Title :
One-dimensional transverse modulational instability in nonlocal media with a reorientational nonlinearity
Author :
Assanto, G. ; Peccianti, M. ; Conti, C.
Author_Institution :
Nonlinear Opt. & Optoelectronics Lab., Univ. of Rome, Italy
Abstract :
Transverse modulational instability is investigated in undoped nematic liquid crystals, a highly nonlocal material system encompassing a reorientational nonlinear response. Using an elliptic Gaussian excitation, we observe the one-dimensional development of transverse patterns eventually leading to beam breakup, filamentation, and spatial solitons, both in the cases of spatially coherent and partially incoherent excitations.
Keywords :
light coherence; nematic liquid crystals; optical self-focusing; optical solitons; photoexcitation; self-phase modulation; beam breakup; elliptic Gaussian excitation; filamentation; nonlocal media; one-dimensional instability; partially coherent excitations; partially incoherent excitations; reorientational nonlinearity; self-focusing; self-phase modulation; spatial solitons; transverse modulational instability; transverse patterns; undoped nematic liquid crystals; Frequency; Liquid crystals; Nonlinear optics; Optical films; Optical filters; Optical noise; Optical propagation; Optical pumping; Optical resonators; Optical solitons; Instability; liquid crystals; nonlocality; self-action effects; spatial solitons; speckle; transverse effects;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JSTQE.2004.835999
