Nonlinear Optics and OptoElectronics Lab (NooEL), University of Rome "Roma Tre", Via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome 00146, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2013 Oct 8;14(10):19932-50. doi: 10.3390/ijms141019932.
Liquid crystals in the nematic phase exhibit substantial reorientation when the molecules are driven by electric fields of any frequencies. Exploiting such a response at optical frequencies, self-focusing supports transverse localization of light and the propagation of self-confined beams and waveguides, namely "nematicons". Nematicons can guide other light signals and interact with inhomogeneities and other beams. Moreover, they can be effectively deviated by using the electro-optic response of the medium, leading to several strategies for voltage-controlled reconfiguration of light-induced guided-wave circuits and signal readdressing. Hereby, we outline the main features of nematicons and review the outstanding progress achieved in the last twelve years on beam self-trapping and electro-optic readdressing.
向列相液晶在分子受到任何频率电场驱动时会发生显著的重定向。利用光学频率下的这种响应，自聚焦支持光的横向局域化以及自限束和波导的传播，即“向列型光学涡旋”。向列型光学涡旋可以引导其他光信号，并与非均匀性和其他光束相互作用。此外，它们可以通过利用介质的电光响应来有效地改变方向，从而为电压控制的光导波电路和信号重定址的重构提供了多种策略。在此，我们概述了向列型光学涡旋的主要特征，并回顾了过去十二年中在光束自捕获和电光重定址方面取得的杰出进展。
