Work

Filamentation and Undulation of Self-Focused Laser Beams in Liquid Crystals

Year: 1993

Type: article

Abstract: We describe an experimental and theoretical study of a low-power, continuous-wave laser beam interacting with a nematic liquid crystal. Experimental observations show strong self-focusing, the onset of beam undulation and filamentation. A coupled-field model is presented and reduced through a separation of scales perturbation argument. This analysis shows that the light-nematic interaction is very different from conventional self-focusing in Kerr (nonlinear Schrödinger) media, and it provides a new optical setting for the study of the physics of complex nonlinear patterns.

Source: Europhysics Letters (EPL)

DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/23/4/001

Authors: E Braun, L. P Faucheux, A Libchaber, D. W McLaughlin, D. J Muraki, M. J Shelley

Institutions: Princeton University, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University

Language: English

Topic: Nonlinear Photonic Systems

Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Awards: Mathematical Sciences: Presidential Young Investigator Award, Mathematical Sciences: Coherent and Chaotic Phenomena in PDE's, Mathematical Sciences: Basic Research in Mathematics: Algebra, Analysis, Topology