Optical bistability, multistability, and instabilities in liquid crystals

The physical aspects of the manifestation of optical bistability, instabilities, and stochasticity in strongly nonlinear media in the form of liquid crystals subjected to laser radiation fields are discussed. The stress is on experimental research. Optical bistability and multistability are considered for a number of light-induced effects in homogeneous and inhomogeneous liquid crystals. The special features of these effects in liquids crystals, associated with the field-induced structural phase transitions, are stressed and the concept of intrinsic (mirrorless) optical bistability is introduced. General nonlinear systems with optical bistability are considered. An analysis is made of instabilities and stochasticity manifested in experiments on light-induced reorientation of liquid crystals in the presence of fields of different origin, giving rise to oscillatory and chaotic processes in the case of self-modulation of the transmitted light.

PACS: 42.65.Pc, 42.70.Df, 61.30.Gd, 64.70.Md, 42.65.Sf (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU1987v030n12ABEH003068
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1987/12/b/
Citation: Arakelyan S M "Optical bistability, multistability, and instabilities in liquid crystals" Sov. Phys. Usp. 30 1041–1064 (1987)

BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks

Оригинал: Аракелян С М «Оптическая бистабильность, мультистабильность и неустойчивости в жидких кристаллах» УФН 153 579–618 (1987); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0153.198712b.0579

References (124) Cited by (11) Similar articles (20) ↓

B.Ya. Zel’dovich, N.V. Tabiryan “Orientational optical nonlinearity of liquid crystals” 28 1059–1083 (1985)
A.A. Maier “Optical self-switching of unidirectional distributively coupled waves” 38 991–1029 (1995)
A.S. Sonin “Lyotropic nematics” 30 875–896 (1987)
G.S. Chilaya, V.G. Chigrinov “Optics and electrooptics of chiral smectic C liquid crystals” 36 (10) 909–932 (1993)
L.M. Blinov, E.I. Kats, A.A. Sonin “Surface physics of thermotropic liquid crystals” 30 604–619 (1987)
M.V. Kurik, O.D. Lavrentovich “Defects in liquid crystals: homotopy theory and experimental studies” 31 196–224 (1988)
S.Ya. Vetrov, I.V. Timofeev, V.F. Shabanov “Localized modes in chiral photonic structures” 63 33–56 (2020)
E.I. Kats “New types of ordering in liquid crystals” 27 42–59 (1984)
I.Sh. Averbukh, N.F. Perel’man “The dynamics of wave packets of highly-excited states of atoms and molecules” 34 (7) 572–591 (1991)
I.S. Aranson “Topological defects in active liquid crystals” 62 892–909 (2019)
V.A. Belyakov, V.E. Dmitrienko “The blue phase of liquid crystals” 28 535–562 (1985)
E.M. Aver’yanov, M.A. Osipov “Effects of the local field of a light wave in the molecular optics of liquid crystals” 33 (5) 365–384 (1990)
V.G. Boiko, Kh.I. Mogel’ et al “Features of metastable states in liquid-vapor phase transitions” 34 (2) 141–159 (1991)
S.A. Pikin, V.L. Indenbom “Thermodynamic states and symmetry of liquid crystals” 21 487–501 (1978)
S.M. Arakelyan, G.A. Lyakhov, Yu.S. Chilingaryan “Nonlinear optics of liquid crystals” 23 245–268 (1980)
L.A. Zubkov, V.P. Romanov “Critical opalescence” 31 328–353 (1988)
L.M. Blinov, L.A. Beresnev “Ferroelectric liquid crystals” 27 492–514 (1984)
A.G. Merzhanov, É.N. Rumanov “Nonlinear effects in macroscopic kinetics” 30 293–316 (1987)
G.S. Chilaya, L.N. Lisetskii “Helical twist in cholesteric mesophases” 24 496–510 (1981)
A.A. Maier “Experimental observation of the optical self-switching of unidirectional distributively coupled waves” 39 1109–1135 (1996)

The list is formed automatically.