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.