Physical Review Letters · 1997 · 110 citations · 10 references
Natural SciencesChemistryPhysicsOptical MaterialsOpticsPhysical ChemistryElectro-optic EffectsFluorescence SpectroscopyLiquid CrystalsNonlinear Optical MaterialsNonlinear OpticsOptical Properties Of SolidsAnthraquinone-based MaterialsHost - Guest RecognitionHost-guest InteractionsMolecular Nonlinear OpticsNematic Liquid CrystalsNonlinear Optical PropertiesNonlinearityOptical Nonlinearity
Optical nonlinearity of liquid crystals (LC) in the isotropic phase can be enhanced by 1 order of magnitude by dissolving 0.1% of anthraquinone dye in the LC. The enhancement decreases by $\ensuremath{\sim}30%$ when the LC transforms into the nematic phase. The same guest-host effect also exists in non-LC liquids. It can be explained by a model based on the change of guest-host interaction induced by optical excitations of the dye.
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