Laser-Induced Reorientation In Liquid Crystals: A New Class Of Nonlinear Optical Effects.

Nonlinear optical processes in liquid crystals have recently received a considerable, renewed interest as a result of the newly discovered, extraordinary large optical nonlinearity due to laser-induced molecular reorientation. A series of new nonlinear optical effects has been discovered. In this work we present the observation of intrinsic optical transistor action and of optical-field-induced first-order Freedericksz transition in the 5CB nematic liquid crystal.