3C12 Relaxation of existence conditions of Dyakonov surface waves in metallic nanoparticle-dispersed liquid crystal metamaterials

Abstract

lossless Dyakonov surface waves (DSWs), which propagate at the interface between two dielectric media with different symmetry, such as isotropic and anisotropic, have great potential in optical and sensing device application. However, it is extremely hard to experimentally observe DSWs because of their stringent existence condition. In this study, we employ metallic nanoparticle-dispersed liquid crystal (NDLC) as a supporting medium of DSWs and investigate the existence condition of DSWs in such NDLCs. We have shown that a small amount of Ag nanoparticle inclusion significantly relaxes the existence condition of DSWs. Orientation of liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by external stimuli, therefore our findings might open the door for the development of novel type of optical devices based on lossless DSWs.