Crystalline Colloidal Array Optical Switching Devices

摘要

We have constructed nonlinear crystalline colloidal arrays from self assemblingfluorinated colloidal particles which contain dyes. These colloidal arrays were refractive index matched to the medium such that they do not diffract light. We have observed for the first time the theoretically predicted nonlinear diffraction switching when a pump laser beam is incident at a wavelength absorbed by the dye. The colloidal particle array heats up. The refractive index diverges from that of the medium, and diffracts a probe beam.