Liquid-crystal-based tunable high-Q directional random laser from a planar random microcavity

Temperature-tunable directional laser emission from a dye-doped liquid-crystal-based planar random cavity laser is presented. The optically pumped nematic liquid crystal infiltrated planar random microcavity produces an ultranarrow linewidth (0.03nm, corresponding to Q > 20,000), highly directional (1.4° divergence angle) laser emission. By increasing the temperature from 27 °C to 34 °C, the wavelength of an emitted polarized laser can be tuned between 605.8 and 608.5 (ordinary light) and 631.3 and 624.9 nm (extraordinary light). A simulation result from the transfer matrix method that matches the experimental results well is also presented.