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Experimental study of self-focusing in a liquid crystalline medium

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Abstract

We have studied experimentally self-focusing of light in the liquid crystalline mediump-ethoxybenzyldine-p-butylaniline (EBBA). By variation of temperature, the response time of the field-induced refractive index was adjusted from larger than to smaller than theQ-switched laser pulsewidth. Accordingly, self-focusing varied from transient to quasi-steady-state. The results agree well with existing theoretical predictions and can be qualitatively understood from a simple physical description. The induced stimulated Brillouin scattering was also measured and was shown to be responsible for the limiting diameter of the self-focused beam in the present case.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA

    E. G. Hanson & Y. R. Shen

  2. Physics Department, Northwestern University, 60201, Evanston, Ill., USA

    G. K. L. Wong

Authors
  1. E. G. Hanson
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  2. Y. R. Shen
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  3. G. K. L. Wong
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Additional information

Supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. DMR 76-19843

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Hanson, E.G., Shen, Y.R. & Wong, G.K.L. Experimental study of self-focusing in a liquid crystalline medium. Appl. Phys. 14, 65–77 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00882635

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