Electro-/all-optical light extraction in gold photonic quasi-crystals layered with photosensitive liquid crystals

A new concept photonic device is realized. It is based on the combination of unusual light control properties of a Thue-Morse nanopatterned photonic quasi-crystal with the extraordinary versatility of "smart" soft matter, represented by azo-liquid crystals. The device, which shows a dramatic polarization selectivity, can be tuned by exploiting either an electro-optical or all-optical mechanism