Optical path control of solitary waves in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals

Authors

  • Gaetano Assanto University Roma Tre
  • Benjamin D. Skuse University of Edinburgh
  • Noel Frederick Smyth University of Edinburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4302/photon.%20lett.%20pl.v1i4.65

Abstract

The light-induced steering of spatial optical solitary waves in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals is analyzed. Shining a control beam through the cell results in a boundary mediated change in the orientation of the molecular director, thereby a perturbation in the refractive index of the medium. This re-orientational effect can optically steer spatial solitary waves propagating in an orthogonal plane within the liquid crystal layer. The equations governing this steering are solved using a Lagrangian formulation, resulting in modulation equations for the self-trapped beam path. Very good agreement is obtained between solutions of the modulation equations and numerical solutions of the full governing equations.

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References:
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Author Biography

Noel Frederick Smyth, University of Edinburgh

Professor of Nonlinear Waves,

School of Mathematics

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Published

2009-12-31

How to Cite

[1]
G. Assanto, B. D. Skuse, and N. F. Smyth, “Optical path control of solitary waves in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals”, Photonics Lett. Pol., vol. 1, no. 4, pp. pp. 154–156, Dec. 2009.

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