Open AccessBroadening of the light self-trapping due to thermal defocusing in PQ-PMMA polymeric layers
Author(s) -
Elen Tolstik,
О. А. Кашин,
V. Matusevich,
R. Kowarschik
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.002739
Subject(s) - materials science , trapping , optics , photorefractive effect , beam (structure) , thermal , light beam , refractive index , laser beams , channel (broadcasting) , molecule , optoelectronics , laser , physics , ecology , electrical engineering , meteorology , biology , engineering , quantum mechanics
The channel formation by the self-trapping of a (1 + 1)D beam in polymeric media based on a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrix containing phenanthrenequinone (PQ) molecules is predicted theoretically and observed experimentally for the first time. Particular attention is paid to the effect of thermal beam expansion, which in conjunction with the photorefractive nonlinearity of the medium results in the possibility to control optically the geometrical parameters of the generated channel.