MCCONVILLE , S.

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We present an experimental method for measuring the nonlinear optical response of a dye-doped liquid crystal cell. We show that a very large response is obtained for a very low input light intensity. The nonlinear optical response as a function of the dye concentration in the liquid crystal host is characterized by the optical nonlinear...

e report new advancements in the experimental investigation of the giant optical nonlinearity observed in azo-dye doped nematic liquid crystals. We show that the extreme sensitivity of the azo-dye doped nematics results from a combined action of the trans-cis photoisomerization process of the azo-dye molecules and the light-induced changes of...