A new approach based on the use of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) and dye-doped light-sensitive chiral dopants was employed to create lasing materials with reversible tuning and switching. The lasing wavelength of optically-pumped dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) is shifted by irradiation with UV light. The shift depends on the UV light exposure. Lasing is switched off at high levels of UV light irradiation. A qualitative model describing different lasing regimes is proposed.

© 2005 Optical Society of America

1. I. P. Ilchishin, E. A. Tikhonov, V.G. Tischenko, M.T.Shpak, �??Generation of tunable radiation by impurity cholesteric liquid crystals,�?? JETP Lett. 32, 27-30 (1981).
2. V. I. Kopp, Z. Q. Zhang, A. Z. Genack, �?? Large coherence area thin film stop-band lasers,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1753-1756 (2001). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. H. Finkelman, S. D. Kim, A. Munoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray, B. Taheri, �??Tunable mirrorless lasing in cholesteric liquid crystalline elastomers,�?? Adv. Mat. 13, 1069-1071 (2001). [CrossRef]
4. W. Cao, A. Munoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray and B. Taheri, �??Lasing in a three-dimensional photonic crystal of the liquid crystal blue phase II,�?? Nature Mat. 1, 111 (2002). [CrossRef]
5. P. V. Shibaev, V. Kopp, A. Z. Genack, M. Green, �??Lasing from a stiff chain polymeric lyotropic liquid crystal,�?? Macromolecules 35, 3022-3025 (2002). [CrossRef]
6. P. V. Shibaev, V. Kopp, A. Z. Genack, �??Photonic materials based on mixtures of cholesteric liquid crystals with polymers,�?? J. Phys. Chem. B 107, 6961-6964 (2003). [CrossRef]
7. V. P. Shibaev, A. Bobrovsky, N. Boiko, �??Photoactive liquid crystalline polymer systems with light-controllable structure and optical properties,�?? Prog. Polym. Sci. 28, 729-836 (2003). [CrossRef]
8. P. V. Shibaev, J. Madsen, A. Z. Genack, �??Lasing and narrowing of spontaneous emission from responsive cholesteric films,�?? Chem. Mat. 16, 1397-1399 (2004). [CrossRef]
9. A. Y. G. Fuh, T. H. Lin, �??Lasing in chiral photonic liquid crystals and associated frequency tuning,�?? Optics Express 12, 1857-1863 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. S. Furumi, S. Yokoyama, A. Otomo, S. Mashiko, �??Phototunable photonic bandgap in a chiral liquid crystal laser device,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 2491-2493 (2004). [CrossRef]
11. A. Chanishvili, G. Chilaya, G. Petriashvili, R. Barberi, R. Bartolino, G. Cipparone, A. Mazzulla, L. Oriol, �??Lasing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals: Two New Tuning Strategies,�?? Adv. Mat. 16, 791-795 (2004). [CrossRef]
12. I.P. Ilchishin, O. Yaroshchuk, S.V. Gryshchenko and E.A. Shaydiuk, �??Influence of the light induced molecular transformations on the helix pitch and lasing spectra of cholesteric liquid crystals,�?? Proc. SPIE, 5507, 229-234 (2004). [CrossRef]
13. A. Bobrovsky, N. Boiko, V. Shibaev, J. Wendorff, �??Photoinduced textural and optical changes in a cholesteric copolymer with azobenzene-containing side groups,�?? Liquid Crystals 31, 351-359 (2004). [CrossRef]
14. A. N. Bogdanov, �??Theory of spherulitic domains in cholesteric liquid crystals with positive dielectric anisotropy,�?? JETP Lett. 71, 85-88, (2000). [CrossRef]

Adv. Mat.

• H. Finkelman, S. D. Kim, A. Munoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray, B. Taheri, �??Tunable mirrorless lasing in cholesteric liquid crystalline elastomers,�?? Adv. Mat. 13, 1069-1071 (2001). [CrossRef]
• A. Chanishvili, G. Chilaya, G. Petriashvili, R. Barberi, R. Bartolino, G. Cipparone, A. Mazzulla, L. Oriol, �??Lasing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals: Two New Tuning Strategies,�?? Adv. Mat. 16, 791-795 (2004). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• S. Furumi, S. Yokoyama, A. Otomo, S. Mashiko, �??Phototunable photonic bandgap in a chiral liquid crystal laser device,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 2491-2493 (2004). [CrossRef]

Chem. Mat.

• P. V. Shibaev, J. Madsen, A. Z. Genack, �??Lasing and narrowing of spontaneous emission from responsive cholesteric films,�?? Chem. Mat. 16, 1397-1399 (2004). [CrossRef]

J. Phys. Chem. B

• P. V. Shibaev, V. Kopp, A. Z. Genack, �??Photonic materials based on mixtures of cholesteric liquid crystals with polymers,�?? J. Phys. Chem. B 107, 6961-6964 (2003). [CrossRef]

JETP Lett.

• I. P. Ilchishin, E. A. Tikhonov, V.G. Tischenko, M.T.Shpak, �??Generation of tunable radiation by impurity cholesteric liquid crystals,�?? JETP Lett. 32, 27-30 (1981).
• A. N. Bogdanov, �??Theory of spherulitic domains in cholesteric liquid crystals with positive dielectric anisotropy,�?? JETP Lett. 71, 85-88, (2000). [CrossRef]

Liquid Crystals

• A. Bobrovsky, N. Boiko, V. Shibaev, J. Wendorff, �??Photoinduced textural and optical changes in a cholesteric copolymer with azobenzene-containing side groups,�?? Liquid Crystals 31, 351-359 (2004). [CrossRef]

Macromolecules

• P. V. Shibaev, V. Kopp, A. Z. Genack, M. Green, �??Lasing from a stiff chain polymeric lyotropic liquid crystal,�?? Macromolecules 35, 3022-3025 (2002). [CrossRef]

Nature Mat.

• W. Cao, A. Munoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray and B. Taheri, �??Lasing in a three-dimensional photonic crystal of the liquid crystal blue phase II,�?? Nature Mat. 1, 111 (2002). [CrossRef]

Optics Express

• A. Y. G. Fuh, T. H. Lin, �??Lasing in chiral photonic liquid crystals and associated frequency tuning,�?? Optics Express 12, 1857-1863 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• V. I. Kopp, Z. Q. Zhang, A. Z. Genack, �?? Large coherence area thin film stop-band lasers,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1753-1756 (2001). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Proc. SPIE

• I.P. Ilchishin, O. Yaroshchuk, S.V. Gryshchenko and E.A. Shaydiuk, �??Influence of the light induced molecular transformations on the helix pitch and lasing spectra of cholesteric liquid crystals,�?? Proc. SPIE, 5507, 229-234 (2004). [CrossRef]

Prog. Polym. Sci.

• V. P. Shibaev, A. Bobrovsky, N. Boiko, �??Photoactive liquid crystalline polymer systems with light-controllable structure and optical properties,�?? Prog. Polym. Sci. 28, 729-836 (2003). [CrossRef]

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