Nematic Defects and Colloids as Photonic Elements

Birefringent structures in liquid crystalline fluids, such as colloidal assemblies or topological defects, show high potential for use as photonic elements. Here, we present a brief overview of two photonic phenomena originating from coupling light fields with complex birefringent nematic profiles: (i) the generation of vector laser beams from simple Gaussian beams by propagating light along nematic discliantions, and (ii) tunable photonic crystals from blue phase colloidal crystals conditioned by the different underlying symmetries of the particle lattice and the blue phase birefringence. The polarization profile of initially simple linearly polarized Gaussian beams is shown to change into a defect structure at distinct distances travelled along the disclination with the topological invariant (winding number) of the light field and nematic director distinctly coupled. Upon pulsed laser illumination, the nematic discliantions are also shown to split the light pulse into multiple intensity regions. Blue ph...