Polarization singularities in the self-focusing of an elliptically polarized laser beam in an isotropic phase of cholesteric liquid crystal close to the temperature of phase transition

TL;DR

This study investigates polarization singularities arising during self-focusing of elliptically polarized laser beams in isotropic cholesteric liquid crystals near phase transition, analyzing how medium and radiation parameters influence singularity behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of polarization singularities in nonlinear optical response of cholesteric liquid crystals close to phase transition, considering nonlocality and defocusing effects.

Findings

Identified primary polarization singularities under various conditions.

Mapped visibility diagrams showing singularity dependence on parameters.

Found asymmetry in singularity behavior based on medium and radiation parameters.

Abstract

The work is devoted to the self-action of laser beams propagating in the isotropic phase of a cholesteric liquid crystal near the transition temperature to the mesophase in a wide range of parameter values characterizing the nonlocality of the nonlinear optical response of the medium, defocusing in the medium, the power of incident laser radiation and diffraction in the liquid crystal. The origin of the primary singularities of both polarization components of radiation in a wide range of parameters of radiation and the medium is investigated for different values of the parameter characterizing the nonlocality of nonlinear optical response in chiral medium. For each of the values, the visibility diagrams of the primary singularities of both polarization components are plotted depending on the parameters of the medium and radiation, and their asymmetry is found.