Liquid Crystal Nonlinear Optical Meta-Materials

Abstract

We present an overview of metamaterials comprising nematic liquid crystals and nano-particulates or nano-structures. These metamaterials possess emergent properties such as electro-optically and all-optically tunable sub-unity, zero and negative refractive indices, and other properties not possible with conventional chemical synthesis methods. Optical wave mixing and self-action effects conducted with nano-particulate doped nematic liquid crystals have demonstrated fast optical field induced index modulation in micron- and sub-micron thin nematic films.

Keywords:

• enhanced birefringence
• liquid crystals
• metamaterials
• nano-particulates
• nano-structures
• nonlinear optics
• optical switching
• sub-unity and negative index

Notes

Plenary Paper presented at the Liquid Crystal in Photonics Workshop, Cambridge University, July 21, 2008. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation Material Research Science and Engineering Center DMR-0820404.