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Updated: May 24, 2026

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light
Published on: September 20, 2017
Self-induced nonlinear spin-orbit interaction of light in liquid crystals
Mohamed El Ketara1, Etienne Brasselet
1Université Bordeaux, Laboratoire Ondes et Matière d’Aquitaine (LOMA), UMR 5798, Talence, France.
Abstract:
We report on the observation of self-induced nonlinear spin-orbit interaction of light driven by Kerr orientational optical nonlinearities in liquid crystals. It consists of the self-induced spin-to-orbital nonlinear conversion for the angular momentum of light. The optical angular momentum conversion is driven by the creation of a topological liquid crystal defect by the light itself. Moreover, we show that such a nonlinear process can be significantly enhanced by using additional electric fields.
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