Plasmonic random laser from dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals incorporating silver nanoprisms.

Plasmonic random lasers have been demonstrated in combining dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals (DD-CLCs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The DD-CLC laser reveals the lowest threshold and highest slope efficiency through the localized surface plasmon resonance of AgNPs with the best coupling of the emission spectrum of lasing dye and resonance of electron oscillation on the metal surface. Thermal control of the DD-CLC lasers has been achieved to simultaneously shift the long- and short-edge lasing peaks. By the α-stable analysis, the DD-CLC random laser (RL) reveals heavy tail distribution with relatively low α∼1.06 to show the Lévy behavior. Owing to its low spatial coherence, the DD-CLC RL has been demonstrated to produce a speckle-reduced image with a lower contrast of about 0.04.

Performance enhancement using a stable low-pretilt molecular configuration and a novel driving method for optically compensated bend liquid crystal devices.

A stable low-pretilt molecular configuration (SLPMC) is successfully developed in optically compensated bend (OCB) liquid crystal (LC) devices by simultaneously employing the curing voltage and surface-anchored crosslinking monomer during the polymerization process. For the SLPMC OCB cell with the low-bend state, the warm-up voltage making the LC molecules reorient from the splay to the bend state is annihilated, and the transient twist state occurring as the driven LC molecules recover from the bend to the splay state is also eliminated. In addition, with the novel driving method selecting the specific driving point, the proposed SLPMC OCB cell not only exhibits a good response performance, but also outputs a higher light transmittance, which is superior to the conventional OCB and no-bias-bend cells. This Letter demonstrates an effective SLPMC fabrication method, and points out the significant contributions of SLPMC on the electro-optical properties, which will benefit and enhance the performance design in OCB-based applications.

Effects of the vertically switching electric field on the photoelectric properties of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal cells using the director model.

This study uses the director model to analyze the optoelectronic properties of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC). The director model revealed a linear relationship of refractive index change and the cosine squared of the angle between the LCs and the direction of the electric field. Moreover, we employed simulations based on the Kerr effect and compared the results with those of the director model. The simulation results also show high consistency with real circumstances. Consequently, it can be of great help to design BPLC displays that can be applied to adopting better strategies for developing next-generation LCD devices.

Effects of cell gap on the optoelectronic properties of pure blue-phase liquid crystal devices: estimating the Kerr constant.

In this study, the Kerr constant of pure blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) without polymer doping at room temperature and the optoelectronic properties dependent on the cell thickness are explored. The relation between the phase and the voltage in oblique incident light was measured via a reasonable vertical electric field for different thicknesses of BPLC cells. It was found that the Kerr constant formula can be amended with the functions related to the cell gap. This study demonstrates a method to estimate the Kerr constant, especially for cells within a small electrical field, which will benefit optoelectronic applications.

Experimental measure of transmission characteristics of low-frequency surface plasmon polaritons in frequency and time domains.

In this work, based on the use of the concept of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (spoof SPPs), we propose a novel kind of microstrips to suppress the interference between bended parallel microstrips. This novel structure is implemented by introducing subwavelength periodic structures onto the sides of a conventional microstrip. We numerically analyze the transmission characteristics of such new microstrips. We also measure the suppression arising from crosstalk between the bended corrugated microstrip and the conventional microstrip in both frequency and time domains. Experimental results show that such transmission line structure has superb interference restraining properties. Additionally, transmission properties have been investigated using circuit model. It is found that the coupling effect between the corrugated microstrip and the conventional microstrip can be efficiently suppressed in high speed digital signal transmission application.

Properties of transmission and leaky modes in a plasmonic waveguide constructed by periodic subwavelength corrugated metallic wire with open hollow rings in THz regime.

In this paper, we propose a new metallic cylindrical antenna at terahertz frequencies using the concept of low-frequency spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The antenna is developed by introducing an open hollow ring (OHR) in each unit cell of the conventional periodic subwavelength corrugated metallic wire (PSCMW). The new structure is referred to as the PSCMW-OHR. The dispersion properties of PSCMWs and PSCMW-OHRs, the near-field and far-field distributions, as well as the radiation efficiencies are numerically evaluated and compared. By analyzing the numerical results, we find that there are extra new propagation modes that exist in the annular groove of the PSCMW-OHR, aside from the normal transmission modes in the PSCMW. Moreover, the dispersion line of the new SPP mode exhibits a negative slope. Surprisingly and interestingly, after passing through the light line, the propagation gets into the radiation zone, where it becomes a leaky mode with a complex-valued propagation constant. We have found that the far-field radiation of propagation in the leaky mode can lead to frequency scanning effects with a scanning angle of 22°, and the radiation efficiency can be increased to 90%, provided that the total number of the periodic unit cells is large enough.

Properties of Transmission and Leaky Modes in a Plasmonic Waveguide Constructed by Periodic Subwavelength Metallic Hollow Blocks.

Based on the concept of low-frequency spoof surface plasmon polaritons (spoof SPPs), a kind of leaky mode is proposed in a waveguide made of a subwavelength metal-block array with open slots. Numerical results reveal that a new transmission mode is found in the periodic subwavelength metal open blocks. This modal field is located inside the interior of a hollow block compared with that in a solid metal block array. The dispersion curve shows that such a new SPPs mode has a negative slope, crossing the light line, and then going into a zone of leaky mode at higher frequencies. The leaky mode has a wider frequency bandwidth, and this can lead to a radiation scanning angle of 53° together with high radiation efficiency. Based on the individual characteristics exhibited by a frequency-dependent radiation pattern for the present leaky mode, the waveguide structure can have potential applications such as frequency dividers and demultiplexers. Experimental verification of such a leaky mode at microwave has been performed, and the experimental results are found to be consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Complete trapping of electromagnetic radiation using surface magnetoplasmons.

Because the dispersion properties of surface magnetoplasmons (SMPs) in a magnetized plasmonic material closely depend on its cladding dielectric, it is possible to completely trap SMPs in a system consisting of a plasmonic material with cladding of a dielectric heterostructure. By using a semiconductor, our finite element simulation (performed using the software COMSOL) shows that terahertz one-way SMPs in such a system can be completely trapped at the interface of the heterostructure and hence, a focused subwavelength-scale hotspot with dramatically enhanced field is generated. Moreover, a one-way SMP pulse in this system can also be completely trapped, and the wave packet can be compressed into a stable hotspot on the subwavelength scale.

Differential microstrip lines with reduced crosstalk and common mode effect based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons.

We apply the concept of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) to the design of differential microstrip lines by introducing periodic subwavelength corrugations on their edges. The dispersion relation and field distribution of those lines are analyzed numerically. And then through designing practical coupling circuits, we found that compared with conventional differential microstrip lines, the electromagnetic field can be strongly confined inside the grooves of the corrugated microstrip lines, so the crosstalk between the differential pair and the adjacent microstrip lines is greatly reduced, and the conversion from the differential signal to the common mode signal can also be effectively suppressed. The propagation length of those lines is also very long in a wide band. Moreover, the experimental results in time domain demonstrate those lines perform very well in high-speed circuit. Therefore, those novel kinds of spoof SPPs based differential microstrip lines can be widely utilized in high-density microwave circuits and guarantee signal integrity in high-speed systems.

Mode competition of two bandedge lasing from dye doped cholesteric liquid crystal laser.

Mode competition of two-lasing modes at the photonic bandedge from dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal lasing was studied by the alternation of temperatures. The increase or decrease of the wavelengths from photonic bandedges versus the alternation of temperature is attributed to the variation of helical twist power (HTP) and thus it shows the completely different result by choosing two of different nematic liquid crystals (MDA-981602 and MDA-3970). At certain temperature, the intensity contrast and slope efficiency between long and short emission lasing peaks were dominated from the experienced gain or loss of laser for the position of the photonic bandedge. By the linear combination of these two lasing modes with different emission wavelengths and intensity contrast at distinct temperature, the wide tuning of the output colors can be revealed from the CIE chromaticity diagram and thus it has opportunity to be used in the display technology in the near future.

Simulation of the in-plane-switching blue-phase liquid crystal using the director model.

We analyze the non-uniform electric field distribution in an in-plane-switching blue phase liquid crystal (IPS-BPLC) cell and use the director model to simulate the electro-optical properties of an IPS-BPLC cell using a commercial simulator. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Band-rejection fiber filter and fiber sensor based on a Bragg fiber of transversal resonant structure.

We propose a novel band-rejection fiber filter based on a Bragg fiber of transversal resonant structure, which can also be used as a fiber sensor. Defect layers are introduced in the periodic high/low index structure in the cladding of the Bragg fiber. Coupling between the core mode and the defect mode results in large confinement loss for some resonant wavelengths inside the band gap of the Bragg fiber. A segment of the Bragg fiber of transversal resonant structure can be used as a band-rejection fiber filter, whose characteristics are mainly determined by the defect layer. The loss peak wavelength of the Bragg fiber is dependent on the refractive index and the thickness of the defect layer which indicates its applications of refractive index and strain sensing.

Relaxation of a field-unwound cholesteric liquid crystal.

We have numerically investigated the homogeneous-planar and homeotropic-planar transitions, respectively, in a planar-aligned cholesteric liquid crystal by using our multidimensional software based on the finite element method. When the unwinding field is turned off abruptly, the relaxation process of a field-unwound cholesteric liquid crystal is accompanied by an elastic-induced Helfrich deformation without introduction of defects, which will continuously convert into a stable planar texture with natural pitch and domain wall.

Thresholdless, hysteresis-free, V-shaped, electro-optical switching for a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell.

A ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) cell can be modeled as a combination of capacitors and resistors. In accordance with the properties of the FLC cell, external electric elements, such as capacitors and resistors, are usually connected to achieve a V-shaped performance at a driving inversion frequency fi. However, the inversion frequency is strongly dependent on the external electric elements and the applied voltage. In this paper, the relation between the inversion frequency and the applied voltage is discussed. Additionally, the inversion frequency is found to be approximately proportional to (ReqCeq)(-0.52), where Req and Ceq are equivalent resistance and capacitance, respectively. Based on the above properties, a useful driving scheme is proposed to achieve thresholdless, hysteresis-free, V-shaped characteristics for FLC cells at a driving frequency of 100 Hz. The driving scheme can be applied to fast-response FLC display.