Open AccessSemi-analytical approach to supermode spatial solitons formation in nematic liquid crystals
Author(s) -
Paweł S. Jung,
Wiesław Królikowski,
Urszula A. Laudyn,
Mirosław A. Karpierz,
Marek Trippenbach
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.25.023893
Subject(s) - liquid crystal , optics , physics , context (archaeology) , nonlinear system , nonlinear optics , refractive index , light beam , thermal , multiplicative function , beam (structure) , condensed matter physics , quantum mechanics , mathematics , paleontology , meteorology , biology , mathematical analysis
We study light propagation in nematic liquid crystals in the context of spatial optical solitons formation. We propose a simple analytical model with multiplicative nonlinearity, which represents (qualitatively) the liquid crystal response by comprising the competition between focusing (reorientational) and defocusing (thermal) nonlocal nonlinearities. We show that at sufficiently high input power the interplay between both nonlinearities leads to the formations of two-peak solitons, which represent supermodes of the self-induced extended waveguide structure. We explain the beam splitting mechanism, discuss threshold effects and conclude that similar phenomena might be present in other media with competing nonlocal nonlinearities.