Abstract
The photonic nanojet (PNJ) from a microcylinder with liquid crystals (LCs) showing tangential molecular alignment inside the microcylinder has been numerically analyzed on the basis of the finite-difference time-domain method. By introducing a small degree of birefringence, the characteristics of the PNJ, such as propagation length and polarization state, can be drastically changed. The azimuth angle and the ellipticity of the elliptically polarized PNJ obtained from the LC microcylinder changes within the propagation lengths in the micrometer range even in the isotropic matrix, which might be attributed to the jet like spatial profile of the PNJ. By using LC microcylinders or microspheres, we may obtain a rich variety of PNJs with unique polarization characteristics, which might open a new avenue for the development of novel optical devices with electrical tunability.
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