Manipulating random lasing correlations in liquid crystals doped with laser dyes and plasmonic nanoparticles

Understanding the correlations between light modes scattered from disordered media is intimately tied to developments in imaging capabilities and information science. In this study, liquid crystals, infiltrated with gold nanoparticles and laser dye (pyrromethene 597), were utilized to generate random lasing action. By varying the incident pump energy, we show that it is possible to exert control over the correlations of the random lasing modes. We use the Lévy tail of the emission spectra's survival function to phenomenologically characterize the extent of correlations in the system. The results from this experimental work demonstrate the possibility to control a key physical feature of a random laser. We will discuss the existence of potential interplay between persistence and correlations in random lasing and how these complex photonic media may provide insights into novel information transfer protocols.