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Bistability and spatial hysteresis in an Nd:GdVO4 laser with an intracavity twisted-nematic liquid crystal

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Abstract

In this study, optical bistability accompanied by spatial hysteresis was demonstrated in an Nd:GdVO4 laser with an intracavity twisted-nematic liquid crystal. The low branch of power hysteresis mainly has the spatial distribution of the fundamental mode as the pump power increases, whereas a four-mode and varying transverse pattern exist in the high branch of power hysteresis as the pump power decreases. The result revealed that the power and spatial hysteresis is controlled by the director axis reorientation and the order parameter modification in twisted-nematic liquid crystals, which is determined by the non-uniform transverse distribution of the intracavity laser intensity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City, 701, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    M.-D. Wei & C.-C. Hsu

  2. Department of Photonics, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Rd., Seatwen, Taichung, 407, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    D.-Y. Huang & A.-K. Chang

  3. Department of Electro-Optical Engineering & In Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    J.-H. Lin

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  1. M.-D. Wei
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  2. D.-Y. Huang
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  3. C.-C. Hsu
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  4. A.-K. Chang
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  5. J.-H. Lin
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Correspondence to M.-D. Wei.

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Wei, MD., Huang, DY., Hsu, CC. et al. Bistability and spatial hysteresis in an Nd:GdVO4 laser with an intracavity twisted-nematic liquid crystal. Appl. Phys. B 105, 323–327 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-011-4590-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-011-4590-4

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