Orientational photorefractive effects observed in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

We present a novel type of photorefractive polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) that contains a polymer, low-molecular liquid crystals (LC's), and a photoconductive sensitizer. Photorefractivity is demonstrated by two-beam-coupling experiments with an external dc field. This material shows highly sensitive photorefractivity, and a purely refractive-index grating (Dn >/= 3.0 x 10(-3)) is generated by irradiation of interference light (lambda=632.8 nm) . The grating in the photorefractive PDLC's shows strong anisotropy, and the dynamics depends strongly on the composition. In the case of a 40:60 weight ratio of polymer:LC's, the photorefractive PDLC's present a stable memory effect.     

Relation between the microscopic and macroscopic descriptions of the effect of a solid-substrate surface on a homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystal

A simple microscopic mean-field model is proposed for a homeotropically aligned planar nematic liquid crystal (NLC) in contact with a solid-substrate surface. The intermolecular interaction in the NLC is simulated with the anisotropic McMillan potential, and the orienting effect of the substrate surface on the molecules in the NLC is described as that of an external field acting only on the first surface molecular layer of the sample. This model is used to describe the deformation of the director field of the sample caused by the external field and to determine the anchoring strength coefficient W, which is employed to macroscopically describe the orienting effect of the solid substrate on the NLC. The dependence of this coefficient on the strength of the short-range orienting field of the substrate surface used in the proposed microscopic model is found, and a unique correspondence between W and the profile of the orientational order parameter near the substrate surface is established. The temperature dependence of the anchoring strength coefficient is derived and found to agree well with experimental data for the MBBA NLC.     

Orientational photorefractive effects observed in poly(vinyl alcohol)/liquid crystal composites

60 ) as a photoconductive sensitizer under an applied dc field. Orientational photorefractivity was demonstrated by observing Raman–Nath diffraction beams with an external dc field. The photorefractive gratings were partially memorized even in the absence of the applied dc field. Received: 12 January 1998/Revised version: 2 February 1998     

Effect of surface on phase modulation of light in a nematic layer

The nanorelief of orienting surfaces in a nematic layer is studied experimentally. The initial inclination angle of the director and the phase retardation of light in the crystal are determined, and the director reorientation dynamics in the crystal under SB deformation in an electric field is analyzed. It is shown that a thin layer of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C: H) deposited on a GeO monoxide layer with an anisotropic nanorelief produced by the inclined deposition method smoothens the surface topography without changing the surface structure. Modification of the structure and physicochemical properties of the GeO surface alters the conditions of the anisotropic-elastic interaction at the interface with the liquid crystal, as evidenced by an increase in the S-effect threshold and a decrease in the initial inclination of the director from 22° (on the GeO surface) to 0–6°. Strong influence of the surface nanostructure on the dynamics of the director reorientation in the electric field and on the phase modulation of light is experimentally demonstrated. It is shown that the phase retardation of light in the GeO layer covered by an a-C: H film is twice as large as in the layer of the same thickness with a virgin surface.     

Rearrangement of the Structure of Paratellurite Crystals in a Near-Surface Layer Caused by the Migration of Charge Carriers in an External Electric Field

The process of formation of surface structures in a paratellurite crystal (α-TeO₂) in an external electric field has been studied by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. This process is reversible and its dynamics (duration of tens of minutes) corresponds to the formation of a screening layer near the insulator–metal interface owing to the counter migration of oxygen ions and vacancies in the external electric field. The formation of domains has been observed in the experiment as the broadening and splitting of the XRD curve and is explained by mechanical stresses that appear in the high electric field near the surface in view of the piezoelectric effect and are responsible for a ferroelectric α–β phase transition. A change in the lattice parameter near the anode (surface of the crystal with a positive external charge) has been detected simultaneously. This change is due to the local rearrangement of the crystal structure because of the inflow of oxygen ions in this region and outflow of oxygen vacancies.     

Resonant domain photorefractive structure in the liquid crystal-photoconducting orienting layer system

Photorefractive properties of nematic liquid-crystal cells with photoconductive orienting layers are investigated. A new mechanism is proposed based on the resonant interaction of transition and quasi-stationary domain structures with the optical interference field. A two-order-of-magnitude increase in the diffraction efficiency of gratings under resonant conditions is obtained.     

Deformation of a pretilted nematic liquid crystal layer in an electric field

The deformation of the optical axis of a nematic liquid crystal layer under the influence of an electric field is caused by the dielectric torque. This momentum counteracts with an elastic torque generated by interfacial forces between the surface of the electrode and the liquid crystal. By means of a variational analysis, the deformation profiles within the liquid crystal layer are calculated, assuming large interfacial energies and various angles of pretilt of the liquid crystal directors with respect to the electrodes. Both the extreme case of a homeotropic (vertical) alignment on one electrode and a homogeneous (parallel) alignment on the opposite electrode, as well as the general case of arbitrary and different alignments on both electrodes, lead to heavily pretilted liquid crystal layers, resulting in definite deformation profiles without disclinations. Liquid crystal cells prepared in this way neither show threshold voltages nor delay times when electrical fields are applied. Measured and calculated characteristics of such liquid crystal cells are presented, they show good agreement.     

Effects of photocrosslinking on photorefractive properties in polymer-liquid crystal composites

This article presents effects of photocrosslinking on photorefractive properties in polymer-liquid crystal composites doped with fullerene (C₆₀) as a photoconductive agent. The efficiency of the photorefraction was improved by crosslinking the polymer network and reached near to the theoretical limit for the thin phase grating. The carrier conduction in the composite films was investigated and the high-performance photorefractivity of the photocrosslinked mesogenic composite was explained by low dark current and high photocurrent. The firm crosslinked polymer network in the polymer-liquid crystal composite has also employed for the stable photorefractive diffraction at elevated temperature and under a static dc field applied the mesogenic composite film.     

One-dimensional dynamics of nano-scale oxidation

A continuum model is proposed to describe the process of scanned probe oxidation in the presence of a thin water layer on the surface of a substrate. The model describes the electric field and ion transport in both the liquid and the oxide layers and incorporates the reaction mechanism at the substrate/oxide interface. Further, the influence of the space charge due to ions trapped near the substrate/oxide interface is taken into account.Separation of time scales for the chemical reactions and ion transport as well as the asymptotic limit in terms of a small aspect ratio of the oxide layer are used to reduce the complex system of partial differential equations to a one-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations. The analytical solution of the reduced system results in the evolution equation for the oxide thickness. Numerical simulations of the evolution equation predict features of oxide growth that qualitatively agree with the experimental observations. A parametric study is conducted to determine the influence of the key operating and material parameters on the thickness of the oxide, the electric field, and ion concentration in the system.     

Electronic states at junctions of molecular semiconductors

We consider properties of junctions for the field effect transistors (FET) geometry where molecular crystals or conducting polymers are used as semiconducting layers. In the molecular crystal Coulomb interaction of free electrons with surface polar phonons of the dielectric layer can lead to self-trapping of carriers and to the formation of a strongly coupled long-range surface polaron. The effect is further enhanced in presence of the bias electric field and strongly depends on the gate dielectric used.In conducting polymers instead of the usual band bending near the contact interface, new allowed electronic bands appear inside the band gap. As a result the bias electric field and the injected charge penetrate into the polymer via creation of the soliton lattice whose period changes with the distance from the contact surface. The current through the contact is performed via moving solitons.     

Gaussian-beam-induced photorefractive birefringence and its application to radio-frequency signal excision

For Gaussian-beam-induced optical limiting based on photoconductive field shielding of electro-optic (EO) birefringence, power-limiting notch widths may be accurately determined by considering the power-limiting threshold for the photorefractive crystal where excess charge accumulates. With sufficient optical intensity the space-charge field completely screens the externally applied electric field, and only a small diffusion field remains. The upper limit of light intensity attenuation is the extinction ratio for the combination of polarizers and EO crystal.     

Boundary layer theory modified for analysis of wave flow on the surface of a viscous liquid finite-thickness layer resting on a hard bottom

The theory of a boundary layer that is adjacent to the surface of an indefinitely deep viscous liquid and caused by its periodic motion is modified for analysis of finite-amplitude flow motion on the charged surface of a viscous conductive finite-thickness liquid layer resting on a hard bottom (the thickness of the layer is comparable to the wavelength). With the aim of adequately describing the viscous liquid flow, two boundary layers are considered: one at the free surface and the other at the hard bottom. The thicknesses of the boundary layers are estimated for which the difference between an exact solution and a solution to a model problem (stated in terms of the modified theory) may be set with a desired accuracy in the low-viscosity approximation. It is shown that the presence of the lower (bottom) boundary layer should be taken into account (with a relative computational error no more than 0.001) only if the thickness of the viscous layer does not exceed two wavelengths. For thicker layers, the bottom flow may be considered potential. In shallow liquids (with a thickness of two tenths of the wavelength or less), the upper (near-surface) and bottom layers overlap and the eddy flow entirely occupies the liquid volume. As the surface charge approaches a value that is critical for the onset of instability against the electric field negative pressure, the thicknesses of both layers sharply grow.     

Electric convection in a nematic liquid crystal in a varying electric field

The emergence of electric convection in a nematic liquid crystal under the action of a varying electric field is analyzed in the 1D approximation. A new mode of external field variation with subharmonic oscillations is proposed. The behavior of several classes of synchronous perturbations and subharmonic oscillations is analyzed; the evolution of the fields of the director and of the volume charge is studied. Parametric instability regions are specified and the critical frequencies of transitions between response modes are determined. Stability maps for a nematic liquid crystal are plotted on the frequency-amplitude plane.     

Nonlinear periodic waves on the charged surface of a finite-thickness ideal liquid layer

In the fourth order of smallness in the amplitude of a periodic capillary-gravitational wave travelling over the uniformly charged free surface of an ideal incompressible conducting liquid of a finite depth, analytical expressions for the evolution of the nonlinear wave, velocity field potential of the liquid, electrostatic field potential above the liquid, and nonlinear frequency correction that is quadratic in a small parameter are derived. It is found that the dependence of the amplitude of the nonlinear correction to the frequency on the charge density on the free liquid surface and on the thickness of the liquid layer changes qualitatively when the layer gets thinner. In thin liquid layers, the resonant wavenumber depends on the surface charge density, while in thick layers, this dependence is absent.     

Principles of Adaptive Optics, 3rd edn., by Robert K. Tyson

A review is made of the quantum effects which are observed in the transport coefficients of semiconductors. Quantization of the free carriers in semiconductors is produced whenever an external potential acts on an otherwise uniform and perfect crystal. Typical examples are a magnetic field, an electric field or the physical boundaries of the sample. A magnetic field quantizes the electron and hole states into a ladder of equally spaced Landau levels. This gives rise to the Shubnikov–de Haas, magnetophonon and magneto-impurity effects, where the positions of the Landau levels resonate with the Fermi, phonon, or impurity energies present in the sample. A series of oscillations in the magneto-resistance of many different types of materials results. Electric fields applied to the surface of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices result in a set of quantum levels for motion perpendicular to the surface. At low temperatures the charge carriers are bound to the surface and behave as if they were two-dimensional. This is shown to give rise to very dramatic oscillatory metal–insulator behaviour in high magnetic fields. Quantization is also shown to occur in very thin layers of semiconductors which act like a simple square well potential, the energy levels of which can be studied as a function of layer thickness. The carriers are confined within the layers, and also show two-dimensional behaviour.     

Control of the transmission spectrum of a photonic crystal with lattice defects

The transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with structural defects is investigated. An anisotropic layer of a nematic liquid crystal is considered as a defect. The possibility of effective external control of the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal by changing either the orientational state of the defect liquid crystal layer (for example, using an electric field) or the angle of incidence of light is shown. It is established that the spectral properties of the photonic crystal change radically with a change in the optical characteristics of the defect layer in the vicinity of the temperature phase transition of the nematic liquid crystal to the isotropic state.     

Plasmon electro-optic effect in a subwavelength metallic nanograting with a nematic liquid crystal

The electro-optic effect in hybrid structures based on subwavelength metallic nanogratings in contact with a layer of a nematic liquid crystal has been experimentally studied. Metallic gratings are fabricated in the form of interdigitated electrodes, which makes it possible to use them not only as optical elements but also for the production of an electric field in a thin surface region of the layer of the liquid crystal. It has been shown that, owing to the electric-field-induced reorientation of molecules of the liquid crystal near the surface of the grating, it is possible to significantly control the spectral features of the transmission of light, which are caused by the excitation of surface plasmons. The electro-optic effect is superfast for liquid crystal devices because a change in the optical properties of the system requires the reorientation of molecules only in a very thin surface layer of the liquid crystal.     

Electrically controlled local Frédericksz transition in a layer of a nematic liquid crystal

A local Frédericksz transition caused by electrically controlled surface anchoring in a nematic liquid crystal has been implemented owing to the displacement of surface-active ions. In the initial case, the nematic is homeotropically aligned by monomolecular layers of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide cations adsorbed on the surface of substrates. One of the substrates in a static electric field becomes free of a cation layer and specifies planar boundary conditions; as a result, a homeoplanar orientation structure is formed. The features of the dynamics of the optical response of the cell under study that are characteristic of the effect under consideration are discussed.     

Molecular orientations and photorefractive effects in C60-doped liquid crystals with capillary-flow-induced alignment

Molecular orientations and photorefractive effects of C₆₀-doped nematic liquid crystals were investigated with layer-structured liquid crystal cells where a nematic phase was injected. Regardless of the surface treatments of the layers, liquid crystals injected with nematic phase showed a higher degree of director orientation and photorefractivity than those injected with an isotropic phase. The nematic alignment of liquid crystals in an untreated cell is generated by a capillary flow of liquid crystal during the nematic injection. However, it was observed that the grating formation was delayed a little longer with injection of nematic phase than with injection of isotropic phase. Received: 11 March 2002 / Revised version: 22 April 2002 / Published online: 12 July 2002     

Supercooling molecular hydrogen down through the superfluid transition

Recent calculations by Vorobev and Malyshenko [JETP Lett. 71, 39 (2000)] show that molecular hydrogen may stay liquid and superfluid in strong electric fields of the order of 4x10(7) V/cm. I demonstrate that strong local electric fields of similar magnitude exist beneath a two-dimensional layer of electrons localized in the image potential above the surface of solid hydrogen. Even stronger local fields exist around charged particles (ions or electrons) if the surface or bulk of a solid hydrogen crystal is statically charged. Measurements of the frequency shift of the 1 --> 2 photoresonance transition in the spectrum of a two-dimensional layer of electrons above a positively or negatively charged solid hydrogen surface performed in the temperature range 7-13.8 K support the prediction of electric field induced surface melting. The range of surface charge density necessary to stabilize the liquid phase of molecular hydrogen at the temperature of superfluid transition is estimated.