Modulation Analysis of Nonlinear Beam Refraction at an Interface in Liquid Crystals

G. Assanto, N. F. Smyth and W. Xia

Phys. Rev. A 84, 033818 (2011)

Abstract:

A theoretical investigation of solitary wave refraction in nematic liquid crystals is undertaken. A modulation theory based on a Lagrangian formulation of the governing optical solitary wave equations is developed. The resulting low-dimensional equations are found to give solutions in excellent agreement with full numerical solutions of the governing equations, as well as with previous experimental studies. The analysis deals with a number of types of refraction from a more to a less optically dense medium, the most famous being the Goos-Hänchen shift upon total internal reflection