(1) Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany;(2) Institut Non Linéaire de Nice, 1361 route des Lucioles, 06560 Valbonne, France
Abstract:
We show theoretically that thermomechanical effects in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals when illuminated by laser beams,
can become important and lead to molecular reorientation at intensities substantially lower than that needed for optical Fréedericksz
transition. We propose a 1D model that assumes homogenous intensity distribution in the plane of the layer and is capable
to describe such a thermally induced threshold lowering. We consider a particular geometry, with a linearly polarized light
incident perpendicularly on a layer of homeotropically aligned dye-doped nematics.