Abstract
We investigate linear and nonlinear light propagation in a voltage-tunable array of waveguide channels in undoped nematic liquid crystals. This novel geometry, based on a photonic structure with a periodic modulation of refractive index controlled by air electric field, offers a wealth of possibilities for the study of discrete optical phenomena. The structure, in conjunction with a giant, non-resonant and voltage-dependent reorientational nonlinearity, allows us to drive the system from bulk diffraction to discrete propagation. Theoretical and experimental investigations, carried out with near infrared light wavelength and powers of a few milliWatts, show the possibility of transverse light localization, resulting in discrete spatial solitons. Such array, with its voltage- and light-adjustable guided-wave confinement and coupling, exhibits potentials for the realization of multifunctional routers and all-optical signal processors with nematic liquid crystals.