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Abstract
We investigate light self-confinement in nematic liquid crystals with homogeneous planar distribution of the molecular director. Using comb-patterned electrodes we are able to vary the initial orientation, exploiting different degrees of nonlinearity by the electro-optic effect. We experimentally demonstrate tuning of the nonlinearity by studying both single nematicon propagation and planar interactions between two nematicons.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Marco Peccianti, Malgosia Kaczmarek and Michal Kwasny for various contributions to this study. A.A. thanks “Regione Lazio” for financial support. Effort partially sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Material Command, USAF, under grant number FA-8655-10-1-3010. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purpose notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.