Two-directional lasing from a dye-doped two-dimensional hexagonal photonic crystal made of holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

Abstract

Lasing actions are demonstrated in two high-symmetry directions (M and K) of a two-dimensional hexagonal photonic crystal from dye-doped holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals. The group velocity anomaly, which is peculiar to two-dimensional and three-dimensional photonic crystals, leads to substantial enhancement in local fields in the two-dimensional photonic crystal with a low-index contrast. The difference on the lasing thresholds between the two directions is interpreted as the result of different group velocities of the flat bands where laser oscillation occurred. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.