Light scattering in cholesteric liquid crystals with a large pitch

Optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals with a pitch larger than the wavelength of light are considered. Normal waves of the medium and the Green function of the electromagnetic field are analyzed. A general algorithm based on the application of the Kirchhoff method is proposed for calculating the scattered light intensity in media with a one-dimensional periodic structure. The WKB vector method is used for calculating the spatial correlation function of thermal fluctuations of the director. It is found that the transformation of two fluctuation modes takes place is some regions. The angular and polarization dependences of the intensity of light scattered from fluctuations of the director are calculated. It is found, in particular, that the intensity of scattering is a nonmonotonic function of the size of the system.