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Liquid-crystal lasers

Nature Photonics volume 4, pages 676–685 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Liquid-crystal lasers are a burgeoning area in the field of soft-matter photonics that may herald a new era of ultrathin, highly versatile laser sources. Such lasers encompass a multitude of remarkable features, including wideband tunability, large coherence area and, in some cases, multidirectional emission. They have the potential to combine large output powers with miniature cavity dimensions — two properties that have traditionally been incompatible. Their potential applications are diverse, ranging from miniature medical diagnostic tools to large-area holographic laser displays. Here we discuss the scientific origins of this technology and give a brief synopsis of the cutting-edge research currently being carried out worldwide.

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Figure 1: Photonic bandgaps for various phases.
Figure 2: Laser emission in three dimensions from a blue phase II liquid crystal.
Figure 3: Low-threshold laser emission from blue phase I.
Figure 4: Typical emission characteristics of a bandedge liquid-crystal laser.
Figure 5: Liquid-crystal laser arrays.
Figure 6: Defect-mode liquid-crystal structures.

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    Harry Coles & Stephen Morris

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Coles, H., Morris, S. Liquid-crystal lasers. Nature Photon 4, 676–685 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2010.184

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