Voltage sensitivity of the optical nonlinearity in nematic liquid-crystal cells

The influence of an external quasi-static electric field on the third-order nonlinear optical properties of a nematic liquid crystal has been studied. We demonstrate both in theory and experiment that the cell behaves like a Kerr-Medium. The sensitivity of the cell can be controlled by the applied voltage. If optical feedback is provided by the use of a dielectric mirror, optical bistability can be achieved. The switching behaviour of the cell may also be controlled by the applied voltage.