Coherent beam amplification with a photorefractive liquid crystal.
Coherent amplification of a signal beam by a strong pump beam is observed in thin films of fullerene-doped nematic liquid crystal. Exponential gain constants as high as 2890 cm(-1) with no phase cross talk are achieved at low applied dc bias voltage and pump beam intensity. The underlying mechanism is the electro-optically induced spatially reorientation of the liquid-crystal axis and the resultant phase-shifted index grating required for two-beam coupling.
Khoo
I C
IC
Guenther
B D
BD
Wood
M V
MV
Chen
P
P
Shih
M Y
MY