Nematicons and Their Electro-Optic Control: Light Localization and Signal Readdressing via Reorientation in Liquid Crystals

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Armando Piccardi¹  Alessandro Alberucci¹ 

[1] Nonlinear Optics and OptoElectronics Lab (NooEL), University of Rome “Roma Tre”, Via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome 00146, Italy;

关键词: reorientation;    liquid crystals;    nonlinear optics;    nonlocality;    solitons;    self-focusing;    beam steering;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms141019932

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Liquid crystals in the nematic phase exhibit substantial reorientation when the molecules are driven by electric fields of any frequencies. Exploiting such a response at optical frequencies, self-focusing supports transverse localization of light and the propagation of self-confined beams and waveguides, namely “nematicons”. Nematicons can guide other light signals and interact with inhomogeneities and other beams. Moreover, they can be effectively deviated by using the electro-optic response of the medium, leading to several strategies for voltage-controlled reconfiguration of light-induced guided-wave circuits and signal readdressing. Hereby, we outline the main features of nematicons and review the outstanding progress achieved in the last twelve years on beam self-trapping and electro-optic readdressing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland