Ultraviolet lasing in cholesteric liquid crystals

We report the observation of stimulated emission and mirrorless lasing in pure cholesteric liquid crystals. The lasing action is attributed to the combination of the fluorescence and the distributed feedback that are due to the inherent periodic structure of the liquid crystal. If the reflection band matches the intrinsic emission of the cholesteric liquid crystal, the crystal becomes a natural laser material, which will self-lase, without any optical elements or the addition of dyes, under picosecond excitation at 355 nm. Samples have been made to lase at different wavelengths in the near UV by shifting of the edge of the reflection band in the range of 385-405 nm. Typical linewidths observed are of the order of 0.5 nm.     

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.     

Reflectivity of cholesteric liquid crystals with spatially varying pitch

Solids with spatially varying photonic structure offer gaps to light of a wider range of frequencies than do simple photonic systems. We solve numerically the field distribution in a cholesteric with a linearly varying inverse pitch (helical wavevector) using equations we derive for the general case. The simple idea that the position where the Bragg condition is locally satisfied is where reflection takes place is only true in part. Here, reflection is due to a region where the waves are forced to become evanescent, and the rate of variation of structure determines over which distance the waves decay and therefore how complete reflection is. The approximate local Bragg-de Vries schemes are shown to break down in detail at the edges of the gap, and an analytical estimate is given for the transmission coefficient.Received: 9 September 2003, Published online: 5 February 2004PACS: 42.70.Df Optics: liquid crystals - 61.30.-v Structure of solids and liquids: liquid crystals - 78.20.Bh Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films: theory, models, and numerical simulation     

Dye-concentration-dependent lasing behaviors and spectral characteristics of cholesteric liquid crystals

The laser behavior and spectral changes occurring in cholesteric liquid crystals with varying dye-doped concentrations were investigated when pumped at 532 nm. It was found that the long-wavelength band edge and the laser line exhibit a blue shift over 21 nm with increasing dye concentration. The circularly polarized fluorescence spectra were examined, and the location of the sense reversion of circular polarization was determined to coincide well with the discrete lasing lines. The blue shift can be ascribed to the decrease in average refractive index and pitch of the dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals. The dependence of the slope efficiency and threshold energy on the dye concentration can be attributed to the shift in photonic stopband and the change in penetration depth of excitation. The temperature and incident angle of pumping beam also have a significant impact on the lasing properties. The optimal dye concentration is found to be 0.5 wt% at 30.5 °C with an incident angle of 10°. The laser emission located at 601.4 nm with slope efficiency of 4 % was achieved above the threshold energy of 14.3 μJ.     

Low-threshold lasing at the edge of a photonic stop band in cholesteric liquid crystals

Low-threshold lasing is observed at the edge of the stop band of a one-dimensional structure-a dye-doped cholesteric liquid-crystal film. The mode closest to the edge has the lowest lasing threshold. The rates of spontaneous and stimulated emission are suppressed within the stop band and enhanced at the band edge. The ratio of right to left circularly polarized spontaneous emission is in good agreement with calculated density of photon states.     

Lasers on cholesteric liquid crystals: Mode density and lasing threshold

The density of states approach [J. Bendickson et al., Phys. Rev. E 53, 4107 (1996)] was applied to a simple dielectric plate and a formula was found for the spectrum of the threshold gain for lasing. Then the validity of the same approach was verified for cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) having helical structure. For non-absorbing CLC, the dependences were found of the minimum threshold gain on the layer thickness and the optical anisotropy of the material. The contribution of the dye absorption was discussed separately. The experimental data presented are in good agreement with threshold gain calculations.     

Dependence of lasing threshold power on excitation wavelength in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals

Relationship between threshold power and excitation wavelength has been investigated in distributed feedback (DFB) lasers using dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs). We found that the threshold shows strong dependence on the excitation wavelength. The excitation wavelength was varied over the whole absorption band of a commercial DCM dye, resulting in almost one-order of magnitude lower threshold power by the excitation at the higher energy tail than at the lower energy tail of the absorption band. We confirmed the existence of an optimum wavelength giving the lowest threshold power due to the competition between this effect and decreasing absorption at the higer-energy tail of the absorption band using a different dye, pyromethene 580.     

Permeation in cholesteric liquid crystals

It is shown that permeation in cholesteric liquid crystals can be derived quite generally from Leslie's linearized equations for the conservation of linear and angular momentum.     

Optical properties of frustrated cholesteric liquid crystals in planar cell

ABSTRACT

We investigated the alignment director of a frustrated cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) confined in a planar cell. Three cells with different confinement ratio (c?=?d/p) (where p is the pitch and d is the cell thickness) are prepared. Under an electric field, the CLC planar texture is transformed into a cholesteric fingerprint (CF). The results showed that CF contrast depends on c. When c?≈?2, CLC stripes are formed by a periodic CF, with a period equal to the CLC pitch. The CF is developed and slowly extended to the whole cell surface along the rubbing direction and the contrast of the grating stripes keeps unchangeable. Yet, the CLC finger borders have a different light intensity. However, when c?≈?1, the CF contrast increases with time. When c?θ between the polarizer and the CFs.     

Mapping ultrasonic fields with cholesteric liquid crystals

The termperature-sensitive light-scattering properties of cholesteric liquid crystals have been applied to the mapping of the intensity distribution in the near-field of ultrasonic transducers.     

Local-field anisotropy in cholesteric liquid crystals

The first experimental values of the Lorentz tensor components L _j for the cholesteric and smectic A phases of derivatives of cholesterol have been obtained using the dispersion of the refractive indices in the visible range. The temperature dependence of the components L _j has been determined; it is invariant with respect to the cholesteric-smectic A phase transition. The effect of the isotropization of the Lorentz and local field tensors with decreasing anisotropy of the molecular polarizability has been revealed.     

Permeative flows in cholesteric liquid crystals

We use lattice Boltzmann simulations to solve the Beris-Edwards equations of motion for a cholesteric liquid crystal subjected to Poiseuille flow along the direction of the helical axis (permeative flow). The results allow us to clarify and extend the approximate analytic treatments currently available. We find that if the cholesteric helix is pinned at the boundaries there is an enormous viscosity increase. If, instead, the helix is free the velocity profile is flattened, but the viscosity is essentially unchanged. We highlight the importance of secondary flows, and, for higher flow velocities, we identify a flow-induced double twist structure in the director field--reminiscent of the texture characteristic of blue phases.     

Behavior of cholesteric liquid crystals in a Fabry-Perot cavity

We investigate the behavior of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC's) inside a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity. Although FP cavities filled with various liquid crystals have been extensively studied, to our knowledge the behavior of CLC-based FP cavities has not been reported. In CLC the twisted structure can be changed because the pitch is a function of temperature. In a parallel-rubbed CLC FP cavity the balance between strong surface anchoring and elastic energy yield a steplike resonance spectrum. This corresponds to the quantized effective pitch that the system assumes when both surface alignments are fixed. Experiment results for parallel-rubbed samples are presented and explained theoretically by use of Jones matrix calculations.     

On the rotatory dispersion in cholesteric liquid crystals

It is shown that the dynamical theory of light propagation in a cholesteric liquid crystal does not predict a reversal in the sign of optical rotation on the long wavelength side of the reflection band. This conforms with the results of exact electromagnetic treatment.     

Photonic band gap in 1D Photonic crystals with gradient profile of pitch and amplitude of modulation

The optical properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals with graded profile of pitch and that of the amplitude of modulation are studied theoretically. The development method, elaborated by the authors earlier, is applied. We show that there exist photonic band gaps in their transmission spectra, and, moreover, they have much wider bandwidth.     

Optical addressing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals

This study investigates a method of optical addressing in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals (DDCLCs). Photo-induced randomly adsorbed dyes can change the CLC textures from planar to focal conic. Such patterning can be adopted to develop a display that is initially invisible, but becomes visible upon heating above the clearing temperature, followed by cooling to room temperature. The display can also become visible upon the application of a suitable voltage, and its rapid release. Additionally, the display is thermally erasable, optically rewritable and electrically switchable. It can be applied for use as a smart card.     

复合周期的介质-液晶光子晶体研究

本文研究了掺入各向同性周期性介质层缺陷的一维复合周期胆甾型液晶光子晶体的禁带特性.发现同一般的胆甾型液晶不同,复合介质-液晶周期结构对左旋偏振入射光和右旋入射光都会出现共同禁带.当各向同性介质层占一个周期的厚度比例越小,左旋偏振光的禁带效应逐渐消失,而右旋偏振光的禁带则逐渐合并变大;且各向同性介质的折射率越大,则两种偏振光的禁带效应越明显,更容易出现共同禁带;通过调整厚度比,可以在可见光范围内出现对应红、绿、蓝色波长的禁带,从而可以用于液晶显示的反射式彩色滤光片. 关键词： 胆甾型液晶 光子晶体 禁带 缺陷     

Comments on thermomechanical coupling in cholesteric liquid crystals

The Onsager reciprocal relations give two more equalities between Leslie's coefficients. It suggests a simple experiment which could check Leslie's predictions.