Phase-Transition Microcavity Laser.
Nano Lett
; 23(7): 3048-3053, 2023 Apr 12.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36946699
ABSTRACT
Liquid-crystal microcavity lasers have attracted considerable attention because of their extraordinary tunability and sensitive response to external stimuli, and because they operate generally within a specific phase. Here, we demonstrate a liquid-crystal microcavity laser operated in the phase transition in which the reorientation of liquid-crystal molecules occurs from aligned to disordered states. A significant wavelength shift of the microlaser is observed, resulting from the dramatic changes in the refractive index of liquid-crystal microdroplets during the phase transition. This phase-transition microcavity laser is then exploited for sensitive thermal sensing, enabling a two-order-of-magnitude enhancement in sensitivity compared with the nematic-phase microlaser operated far from the transition point. Experimentally, we demonstrate an exceptional sensitivity of -40 nm/K and an ultrahigh resolution of 320 µK. The phase-transition microcavity laser features compactness, softness, and tunability, showing great potential for high-performance sensors, optical modulators, and soft matter photonics.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Nano Lett
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
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