Phase Controlled Laser Interference for Tunable Phase Gratings in Dye-Doped Nematic Liquid Crystals

Abstract

A phase controlled multi-beam interference is applied to excite the doped liquid crystals. Control of the phase difference between the exciting beams allows the external control of the interference pattern inside the liquid crystal. The dynamic variation of the grating is made possible with a time-dependent phase change to derive the nonlinear refractive index as well as the responding speed of the material. The induced grating structure is numerically modelled with reorientational phase gratings in the liquid crystal, and the diffraction dynamics is found to be in good agreement between theoretical and experimental results.