Abstract

We theoretically investigate light self-trapping in nonlinear dielectrics with a reorientational response subject to threshold, specifically nematic liquid crystals. Beyond a finite excitation, two solitary waves exist for any given power, with an hysteretic dynamics due to feedback between beam size, self-focusing and the nonlinear threshold. Soliton stability is discussed on the basis of the system free energy.

© 2014 Optical Society of America

Nematicons in planar cells subject to the optical Fréedericksz threshold

Alessandro Alberucci, Nina Kravets, Armando Piccardi, Oleksandr Buchnev, Malgosia Kaczmarek, and Gaetano Assanto
Opt. Express 22(25) 30663-30668 (2014)

Power-induced evolution and increased dimensionality of nonlinear modes in reorientational soft matter

Urszula A. Laudyn, Paweł S. Jung, Krzysztof B. Zegadło, Miroslaw A. Karpierz, and Gaetano Assanto
Opt. Lett. 39(22) 6399-6402 (2014)

Bending reorientational solitons with modulated alignment

Filip A. Sala, Noel F. Smyth, Urszula A. Laudyn, Mirosław A. Karpierz, Antonmaria A. Minzoni, and Gaetano Assanto
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 34(12) 2459-2466 (2017)

Nematicons beyond the perturbative regime

Alessandro Alberucci and Gaetano Assanto
Opt. Lett. 35(15) 2520-2522 (2010)

Higher-dimensionality caustics owing to competing reorientation of a liquid crystal by laser beams

N. V. Tabiryan, B. Ya. Zel’dovich, M. Kreuzer, T. Vogeler, and T. Tschudi
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 13(7) 1426-1430 (1996)