The demonstration of the first ruby laser in 1960 led to a revolution in science and technology. The lasers have significantly influenced the development of new approaches to spectroscopy, giving previously undreamed insights into physics, chemistry, and other scientific areas. The search for new materials for light amplification is one of the fundamental subjects of modern photonics and nanotechnology. In this review, we summarize the most appealing progress in developing liquid crystalline (LC) micro and nano-lasers during the last decade, together with their applications and description of perspectives for the future. We will describe the physical background necessary to understand the operation principles of LC lasers, including a description of radiative transition phenomena and LC matter. The article will be divided into separate sections concerning different approaches of LC lasers realization, including; band edge, DFB, DBR, VECSEL, and random cavities utilization. We will also discuss how the LC phases can influence the design of laser devices. Finally, the potential applications, perspectives, and conclusions will be discussed at the end of the article.

中文翻译：

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液晶激光器：过去十年和未来

1960 年第一台红宝石激光器的演示引发了一场科技革命。激光极大地影响了光谱学新方法的发展，为物理学、化学和其他科学领域提供了以前做梦都想不到的见解。寻找用于光放大的新材料是现代光子学和纳米技术的基本课题之一。在这篇综述中，我们总结了过去十年在开发液晶 (LC) 微纳激光器方面最具吸引力的进展，以及它们的应用和对未来前景的描述。我们将描述理解 LC 激光器工作原理所需的物理背景，包括对辐射跃迁现象和 LC 物质的描述。本文将分为不同的部分，涉及 LC 激光器实​​现的不同方法，包括；带边缘、DFB、DBR、VECSEL 和随机腔利用。我们还将讨论 LC 相位如何影响激光设备的设计。最后，文章末尾将讨论潜在的应用、观点和结论。