Multimode nematicon waveguides

Y. V. Izdebskaya, A. S. Desyatnikov, G. Assanto, and Y. S. Kivshar

Opt. Lett. 36 (2), 184-6 (2011)

Abstract:

We report on the first (to our knowledge) experimental observation of higher-order modes guided by soliton-induced waveguides in nematic liquid crystals. We find that the nematicon waveguides operate in a bounded power region specific to each guided mode. Below this region, the guided beams diffract; above this region, the mode mixing and coupling give rise to an unstable output.