Related papers: Optically induced orientational transitions in nem…
In vivo and in vitro systems of cells and extra-cellular matrix (ECM) systems are well known to form ordered patterns of orientationally aligned fibers. Here, we interpret them as active analogs of the (disordered) isotropic to the…
A theory is constructed for dense ionic solutions near charged planar walls that is valid for strong inter-ionic correlations. This theory predicts a fluctuation-induced, first-order transition and spontaneous charge density ordering at the…
We consider the weakly first order phase transition between the isotropic and ordered phases of nematics in terms of the behavior of topological line defects. Analytical and Monte Carlo results are presented for a new coarse-grained lattice…
We analyze a model of mutually-propelled filaments suspended in a two-dimensional solvent. The system undergoes a mean-field isotropic-nematic transition for large enough filament concentrations and the nematic order parameter is allowed to…
Resonant light interacting with matter can support different phases of a polarizable medium, and optical bistability where two such phases coexist. Here we identify signatures of optical phase transitions and optical bistability mapped onto…
We report on an ultrafast photoinduced phase transition with a strikingly long-lived Martensitic anomaly driven by above-threshold single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses in Nb$_3$Sn. A non-thermal, THz-induced depletion of low frequency…
We study tunable refraction of light in one-dimensional periodic lattices induced optically in a photorefractive crystal. We observe experimentally both positive and negative refraction of beams which selectively excite the first or second…
We explore the dynamics of spontaneous breakdown of mirror symmetry in a pair of identical optomechanical cavities symmetrically coupled to a waveguide. Large optical intensities enable optomechanically-induced nonlinear detuning of the…
Electromagnetic temporal boundaries, emerging when the constitutive parameters of a medium undergo abrupt temporal variations, have garnered significant interest for their role in facilitating unconventional wave phenomena and enabling…
We report on experimental and theoretical study of the nonlinear Faraday effect under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency at the 5$S_{1/2} \to 5P_{3/2} \to 5D_{5/2}$ two-photon transition in rubidium vapors. These…
We explore the impact of weak disorder on the dynamics of classical particles in a periodically oscillating lattice. It is demonstrated that the disorder induces a hopping process from diffusive to regular motion i.e. we observe the…
We present a simple model of alignment of a large number of rigid bodies (modeled by rotation matrices) subject to internal rotational noise. The numerical simulations exhibit a phenomenon of first order phase transition with respect the…
We show theoretically that an open-dissipative polariton condensate confined within a trapping potential and driven by an incoherent pumping scheme gives rise to bistability between odd and even modes of the potential. Switching from one…
We developed a Landau type theory for the description of polar phenomena in low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), specifically exploring flexoelectric origin of the polarization induced by a spontaneous bending and by…
We present a continuum theory on statics and dynamics of polar fluids, where the orientational polarization ${\bi p}_1$ and the induced polarization ${\bi p}_2$ are governed by the Onsager directing field ${\bi E}_d$ and the Lorentz…
Bose condensed light can form new phases [1] in a dye filled cavity due to the presence of the orientational disorder created by dye molecules which are essentially frozen on the time scale of the photonic thermalization (few ps). At longer…
We propose a theoretical framework to dynamically control the degree of polarization of light by using the superposition of incoherent orthogonally polarized beams in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer incorporating a twisted nematic liquid…
If a magnetic field normal to the surface of a magnetic fluid is increased beyond a critical value a spontaneous deformation of the surface arises (normal field instability). The instability is subcritical and leads to peaks of a…
The nonlinear stage of modulational instability in optical fibers induced by a wide and easily accessible class of localized perturbations is studied using the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. It is showed that the development of associated…
Increasing evidence suggests that active matter exhibits instances of mixed symmetry that cannot be fully described by either polar or nematic formalism. Here, we introduce a minimal model that integrates self-propulsion into the active…