Nonlinear optics of soft matter

This project aims to study nonlinear optical properties of soft matter including colloidal media and liquid crystals doped with nanoparticles. The theory of light interaction with colloids will be extended to describe physics yet unexplored, including clustering, long-range interparticle interaction, and light propagation in metallic colloids. This novel theory will be then tested in experiments, and applications will be studied, such as formation of solitons and vortices, bistability and switching, light controlled self-assembly, photonic structures infiltrated with colloids, and microfluidics. We will also investigate optical properties of nanoparticle-doped liquid crystals and suggest novel optical devices utilizing these materials.