Self-induced oscillations and asymmetry of the light angular spectrum in a dye doped nematic

Abstract

We report the observation of self-induced oscillations of the light angular spectrum in a resonantly absorbing nematic liquid crystal doped with a dichroic azobenzene dye. The nonlinear behavior is mainly caused by the superposition of the thermal and orientational mechanisms of the interaction. A self-induced asymmetry of the light angular spectrum due to the convective shift of an anisotropic nonlinear lens is observed as well.