All-Optical Directional Control of Emission in a Photonic Liquid Crystal Fiber Laser

Abstract

This study investigates the all-optical directional control of emission in a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC)-infiltrated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) laser. A laser dye-doped CLC (LD-CLC) and an azobenzene LC-doped CLC (ALC-CLC), which are selectively infiltrated into the hollow core and holey-matrix cladding of the PCF, function as an optically active cavity and an all-optical emission direction-controllable light valve, respectively, in the photonic LC fiber (PLCF) laser. Experimental results show that the PLCF has a low energy threshold (approximately 63 nJ/pulse) and a large circular polarization anisotropy (g ≅ 2) in lasing output. The lasing output from the LD-CLC-filled core of the PLCF can be all-optical controlled to emit omni- or semi-directionally or to off-emit by controlling the isothermal phase transition of the CLC between the scattering focal conic state and the transparent isotropic state by the all-optical-induced reversible photoisomerization of the doped ALCs in the cladding region. The emission direction-controllable PLCF laser has significant potential in various applications, such as bio-image, photo-therapy, wearable devices, displays, sensors, and lighting.