Liquid crystal as laser medium with tunable gain spectra
Optics Express, Vol. 16, Issue 9, pp. 6625-6630 (2008)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.16.006625
Acrobat PDF (170 KB)
Abstract
Amplified spontaneous emission intensity and gain spectra in polarized light have been measured in a dye doped nematic liquid crystal for different orientation of its optical axis and pump intensity. A possibility for switching the gain of the liquid crystal by an external electric field is shown experimentally. The liquid crystal materials with field controlled gain can be used in microlasers and light micro-amplifiers in both planar and waveguiding geometry.
© 2008 Optical Society of America
1. Introduction
T. Matsui, M. Ozaki, and K. Yoshino, “Electro-tunable laser action in a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal waveguide under holographic excitation,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 422–424 (2003). [CrossRef]
L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, V. V. Lazarev, and B. A. Umanskii, “Planar amplifier for a microlaser on a cholesteric liquid crystal,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 061102 (2007). [CrossRef]
M. Lawandy, R. M. Balachandran, A. S. L. Gomes, and E. Sauvain, “Laser action in strongly scattering media, Nature 368, 436–437 (1994). [CrossRef]
R. Sapienza, S. Mujumdar, C. Cheung, A. G. Yodh, and D. Wiersma, “Anisotropic weak localization of light,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 033903-1–033903-4 (2004). [CrossRef]
2. Experimental
C. V. Shank, A. M. Dienes, and W. T. Silfvast. “Single pass gain of exiplex 4-MU and Rhodamine 6G dye lasers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 307–309 (1970). [CrossRef]
C. V. Shank, A. M. Dienes, and W. T. Silfvast. “Single pass gain of exiplex 4-MU and Rhodamine 6G dye lasers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 307–309 (1970). [CrossRef]
3. Results and discussion
C. V. Shank, A. M. Dienes, and W. T. Silfvast. “Single pass gain of exiplex 4-MU and Rhodamine 6G dye lasers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 307–309 (1970). [CrossRef]
C. A. Zannoni, “Theory of time dependent fluorescence depolarization in liquid crystals,” Mol. Phys. 38, 1813 (1979). [CrossRef]
L. M. Blinov and V. G. Chigrinov, Electrooptic Effects in Liquid Crystal Materials , (Springer -Verlag, New York, 1994). [CrossRef]
C. V. Shank, “Physics of dye lasers,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 47, 649 (1975). [CrossRef]
L. M. Blinov and V. G. Chigrinov, Electrooptic Effects in Liquid Crystal Materials , (Springer -Verlag, New York, 1994). [CrossRef]
3. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References and links
I. P. Il’chishin, E. A. Tikhonov, V. G. Tishchenko, and M. T. Shpak, “Generation of tunable radiation by impurity cholesteric liquid crystals,” JETP Lett. 32, 24–27 (1980). | |
V. I. Kopp, Z.-Q. Zhang, and A. Genack, “Lasing in chiral photonic structures.” Progr. Quantum. Electron. 27, 369–416 (2003). [CrossRef] | |
J. Schmidtke, W. Stille, and H. Finkelmann, “Defect mode emission of a dye doped cholesteric network.” Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 083902-1–083902-4 (2003). [CrossRef] | |
W. Cao, A. Muñoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray, and B. Taheri, “Lasing in a three dimensional photonic crystal of the liquid crystal blue phase.” Nat. Maters. 1, 111–113 (2002). [CrossRef] | |
A. Chanishvili, G. Chilaya, G. Petriashvili, R. Barberi, R. Bartolino, G. Cipparrone, A. Mazzulla, and L. Oriol, “Phototunable lasing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 5353–5355 (2003). [CrossRef] | |
G. Strangi, V. Barna, R. Caputo, A. de Luca, C. Versace, N. Scaramuzza, C. Umeton, R. Bartolino, and G. Price, “Color-tunable organic microcavity laser array using distributed feedback. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 063903–063906 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
T. Matsui, M. Ozaki, and K. Yoshino, “Electro-tunable laser action in a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal waveguide under holographic excitation,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 422–424 (2003). [CrossRef] | |
R. Ozaki, T. Matsui, M. Ozaki, and K. Yoshino, “Electrically color-tunable defect mode lasing in one-dimensional photonic-band-gap system containing liquid crystal,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 3593–3595 (2003). [CrossRef] | |
L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, A. Mazzulla, P. Pagliusi, V. V. Lazarev, and S. P. Palto, “Simple voltage tunable liquid crystal laser,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 131103–131105 (2007). [CrossRef] | |
L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, V. V. Lazarev, and B. A. Umanskii, “Planar amplifier for a microlaser on a cholesteric liquid crystal,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 061102 (2007). [CrossRef] | |
N. M. Shtykov, M. I. Barnik, L. M. Blinov, B. A. Umanskii, and S. P. Palto, “Amplification of emission of a liquid crystal microlaser using uniform liquid crystal layer,” Pis’ma Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 85, 734–737 (2007) (in Russ.). | |
P.G. de Gennes and J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals , 2nd edition, (Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 1993). | |
M. Lawandy, R. M. Balachandran, A. S. L. Gomes, and E. Sauvain, “Laser action in strongly scattering media, Nature 368, 436–437 (1994). [CrossRef] | |
S. Ferjani, V. Barna, A. De Luca, C. Versace, N. Scaramuzza, R. Bartolino, and P. Strangi, “Thermal behavior of random lasing in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 121109–121111 (2006). [CrossRef] | |
R. Sapienza, S. Mujumdar, C. Cheung, A. G. Yodh, and D. Wiersma, “Anisotropic weak localization of light,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 033903-1–033903-4 (2004). [CrossRef] | |
C. V. Shank, A. M. Dienes, and W. T. Silfvast. “Single pass gain of exiplex 4-MU and Rhodamine 6G dye lasers,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 307–309 (1970). [CrossRef] | |
C. A. Zannoni, “Theory of time dependent fluorescence depolarization in liquid crystals,” Mol. Phys. 38, 1813 (1979). [CrossRef] | |
L. M. Blinov and V. G. Chigrinov, Electrooptic Effects in Liquid Crystal Materials , (Springer -Verlag, New York, 1994). [CrossRef] | |
C. V. Shank, “Physics of dye lasers,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 47, 649 (1975). [CrossRef] |
OCIS Codes
(140.2050) Lasers and laser optics : Dye lasers
(160.3710) Materials : Liquid crystals
(230.7380) Optical devices : Waveguides, channeled
ToC Category:
Lasers and Laser Optics
History
Original Manuscript: November 20, 2007
Revised Manuscript: February 8, 2008
Manuscript Accepted: February 10, 2008
Published: April 25, 2008
Citation
L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, V. V. Lazarev, P. Pagliusi, and T. Rugiero, "Liquid crystal as laser medium with tunable gain spectra," Opt. Express 16, 6625-6630 (2008)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-9-6625
Sort: Year | Journal | Reset
References
- I. P. Il??chishin, E. A. Tikhonov, V. G. Tishchenko, and M. T. Shpak, "Generation of tunable radiation by impurity cholesteric liquid crystals," JETP Lett. 32, 24-27 (1980).
- V. I. Kopp, Z.-Q. Zhang, and A. Genack, "Lasing in chiral photonic structures," Prog. Quantum. Electron. 27, 369-416 (2003). [CrossRef]
- J. Schmidtke, W. Stille, and H. Finkelmann, "Defect mode emission of a dye doped cholesteric network," Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 083902-1 - 083902-4 (2003). [CrossRef]
- W. Cao, A. Muñoz, P. Palffy-Muhoray, and B. Taheri, "Lasing in a three dimensional photonic crystal of the liquid crystal blue phase," Nat. Mater. 1, 111-113 (2002). [CrossRef]
- A. Chanishvili, G. Chilaya, G. Petriashvili, R. Barberi, R. Bartolino, G. Cipparrone, A. Mazzulla, and L. Oriol, "Phototunable lasing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals," Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 5353-5355 (2003). [CrossRef]
- G. Strangi, V. Barna, R. Caputo, A. de Luca, C. Versace, N. Scaramuzza, C. Umeton, R. Bartolino, and G. Price, "Color-tunable organic microcavity laser array using distributed feedback," Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 063903-063906 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- T. Matsui, M. Ozaki, and K. Yoshino, "Electro-tunable laser action in a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal waveguide under holographic excitation," Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 422-424 (2003). [CrossRef]
- R. Ozaki, T. Matsui, M. Ozaki, and K. Yoshino, "Electrically color-tunable defect mode lasing in one-dimensional photonic-band-gap system containing liquid crystal," Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 3593-3595 (2003). [CrossRef]
- L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, A. Mazzulla, P. Pagliusi, V. V. Lazarev, and S. P. Palto, "Simple voltage tunable liquid crystal laser," Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 131103-131105 (2007). [CrossRef]
- L. M. Blinov, G. Cipparrone, V. V. Lazarev, and B. A. Umanskii, "Planar amplifier for a microlaser on a cholesteric liquid crystal," Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 061102 (2007). [CrossRef]
- N. M. Shtykov, M. I. Barnik, L. M. Blinov, B. A. Umanskii, and S. P. Palto, "Amplification of emission of a liquid crystal microlaser using uniform liquid crystal layer," Pis'ma Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 85, 734-737 (2007) (in Russ.).
- P. G. de Gennes and J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals, 2nd ed. (Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 1993).
- M. Lawandy, R. M. Balachandran, A. S. L. Gomes, and E. Sauvain, "Laser action in strongly scattering media," Nature 368, 436-437 (1994). [CrossRef]
- S. Ferjani, V. Barna, A. De Luca, C. Versace, N. Scaramuzza, R. Bartolino, and P. Strangi, "Thermal behavior of random lasing in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals," Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 121109-121111 (2006). [CrossRef]
- R. Sapienza, S. Mujumdar, C. Cheung, A. G. Yodh, and D. Wiersma, "Anisotropic weak localization of light," Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 033903-1 - 033903-4 (2004). [CrossRef]
- C. V. Shank, A. M. Dienes, and W. T. Silfvast, "Single pass gain of exiplex 4-MU and Rhodamine 6G dye lasers," Appl. Phys. Lett. 17, 307-309 (1970). [CrossRef]
- C. A. Zannoni, "Theory of time dependent fluorescence depolarization in liquid crystals," Mol. Phys. 38, 1813 (1979). [CrossRef]
- L. M. Blinov and V. G. Chigrinov, Electrooptic Effects in Liquid Crystal Materials (Springer -Verlag, New York, 1994). [CrossRef]
- C. V. Shank, "Physics of dye lasers," Rev. Mod. Phys. 47, 649 (1975). [CrossRef]
Cited By |
OSA is able to provide readers links to articles that cite this paper by participating in CrossRef's Cited-By Linking service. CrossRef includes content from more than 3000 publishers and societies. In addition to listing OSA journal articles that cite this paper, citing articles from other participating publishers will also be listed.





OSA is a member of 