Interactions of accessible solitons with interfaces in anisotropic media: the case of uniaxial nematic liquid crystals

A. Alberucci, A. Piccardi, R. Barboza, O. Buchnev, M. Kaczmarek, and G. Assanto

New J. Phys. 15, 043011 (2013)

Abstract:

We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, spatial soliton interaction with dielectric interfaces in a strongly anisotropic medium with nonlocality, such as nematic liquid crystals. We throw light on the role of refractive index gradients as well as optic axis variations in both voltage- and self-driven angular steering of nonlocal solitons. WE specifically address and then employ in experiments a suitable designed electrode geometry in a liquid crystalline cell in order to define and tune a graded dielectric interface by exploiting the electro-optic response of the material through the in-plane reorientation of the optic axis in two distinct regions. We study both refraction and total internal reflection as well as voltage controlled steering of spatial solitons.