Routing light at will

G. Assanto and M. Peccianti

J. Nonl. Opt. Phys. & Mat. 16, 37-48 (2007)

Abstract:

We present a comprehensive review on the routing of self-confined light-beams in liquid crystals, i. e. generation, propagation and angular steering of self-induced waveguides or spatial solitons in a nonlinear non local dielectric with a large electro-optic response. We describe all-optical routing through soliton-soliton or soliton-beam interactions, as well as voltage-controlled steering in an anisotropic geometry via birefringence or refraction/reflection at a graded interface.