Fast and ultrafast all-optical control of light in nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals

Igor Muševič; Maruša Vitek; Laura Cattaneo; Matteo Savoini; Alexey Kimel; Theo Rasing

doi:10.1117/12.2209660

7 March 2016 Fast and ultrafast all-optical control of light in nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals

Igor Muševič, Maruša Vitek, Laura Cattaneo, Matteo Savoini, Alexey Kimel, Theo Rasing

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Proceedings Volume 9769, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies XI; 976902 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2209660
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We review recent experiments on the fast and ultrafast all-optical control of light in bulk nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals. Ultrafast optical control at sub-picosecond time scalecan be achieved via the optical Kerr response of a nematic liquid crystal. We show that the refractive index changes are of the order of 10^-4 in 5CB nematic liquid crystal and can be optically induced by applying 100 fs pulses of 4 mJ/cm² fluence. We discuss stimulated emission depletion of fluorescence in a smectic-A liquid crystal and demonstrate nanosecond light control of fluorescent pulse shaping. Both methods could be applied to control light by light in future photonic devices based on liquid crystals.

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Igor Muševič, Maruša Vitek, Laura Cattaneo, Matteo Savoini, Alexey Kimel, and Theo Rasing "Fast and ultrafast all-optical control of light in nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals", Proc. SPIE 9769, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies XI, 976902 (7 March 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2209660

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