Simulations and experiments on self-focusing conditions in nematic liquid-crystal planar cells

doi:10.1364/OPEX.12.001011

Optics Express

Editor: Michael Duncan
Vol. 12, Iss. 6 — Mar. 22, 2004
pp: 1011–1018

Simulations and experiments on self-focusing conditions in nematic liquid-crystal planar cells

Jeroen Beeckman, Kristiaan Neyts, Xavier Hutsebaut, Cyril Cambournac, and Marc Haelterman »View Author Affiliations

Optics Express, Vol. 12, Issue 6, pp. 1011-1018 (2004)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OPEX.12.001011

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Abstract
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Abstract

Owing to the nonlinear effect of optical field-induced director reorientation, self-focusing of an optical beam can occur in nematic liquid crystals and an almost diffraction-compensated propagation can be observed with milliwatts of light power and propagation lengths of several millimeters. This opens the way for applications in all-optical signal handling and reconfigurable optical interconnections. Self-focusing of an optical beam in nematic liquid-crystal cells has been studied experimentally and by means of numerical simulation. The relationships between bias voltage, cell thickness and required optical power have been examined, thus allowing the determination of the most favorable conditions for soliton-like beam propagation.

OCIS Codes
(200.4650) Optics in computing : Optical interconnects
(230.3720) Optical devices : Liquid-crystal devices
(230.4320) Optical devices : Nonlinear optical devices
(260.5950) Physical optics : Self-focusing

ToC Category:
Research Papers

History
Original Manuscript: December 16, 2003
Revised Manuscript: March 8, 2004
Published: March 22, 2004

Citation
Jeroen Beeckman, Kristiaan Neyts, Xavier Hutsebaut, Cyril Cambournac, and Marc Haelterman, "Simulations and experiments on self-focusing conditions in nematic liquid-crystal planar cells," Opt. Express 12, 1011-1018 (2004)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-12-6-1011

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References

G.I. Stegeman and M. Segev, �??Optical spatial solitons and their interactions: universality and diversity,�?? Science 286, 1518-1523 (1999). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
M. Peccianti and G. Assanto, �??Signal readdressing by steering of spatial solitons in bulk nematic liquid crystals,�?? Opt. Lett. 26, 1690-1692 (2001). [CrossRef]
I.C. Khoo, Liquid Crystals: Physical Properties and Nonlinear Optical Phenomena (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1992).
X. Hutsebaut, C. Cambournac, M. Haelterman, A. Adamski, and K. Neyts, �??Single-component higher-order mode solitons in liquid crystals,�?? Opt. Commun. (in press).
M. Peccianti, A. De Rossi, G. Assanto, A. De Luca, C. Umeton, and I.C. Khoo, �??Electrically assisted self-confinement and waveguiding in planar nematic liquid crystal cells,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 7-9 (2000). [CrossRef]
P. Yeh, C. Gu, Optics of Liquid Crystal Displays (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1999).
J. Beeckman, K. Neyts, X. Hutsebaut, and M. Haelterman, �??One-dimensional simulation of field-induced director reorientation and lateral light propagation in liquid crystals,�?? in Optical Design and Engineering �??Optical Systems Design 2003, L. Mazuray, P.J. Rogers, and R. Wartmann, eds., Proc. SPIE 5249, 577-585 (2003).
P.G. de Gennes and J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993).
W.H. Press, S.A. Teukolsky, W.T. Vetterling, and B.P. Flannery, Numerical Recipes in C (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992).
J. Van Roey, J. Van der Donk, and P.E. Lagasse, �??Beam propagation method: analysis and assessment,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71, 803-810 (1981). [CrossRef]
C. Conti, M. Peccianti, and G. Assanto, �??Route to nonlocality and observation of accessible solitons,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 073901 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
X. Hutsebaut, C. Cambournac, M. Haelterman, J. Beeckman, and K. Neyts, �??Measurement of the self-consistent waveguide of an accessible soliton,�?? to be presented at the Nonlinear Guided Waves and their Applications conference, Toronto (Canada), 28�??31 March 2004 (presentation TuC20).
K. Iizuka, Elements of Photonics vol. 1 (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2002).

Appl. Phys. Lett.

M. Peccianti, A. De Rossi, G. Assanto, A. De Luca, C. Umeton, and I.C. Khoo, �??Electrically assisted self-confinement and waveguiding in planar nematic liquid crystal cells,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 7-9 (2000). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

J. Van Roey, J. Van der Donk, and P.E. Lagasse, �??Beam propagation method: analysis and assessment,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71, 803-810 (1981). [CrossRef]

NLGW 2004

X. Hutsebaut, C. Cambournac, M. Haelterman, J. Beeckman, and K. Neyts, �??Measurement of the self-consistent waveguide of an accessible soliton,�?? to be presented at the Nonlinear Guided Waves and their Applications conference, Toronto (Canada), 28�??31 March 2004 (presentation TuC20).

Opt. Commun.

X. Hutsebaut, C. Cambournac, M. Haelterman, A. Adamski, and K. Neyts, �??Single-component higher-order mode solitons in liquid crystals,�?? Opt. Commun. (in press).

Opt. Lett.

M. Peccianti and G. Assanto, �??Signal readdressing by steering of spatial solitons in bulk nematic liquid crystals,�?? Opt. Lett. 26, 1690-1692 (2001). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

C. Conti, M. Peccianti, and G. Assanto, �??Route to nonlocality and observation of accessible solitons,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 073901 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Proc. SPIE

J. Beeckman, K. Neyts, X. Hutsebaut, and M. Haelterman, �??One-dimensional simulation of field-induced director reorientation and lateral light propagation in liquid crystals,�?? in Optical Design and Engineering �??Optical Systems Design 2003, L. Mazuray, P.J. Rogers, and R. Wartmann, eds., Proc. SPIE 5249, 577-585 (2003).

Science

G.I. Stegeman and M. Segev, �??Optical spatial solitons and their interactions: universality and diversity,�?? Science 286, 1518-1523 (1999). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

I.C. Khoo, Liquid Crystals: Physical Properties and Nonlinear Optical Phenomena (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1992).
P.G. de Gennes and J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993).
W.H. Press, S.A. Teukolsky, W.T. Vetterling, and B.P. Flannery, Numerical Recipes in C (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992).
P. Yeh, C. Gu, Optics of Liquid Crystal Displays (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1999).
K. Iizuka, Elements of Photonics vol. 1 (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2002).

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