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Giant optical nonlinearity in DNA lyotropic liquid crystals
Optics Express
|October 19, 2017
Summary
We found large nonlinear optical responses in DNA liquid crystals. This discovery highlights DNA
Area of Science:
- Biophotonics
- Liquid Crystals
- Nonlinear Optics
Background:
- DNA exhibits liquid crystalline phases.
- Nonlinear optical properties are crucial for photonics applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the nonlinear optical response of DNA lyotropic nematic liquid crystals.
- To quantitatively assess the nonlinear optical coefficient and compare it to known materials.
Main Methods:
- Pump-probe experiments were conducted.
- Transient optical grating technique was used for quantitative assessment.
Main Results:
- Experimental evidence of significant nonlinear optical response in DNA lyotropic nematics was observed.
- The nonlinear optical coefficient is comparable to Giant Optical Nonlinearity (GON) in thermotropic nematics.
Conclusions:
- DNA lyotropic nematic liquid crystals possess a strong nonlinear optical response.
- These findings support the exploration of DNA for biophotonics applications.
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