Transverse self-accelaration of nematicons: can a self-confined beam change its own path?

G. Assanto, A. Alberucci and A. Piccardi

J. Nonl. Opt. Phys. Mat. 20, 237-247 (2011)

Abstract:

We report on power-dependent self-transverse acceleration of optical spatial solitons in two settings: pure nematic liquid crystals, where the self-steering is a consequence of all-optical reorientation through nonlinear changes in birefringent walk-off, and dye-doped nematic liquid crystals, where the guest-host interaction amplifies reorientation and enhances the transverse force acting on the soliton, thus changing its trajectory.