Photonic density and nonreciprocal optical properties in chiral liquid crystals

Nonreciprocal optical properties of anisotropic (nano-film) heterostructures made of a cholesteric and nematic liquid crystal (CLC-NLC) layers are studied. Namely, a NLC-CLC (and CLC-NLC) structures are considered in which the NLC layer is a quarter-wave plate. The problem is exactly solvable by Ambartsumians’ modified layer addition and Mullers’ transfer-matrix methods. The peculiarities of the polarization dependent properties, such as the photonic density of states, reflection spectra, the polarization plane rotation and ellipticity spectra are investigated. It is shown that such a system canwork as a light modulator, an element for obtaining linearly polarized light with an electrically tunable polarization plane rotation, or a transformer of non-polarized source into linearly polarized light. The analysis of the optical properties in investigated structures can be used for design of perspective optical diodes, microlasers and multifunctional elements on chiral liquid crystals with electrically tunable polarization plane rotation and field controlled light polarization.     

High-damage-threshold static laser beam shaping using optically patterned liquid-crystal devices

Beam shaping of coherent laser beams is demonstrated using liquid crystal (LC) cells with optically patterned pixels. The twist angle of a nematic LC is locally set to either 0 or 90° by an alignment layer prepared via exposure to polarized UV light. The two distinct pixel types induce either no polarization rotation or a 90° polarization rotation, respectively, on a linearly polarized optical field. An LC device placed between polarizers functions as a binary transmission beam shaper with a highly improved damage threshold compared to metal beam shapers. Using a coumarin-based photoalignment layer, various devices have been fabricated and tested, with a measured single-shot nanosecond damage threshold higher than 30?J/cm2.     

Investigation of the influence of external electric field on the anisotropy of nematic liquid crystals by X-Ray interferometry

The influence of external electric field on the anisotropy of a layer of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) was investigated by means of X-Ray interferometric method. It was shown that in Xray range of the spectrum NLC E7 is a positive anisotropic medium. The decrements of a layer of NLC subjected to the electric field were calculated. As a result of reorientation of NLC molecules perpendicular to the cell substrate, the decrements prove equal for cases when the optical axis of a sample was initially perpendicular or parallel to the X-ray beam polarization vector.     

Electrically-Controllable Liquid Crystal Polarizing Filter for Eliminating Reflected Light

A high-speed controllable polarizing filter has been developed to eliminate obstructive polarized light reflected from glass and watery surfaces for image pickup in video media program producing and marine dynamic remote sensing. In this device, the polarization plane of incident light is rotated through 0°, 45°, 90° or 135° by an electrically-controllable polarization rotator composed of 45° and 90° twisted nematic liquid crystal cells, and the polarization component of reflected light is absorbed by a fixed polarizing film. It selectively absorbs more than 80% of incident white light linearly polarized in an arbitrary direction. With the drastic reduction of reflected light, the object images hidden by the bright reflected light are clearly captured in real time. Another type of polarizing filter, using a guest-host liquid crystal cell instead of the polarizing film, controls light absorption as well as polarization angle.     

Extraction of Waveguided Llight by Anisotropic Scattering Polarizer in Organic Electroluminescent Devices

We demonstrated that the anisotropic scattering polarizer (ASP) laminated to a glass substrate surface increased the optical efficiency of an organic electroluminescent (EL) device for liquid crystal display (LCD) backlight applications. ASP was prepared by drawing the liquid crystal polymer (LCP) dispersed poly(carbonate) film and extracted the emitting light trapped in the substrate of an organic EL device involved in polarization selectivity. Light extraction ability and polarization selectivity were changed by thickness of the electron transporting layer (ETL) of the organic EL device. Optical efficiency of a 60 nm thick ETL device through absorbing polarizer was not much improved by the lamination of ASP, whereas low efficiency of a 120 nm thick ETL device was greatly improved by this lamination due to extraction of the waveguided light as a substantially polarized emission. Although the degree of increase for the 120 nm thick ETL device was very large, the final optical efficiency was less than or only comparable to that of the thinner device. In 90 nm thick ETL device, however, the lamination of ASP increased the optical efficiency by a factor of 1.2–1.3 against a 60 nm thick ETL device. © 2004 The Optical Society of Japan     

Topological structure in polarization resolved conoscopic patterns for nematic liquid crystal cells

We investigate the polarization structure of coherent light, produced by a convergent light beam transmitted through nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cells with different director configurations. Employing solutions to the transmission problem for the case when plane wave propagates through an anisotropic layer, we analyze the arrangement of the topological elements, such as polarization singularities (C points with circular polarization and L lines with linear polarization), saddle points and extrema of polarization azimuth. We observe transformations of the topological structure under the variation of the incident light ellipticity and represent it by corresponding trajectories of topological elements in three-dimensional space. For the cells with uniform and non-uniform director configuration we describe the processes of creation/annihilation of C point pairs, which can be controlled precisely in the case of the cell with non-uniform director. Our experimental measurements for the homeotropically oriented NLC cells are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.     

基于矩阵理论的螺旋液晶透射光偏振态研究

将螺旋型液品看作是N层双折射材料晶片叠合而成,而每层光轴相对于相邻的晶片有一个小的旋转.本文基于矩阵理论,研究了光在螺旋液晶中传输时偏振态的变化.经过详细的数学推导,理论研究表明.线性偏振光经过螺旋液晶后偏振态会发生改变.当满足一定的条件时,线偏振光的偏振方向旋转90°,左旋圆偏振光经过左旋螺旋液晶后转变为右旋圆偏振光.     

Manifestation of gyrotropy upon light scattering in paratellurite

Upon scattering of laser radiation at different wavelengths, three optical effects—rotation of the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light, dependence of the specific rotation on the radiation wavelength, and the dependence of the scattered light intensity on the angle between the scattered and incident beams—are simultaneously observed. The intensity distributions of the scattered laser light at 0.488, 0.531 nm, and 0.633 μm along the optical axis of a thick sample of a TeO₂ single crystal are visualized. Based on the patterns obtained, the values of the specific rotation are calculated, and the curve of the optical rotation for the visible range is obtained.     

Accumulation and transmission of the light energy in nonreciprocal multilayer systems

The specific features of light energy distribution within a multiplayer optical system are calculated by using the effective layer addition method. Various mechanisms of nonreciprocity are discussed, and Jones matrices of systems with different mechanisms of nonreciprocity are considered and compared. Accumulation of polarized light energy and resonance light diode transmission (due to the asymmetric character of interaction between the light and nonreciprocal anisotropic system) in multilayer systems with cholesteric liquid crystal layer(s) in presence of small absorption are predicted in certain range of the light spectrum and polarization. The accumulation of light in the multilayer optical systems with the defects, based on realistic solid materials with periodical structure, are also discussed, aiming at their applications in the liquid or gas-heaters and solar energy and fiber optics converters.     

Optical model of transient light scattering in ferroelectric liquid crystals

A static optical model is developed for the effect of field-induced transient scattering on coherent light transmission through ferroelectric liquid crystals. Scattering processes are described by introducing an optically anisotropic medium containing scatterers (transient domains). The results presented in the paper are obtained for a plane parallel layer of ferroelectric liquid crystals with a planar helicoidal structure under normal illumination with a linearly polarized plane wave. An analysis is presented of the coherent transmittance of the layer in static applied electric fields.     

Ring-resonator-based frequency-domain optical activity measurements of a chiral liquid

Chiral liquids rotate the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light and are therefore optically active. Here we show that optical rotation can be observed in the frequency domain. A chiral liquid introduced in a fiber-loop ring resonator that supports left and right circularly polarized modes gives rise to relative frequency shifts that are a direct measure of the liquid's circular birefringence and hence of its optical activity. The effect is in principle not diminished if the circumference of the ring is reduced. The technique is similarly applicable to refractive index and linear birefringence measurements.     

光控液晶光子晶体微腔全光开关

设计了一种缺陷模迁移光子晶体微腔全光开关. 两条二维三角晶格空气孔光子晶体波导由一个光子晶体微腔连接, 在微腔的点缺陷中填充掺有少量偶氮聚合物的苯乙炔类液晶. 通过调节控制光的偏振态, 使偶氮聚合物发生顺-反异构化反应, 带动液晶分子重新取向, 从而改变光子晶体微腔的谐振波长, 进而实现光的通过与截止. 运用时域有限差分法和平面波展开法分析 了二维光控液晶光子晶体微腔全光开关的光学特性. 数值计算结果表明: 对于1.55 μ通信波段通过外界偏振光控制所填充的向列相液晶 的折射率可以实现对光波的导通与截止. 分析结果显示, 此开关具有阈值低, 消光比较大, 体积小等优点. 关键词： 二维光子晶体微腔 波导 时域有限差分(FDTD) 液晶     

液晶磁控偏光特性的研究

利用偏光干涉理论,通过对BL-009型向列相液晶透射比的测试,分析了液晶透射比随磁场的变化情况,并对液晶的磁控双折射效应进行了研究.实验在室温20℃下用JG-3型连续可调磁场仪对液晶盒施加垂直于其表面的磁场,用CT5A型特斯拉计准确读出磁场强度数值,使液晶盒光轴方向与起偏镜和检偏镜偏振方向成45°,分别测出了起偏镜和检偏镜偏振方向平行和垂直时的透射光强度.通过数学函数拟合,得出了液晶的双折射率随磁场的变化规律,即：当磁场强度大于液晶的阈值磁场时,拟合函数能很好地描述液晶磁控双折射率的变化规律.     

Optical activity of dielectric superlattices with defects

Natural optical activity of a nonideal 1D multilayer system is considered phenomenologically and the concentration dependence of its specific rotation angle is simulated numerically. As a model system, the two-sublattice SiO₂ LC structure was chosen. Specific gyrotropy features caused by the corresponding disordering types of the studied systems were revealed. Based on the developed phenomenological theory, the frequency dependence of the specific rotation angle of the polarization plane of linearly polarized light was studied for the case of a molecular-crystal multilayer system whose layers contain pointlike defects. This creates additional possibilities for simulating optically active multilayer composite materials.     

Evolution of polarization in an inhomogeneous isotropic medium

The depolarization and rotation of the polarization plane of radiation propagating in a two-dimensional graded-index medium is investigated on the basis of the quantum-mechanical method of coherent states. It is shown that the degree of polarization of both linearly and circularly polarized radiation decreases with increasing distance as a result of interaction between the polarization (spin) and the path (orbital angular momentum) of the beam. The wave nature of the depolarization is emphasized. The depolarization decreases as the radiation wavelength decreases. It is found that the degree of polarization exhibits oscillations of pure diffraction origin during the propagation of light in a single-mode optical fiber. It is shown that the rotation of the polarization plane is nonuniform in character and depends on the offset and the tilt angle of the incident-beam axis relative to the fiber axis. The Berry phase is found to undergo oscillations of a wave nature during the propagation of radiation in an inhomogeneous medium. It is shown that the spread in the angle of rotation of the polarization plane increases with distance and can be determined from measurements of the degree of polarization of the radiation. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1985–2000 (December 1997)     

Optimal length of an electro-optical Q-switch with optical activity crystal La3Ga5SiO14

With the polarization plane gyration and the electro-optic effect existing simultaneously in an optical activity crystal, the theory on interaction of optical activity and electro-optic effect on the arbitrary linearly polarized light propagating through the crystal along the optical axis is studied. The electro-optical Q-switch is designed successfully. With the conclusion of the theory, the optimal length of optical activity crystal using as electro-optical Q-switch at a given wavelength is calculated.     

复指数矩阵法研究螺旋液晶光学传播特性

提出一种研究螺旋液晶光学特性的数学处理方法.螺旋型液晶可当作N层双折射材料晶片叠合而成,而相邻晶片的光轴依次旋转一个小角度.在光学转换矩阵中引入复数来研究螺旋型液晶光学性能,给出了相关的数学处理方法.研究了线性偏振光在螺旋液晶中的传播特性,并给出了光经过螺旋液晶后电场强度的矩阵表达式.研究发现,如果入射光波长等于螺旋液晶螺距,线偏振光经过右螺旋液晶后是左旋圆偏振光.理论上分析了螺旋液晶对可见光选择性反射机理.     

一种液晶透镜盒间隙的测试方法

针对当前液晶透镜盒间隙测试存在的难题, 文中提出采用线偏振干涉法测试方法, 采用光强均匀分布的单色光入射, 检偏器的偏光轴方向与起偏器的偏光轴垂直或者平行, 液晶透镜的液晶取向层的摩擦方向与起偏器偏振轴夹角为45°, 此时干涉条纹亮暗差别最明显. 利用液晶透镜中心保持预倾角不变的透过率以及其他位置透过率最大值来计算液晶透镜的盒间隙, 该方法简单、可靠, 因采用光学手段测试, 其精确度相对较高. 关键词： 液晶透镜 盒间隙 线偏振光干涉 透过率     

Bragg diffraction of light by ultrasonic shear waves in a plane-parallel layer

We have studied anisotropic Bragg diffraction of light by ultrasonic shear waves in an optically isotropic plane-parallel layer. We have established the analytical dependences of the relative intensities and polarization azimuths of reflected and transmitted diffracted waves on the intensity of the ultrasound, the layer thickness, the angle of incidence, and the polarization azimuth of the incident light. We show that rotation of the plane of polarization of the diffracted wave is determined by the different Fresnel reflection of the s and p polarized components of the incident light in the plane-parallel layer. We have determined that in mismatched acousto-optic structures, deep amplitude modulation of transmitted and reflected light is possible which is an order of magnitude greater than the usual modulation in matched structures.     

Polarization manipulated solid-state lasers with crystalline-orientations

The polarization states of 〈111〉-cut Yb:YAG crystal microchip lasers were investigated by pumped with the elliptically polarized pump beam from fiber-coupled laser-diode. The manipulated polarized lasers were achieved in laser-diode pumped Yb:YAG microchip laser by controlling the crystalline-orientations in 〈111〉-growth Yb:YAG crystal. Generally elliptically polarized lasers were obtained in laser-diode pumped Yb:YAG microchip lasers. However, crystalline-orientation manipulated linearly polarized laser was obtained when six different sites with different crystalline orientations were set to parallel to the major axis direction of the elliptically polarized pump beam. Six different sites in Yb:YAG crystal were separated with 30° and 90°, which were responsible for the linearly polarized laser oscillations. Circularly polarized lasers were observed when a Yb:YAG crystal was aligned to a special position between two sites responsible for linearly polarized laser oscillation. Effects of the polarization states of pump source on the laser polarization states of Yb:YAG microchip lasers and polarization direction of different polarized lasers with respect to Yb:YAG crystal rotation was addressed.