Liquid-crystal-based tunable high-Q directional random laser from a planar random microcavity

Opt Lett. 2007 Feb 15;32(4):373-5. doi: 10.1364/ol.32.000373.

Abstract

Temperature-tunable directional laser emission from a dye-doped liquid-crystal-based planar random cavity laser is presented. The optically pumped nematic liquid crystal infiltrated planar random microcavity produces an ultranarrow linewidth (0.03 nm, corresponding to Q>20,000), highly directional (1.4 degrees divergence angle) laser emission. By increasing the temperature from 27 degrees C to 34 degrees C, the wavelength of an emitted polarized laser can be tuned between 605.8 and 608.5 (ordinary light) and 631.3 and 624.9 nm (extraordinary light). A simulation result from the transfer matrix method that matches the experimental results well is also presented.