Low power visible-near infrared (0.4 mm-5 mm) self-starting phase conjugation with liquid crystal

Self-starting optical phase conjugation (SSOPC) is an interesting process which has good application potential. Nematic liquid crystals with their broadband (visible-infrared) birefringence are prime candidates for realizing low power SSOPC in spectral regimes not accessible by other materials. In this paper we report the first observation, to our knowledge, of the self-starting optical phase conjugation effect in a nematic liquid crystal using the stimulated orientational scattering effect. The orientational fluctuations in nematics naturally provide an efficient energy coupling between the ordinary and the extraordinary waves