberucci@tut.fi
  • assanto@uniroma3.it

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 96, Iss. 1 — July 2017

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review E

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×