title: All-optical guided-wave random laser in nematic liquid crystals.
abstract: Spatial solitons can affect and enhance random lasing in optically-pumped dyedoped nematic liquid crystals. Upon launching two collinear beams in the sample, the first to pump the fluorescent guest molecules and the second to induce a reorientational soliton, strikingly the second beam not only guides the emitted photons in the soliton waveguide, but also enhances the lasing efficiency and modulates its spectral width. By altering the scattering paths of the emitted photons, the soliton also contributes to the selection of the lasing modes, as further confirmed by the observed kinks in the input/output characteristics. These experimental results demonstrate that random lasing can be efficiently controlled by a light beam which does not interact with the gain molecules, opening a route towards light-controlled random lasers.
authors.forename: Sreekanth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perumbilavil
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piccardi
authors.forename: Oleksandr
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Buchnev
authors.forename: Martti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kauranen
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Strangi
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Assanto