Random lasing from cholesteric liquid crystal microspheres dispersed in glycerol

We demonstrate random lasing from a scattering system formed by a cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed in glycerol. Strong scattering of light is produced from the interference between the cholesteric liquid crystal microsphere and glycerol and leads to random lasing. The optical properties of random lasing, such as intensity, threshold, and the temperature effect on lasing emission are demonstrated. The random laser is distinguished from the band-edge laser generated within the cholesteric liquid crystal microspheres by analyzing the positions of the photonic band-edge of the cholesteric liquid crystal and the photoluminescence of the doped laser dye. The random laser from cholesteric liquid crystal microspheres in glycerol possesses a simple fabrication process, small volume, and low threshold, which enable it to be used in speckle-free imaging, target identification, biomedicine, document coding, and other photonic devices. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America