Compensation for the spectral dispersion of light polarization states in electro-optic modulators based on chiral liquid crystals

The effect of compensation for the spectral dispersion of light polarization states at the output of a single-domain layer of a chiral liquid crystal (CLC) is experimentally studied. It is shown that such dispersion can be decreased significantly with the aid of phase plates of two types that have different signs of the spectral dispersion of birefringence. The dispersion compensation allows one to significantly increase the operating spectral range of fast light modulators based on chiral nematic liquid crystals (NLCs).     

Optical Rotatory Power of a Cholesteric Liquid Crystal for Obliquely Incident Light Using Multiple Scaling

The axis of polarization of light propagating through a cholesteric liquid crystal rotates with the angular rotation per distance traversed termed rotatory power. The rotation is due to the helical array of the molecules rather than due to the individual molecules as is found, for instance, with light being propagated through a sugar solution. The De Vries model for rotatory power of a cholesteric liquid crystal is generalized using multiple scaling theory to include light traveling at an oblique angle to the pitch axis. The resulting expression is tested experimentally using a mixture of cholesteryl oleyl carbonate and cholesteryl chloride.     

Photonics of liquid-crystal structures: A review

The original results of studies of the electro-optical and laser effects which have been performed at the Laboratory of Liquid Crystals of the Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, over the last few years are reviewed. Cholesteric liquid crystals as vivid representatives of photonic structures and their behavior in an electric field are considered in detail. The formation of higher harmonics in the periodic distribution of the director field in a helical liquid crystal structure and, correspondingly, the new (anharmonic) mode of electro-optical effects are discussed. Another group of studies is devoted to bistable light switching by an electric field in chiral nematics. Polarization diffraction gratings controlled by an electric field are also considered. The results of studies devoted to microlasers on various photonic structures with cholesteric and nematic liquid crystals are considered in detail. Particular attention is given to the new regime: leaky-mode lasing. Designs of liquid crystal light amplifiers and their polarization, field, and spectral characteristics are considered in the last section.     

基于各向异性介质一维光子晶体缺陷模的偏振分束器

用各向异性介质和各向同性介质构造含缺陷的一维光子晶体,利用特征矩阵的方法计算s光和p光在垂直入射条件下的透射率.利用s光和p光缺陷模式的分离,可把该一维光子晶体制成在正入射条件下的偏振分束器件.该偏振分束器件具有很高的消光比和透射率,有望在未来的光子器件中发挥作用.     

Photonic Heterostructures with Properties of Ferroelectrics and Light Polarizers

The optical and electro-optical properties of a new type of photonic heterostructure composed of alternating ferroelectric molecular layers and optically anisotropic layers of another material are considered. A numerical simulation of the real prototype of this heterostructure, which can be prepared by the Langmuir—Blodgett method from layers of a ferroelectric copolymer (polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) and an azo dye with photoinduced optical anisotropy, has been performed. It is shown that this heterostructure has pronounced polarization optical properties and yields a significant change in the polarization state of light at the photonic band edges in the ranges of the maximum density of photon states. The latter property can be used to obtain an enhanced electro-optic effect at small spectral shifts of the photonic band (the latter can be provided by the piezoelectric effect in ferroelectric layers).     

Computer Modelling of the Light Propagation through the Complex Anisotropy Systems - the way of a Determination of the Optical Parameters of the Liquid Crystal Displays

A mathematical and numerical method for an analysis of a liquid crystal displays (LCD) has been presented. The assumptions of the calculations of a light propagation through the display are shown. The real conditions of a work of these displays have been taken into account. Basing of this mathematical model a computer program for a numerical modelling of the optical parameters of LC displays working in real conditions has been worked out. This program makes possible to obtain the most important parameters of a display such as: contrast ratio, luminance in on- and off-state, spectral characteristics of light and its colour coordinates in these both states. The results obtained from this program have been verified experimentally. Very high conformity of these results has been obtained.     

The dispersion of the dynamic scattering of colourless nematic liquid crystals

Using a photogoniometer the dispersion of the dynamic scattering process for visible light in colourless nematic liquid crystals was studied depending on sample voltage, observation angle and primary beam polarization. The results may be interpreted by means of a scattering model based on the dispersion effects of the birefringence and of the elliptical polarization.     

基于偶极子点光源模型光子晶体LED出光效率的研究

利用三维时域有限差分法(FDTD)对光子晶体LED出光效率的影响因素进行分析,比较了电偶极子和磁偶极子点光源模型对LED出光效率的影响,研究不同极化角偶极子点光源下光子晶体LED中的出光效率。数值计算结果表明:极化角越小,偶极子点光源在LED出光效率增强因子越大,磁偶极子点光源模型与电偶极子点光源模型相比,极化角对出光效率增强因子的影响明显减小。基于磁偶极子点光源模型,考虑极化角的影响优化设计一种空气孔三角晶格光子晶体LED结构,其出光效率增强因子高达4.5。     

Helical Sense and Pitch of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

The rotatory sense of a circularly polarized light transmitted through a cholesteric liquid crystal cell was studied by measuring the retardation of a birefringent plate placed upon the cell. Furthermore, the dependence of helical pitch on composition is described for various binary cholesteric and nematic-cholesteric mixtures. The helical sense of eleven cholesterics was determined by the experimental results. As a result, it is shown, for example, that cholesteryl chloride has a right-handed helical structure and cholesteryl propionate has a left-handed helical structure.     

The Excitation Wavelength Dependence of Adenine Cation Single Crystal Luminescence

The excitation wavelength dependence of luminescence measured in adenine cation crystals at 77 K is reported. The observed variations of all the luminescence parameters exhibit a marked correlation with a changing penetration depth of the excitation light. The alterations of luminescence intensity, vibronic structure of emission spectra, emission polarization and phosphorescence decay were attributed mainly to a variable contribution of the emission from local excited states which correspond to a different trap ensembles in the crystal bulk and near the surface, respectively.     

Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

A review of the ferroelectricity in liquid crystals is given, beginning with a discussion of the symmetry properties allowing a macroscopic polarization in some of the more ordered liquid crystal phases. The fundamental mechanisms behind the dipolar ordering are discussed in some detail. The two linear electric effects, ferro- and flexo-electricity, give rise to completely different phenomena. In the smectic C phase there is one ferroelectric coefficient and nine flexoelectric ones, giving independent contributions to the polarization of the medium. We further discuss helical and non-helical structures, doped and intrinsic infinite-pitch ferroelectrics and, finally, the rich potential of liquid crystal ferroelectrics aligned in the »book-shelfgeometry» for fast electro-optic devices.     

Dielectric Spectroscopy of Ferronematics Based on 6CHBT Liquid Crystal

In our study, the dielectric behaviour of the rod-like liquid crystal (6CHBT) doped with magnetic nanoparticles of spherical shape was investigated by means of dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 2 MHz. A low frequency dielectric dispersion in the nematic and isotropic phases of the pure liquid crystal (LC) has been assigned to the space charge polarization. After doping the host LC with the magnetic nano particles, a nearly Debye-like relaxation process was observed with the temperature dependence obeying the Arrhenius law. Considering a possible electric double layer formation on the particle surfaces, the detected relaxation process in the doped LC can be associated with the electric double layer polarization. The experimental results point out that in the measured frequency range the space charge and interfacial effects constitute the main dielectric response. Any anchoring effects were not observed and are therefore expected to appear in higher frequencies.     

Light Scattering Experiments during Freezing and Melting

Anomalous light scattering has been observed at the solid-liquid interfaces of high purity systems during freezing as well as during melting. The model substances used are water, salol, cyclohexane and xenon. From light scattering experiments the existence of a layer of pre-ordered material at the solid-liquid interface is deduced. Light is scattered by long range fluctuations in this layer. The thickness of this layer is a few μM. The correlation length of the fluctuations in this layer has been determined to be ξ ≈ 260 nm. Dynamic and static light scattering experiments lead to the same correlation length. Xenon, salol and cyclohexane cover a range of a factor of 15 in viscosity at the melting temperature. Growth velocities have been varied by a factor of about 200. Thermal gradients at the solid-liquid interface have been varied in a wide range. No dependence of the correlation length on these parameters or on substance has been found in the experiments. The observations do not depend on the crystallographic orientation of the crystal surface nor on the orientation of the crystal surface relative to gravity. The interface-layer may be compared to the quasiliquid layer which has been found at crystal vapour interfaces at conditions close to the melting point. The existence of a pre-ordered layer in-between a crystal and its melt means that the crystal does not grow into the melt but into the pre-ordered layer.     

Polarization anisotropy of photoluminescence from triphenylamine‐based molecular single crystals

We present an experimental study of the polarization of the photoluminescence (PL) emission from a (Z)‐3‐(4‐(diphenylamino)phenyl)‐2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐acrylonitrile ( DPPyACN) single organic crystal. Our measurements show that the photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum of the crystal consists of three highly polarized PL bands with different polarization ratios. The spectral position of one of these bands is the same as that of the PL emission of the molecule in dilute solutions in different “poor” solvents. Thus, we relate the different polarization ratios of the PL bands to different physical origin of the PL emission.     

Piezo-optic properties of incommensurately modulated K<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZnCl<Subscript>4</Subscript> crystals

The effect that uniaxial pressures along the principal crystallophysical directions have on the dispersion and temperature dependences of the birefringence in incommensurate K₂ZnCl₄ crystals has been investigated in a wide temperature range. This parameter has been established to be fairly sensitive to uniaxial pressures. The spectral and temperature dependences of combined piezo-optic coefficients are analyzed. Significant anomalies of these coefficients are found at the incommensurate-commensurate phase transition. They are due to the change in the induced birefringence that results from spontaneous polarization and to the significant effect of uniaxial stress on the soliton structure of the crystal. The contributions that the electrooptic effect, the elasto-optic effect, and the order parameter make to the spontaneous changes in the piezooptic coefficients are separated.     

New Simple Model of a Liquid Crystal Light Valve

Abstract

A liquid crystal light valve, using a heterojunction indium oxide/silicon of high resistivity (10,000 Ω.cm) and based on the cholesteric-nematic transition is described. The characteristics of this device are determined: optimum voltage to be applied to the cell in order to produce the cholestericnematic phase change, incident light power sensitivity, spectral response, rise and decay times. It has been shown that this light valve has an incident power sensitivity of less than 10 μW.cm^?2 which passes through a maximum for an incident wavelength of 0.8 μm. This valve can be used in the near infrared; rise times of a few tens of ms are obtained.     

The validity of the double layer model on the amorphous semiconductor surface including the bulk localized state within the gap

Under the two assumptions that the origin of surface states may be different from that of bulk localized states within the gap and the density of surface states is sufficiently high, the validity of the double layer model on the amorphous semiconductor surface is investigated in comparison with the case of a crystal. It is suggested that the criteria concerning the double layer should be determined by the relative value of the surface states to that of bulk localized states. The existence of the double layer can be confirmed when the bulk localized state density n(E_f) is smaller than 10¹⁹ cm^?3 eV^?1. When n(E_f) is high at about 10²⁰ cm^?3 eV^?1, surface states cannot be distinguished from the localized states within the gap. This double layer model is strongly supported by the results of previous experiments by others who have measured the dependence of the Schottky barrier height on the work function of metal and the dependence of the surface potential on the preparation conditions of a-SiH.     

Modern application packages for rigorous solution of problems of light propagation in anisotropic layered media: II. Optically active crystals

The matrix Δ suggested by Berreman for optically active crystals of various symmetry classes has been calculated with the use of the Mathematica-4.1 package. It is shown that the eigenvalues of this matrix are the refractive indices, whereas its eigenvectors determine the polarization states of eigenwaves propagating in the crystal. The relation between the components of the gyration tensors obtained on the basis of various constitutive equations is established. The essential differences in the optical activity described on the basis of these equations are also discussed.     

Polarization optics for X-rays

An experimental arrangement for X-rays is described which is analogous to the optical bench for polarization investigations. Using this arrangement elliptically polarized X-rays should be generated and proved. Although the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction is needed for X-ray optics the polarization phenomena can be phenomenologically interpreted in analogy to visible light optics. The experimental results showed that with a wedge-shaped crystal used as the phase shifter any polarization state of X-rays can be generated.     

Reversible LED controlled optical activity of a cholesteric liquid crystal layer

Abstract

A thin layer of the photosensitive cholesteric liquid crystal possessing a high value of the optical activity is studied. Reversible change in the optical activity controlled by two light emission diodes (LEDs) with different emission wavelengths is applied for information recording. The behavior of this structure under exposure to UV and blue light is investigated. A smooth decrease in optical activity caused by the UV light resulting in a change in the color of the structure between crossed polarizers is obtained. The reverse process occurs under exposure to the blue light. On the basis of the obtained results, two methods of optical information recording in such a layer have been demonstrated.