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Random lasing from cholesteric liquid crystal microspheres dispersed in glycerol
Applied Optics
|November 10, 2016
Summary
We demonstrate random lasing in a novel scattering system using cholesteric liquid crystals in glycerol. This low-threshold, small-volume laser has potential applications in imaging and biomedicine.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Optics
Background:
- Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) exhibit unique photonic properties.
- Scattering systems can support random lasing phenomena.
- Glycerol serves as a dispersing medium for CLC microspheres.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate and characterize random lasing from CLC microspheres dispersed in glycerol.
- To differentiate random lasing from band-edge lasing in the CLC system.
- To explore the potential applications of this random laser system.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a scattering system by dispersing CLC microspheres in glycerol.
- Characterization of optical properties including intensity, threshold, and temperature effects.
- Analysis of photonic band-edge and photoluminescence to distinguish lasing mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of random lasing due to strong light scattering from CLC-glycerol interference.
- Detailed optical properties of the random laser were measured.
- Distinction between random lasing and band-edge lasing was achieved through spectral analysis.
Conclusions:
- The CLC-glycerol system provides a simple method for fabricating low-threshold random lasers.
- The developed random laser exhibits potential for applications in speckle-free imaging, target identification, and biomedicine.
