Self-healing generation of spatial solitons in liquid crystals

We demonstrate that, in suitably designed cells with undoped nematic liquid crystals, extraordinary-wave spatial solitons can be excited at every applied voltage without adjustments in the input polarization. Their walk-off, hence direction of propagation, is externally controlled over angles as large as 7 degrees. The results pave the way not only to polarization-forgiving generation but also to voltage readdressing of these extraordinary-wave nematicons. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America