All-optical switching and multistability in photonic structures with liquid crystal defects

Abstract

We demonstrate that one-dimensional photonic crystals with pure nematic liquid-crystal defects can operate as all-optical switching devices based on optical orientational nonlinearities of liquid crystals. We show that such a periodic structure is responsible for a modulated threshold of the optical Fréedericksz transition in the spectral domain, and this leads to all-optical switching and light-induced multistability. This effect has no quasi-statics electric field analogue, and it results from nonlinear coupling between light and a defect mode.

4 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (1)

• Tunable all-optical switching in periodic structures with liquid-crystal defects

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Reversible nonreciprocity in photonic structures infiltrated with liquid crystals
• Voltage-induced defect mode interaction in a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a twisted-nematic defect layer
• Optically induced orientational transitions in nematics with planar alignment
• Optomechanics of liquid crystals for dynamical optical response of photonic structures