Abstract
Absorption of light by a molecule sitting in a liquid crystalline (LC) medium firstly affects the orientational ordering of its closest neighbours. A generalised Light-Induced Order Modification (LIOM) model has been developed that accounts for the changes of the refractive indices of a thin LC layer resulted from the light-stimulated modulation of the LC order parameter. The LIOM-mechanism explains experimentally observed large optical nonlinearities with extremely fast as for the LC system recording times. Due to the efficient local response a very high resolution has been achieved (<1 μm) accompanied with quite high diffraction efficiency within the very wide intensity range of the actinic light. Being strictly local, the LIOM-mechanism allows for a spatial resolution opening new possibilities for volume grating recording. Effective at any wavelength it could also be applied for creation of arbitrary phase profiles over extensive areas as requested in several applications for light beam manipulation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
