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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
Nematicons in planar cells subject to the optical Fréedericksz threshold
Abstract:
We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, self-trapping of light beams in nematic liquid crystals arranged so as to exhibit the optical Fréedericksz transition in planar cells. The resulting threshold in the nonlinear reorientational response supports a bistable behavior between diffracting and self-localized beam states, leading to the appearance of a hysteretic loop versus input excitation. Our results confirm the role of nematic liquid crystals in the study of non-perturbative nonlinear photonics.
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