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

Volume

10

Issue

5

fYear

2004

Firstpage

862

Lastpage

869

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;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1077-260X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JSTQE.2004.835999

Filename

1366354