Nonlinear optical properties of liquid crystals and polymer dispersed liquid crystals / Francesco Simoni.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Simoni, Francesco.

Series:

Series on Liquid Crystals

Series on liquid crystals ; v. 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liquid crystals--Optical properties.

Liquid crystals.

Polymer liquid crystals--Optical properties.

Polymer liquid crystals.

Nonlinear theories.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (278 p.)

Place of Publication:

Singapore ; River Edge, N.J. : World Scientific, c1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This monograph is devoted to a detailed treatment of the nonlinear optical properties of liquid crystals. The basic concepts of director optical reorientation and thermal nonlinearities are presented showing the fundamental theoretical approaches and describing the main experimental observations. The presentation is self-consistent and tutorial although the subject matter is of current research interest.The last part of the book deals with more recent results on new composite materials: Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals (PDLC). A general presentation of the optical properties is given and the

Contents:

PREFACE; INTRODUCTION; References; CONTENTS; CHAPTER 1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THERMOTROPICS; 1.1. Structure and Classification of Liquid Crystals; 1.2. The Order Parameters; 1.3. The Continuum Theory; 1.4. Boundary Conditions; 1.5. Optical Properties; 1.5.1. Light Propagation in Single Crystals of Anisotropic Media; 1.5.2. Light Propagation in Distorted Liquid Crystals; 1.5.3. Light Propagation in Inhomogeneous Anisotropic Stratified Media; 1.5.4. Geometrical Optical Approximation for Linear Polarization and Planar Director Deformation

1.5.5. Geometrical Optical Approximation and Stokes Parameters Representation1.5.6. Light Propagation Through a Twisted Liquid Crystal; References; CHAPTER 2 BASIC NONLINEAR OPTICS; 2.1. Linear and Nonlinear Optics; 2.2. Nonlinear Susceptibilities; 2.3. Light Propagation in a Nonlinear Medium; 2.4. Self-Induced Effects; 2.4.1. Self-Focusing; 2.4.2. Self-Phase Modulation; 2.5. Degenerate Wave Mixing; 2.6. Second Harmonic Generation; References; CHAPTER 3 LIGHT-INDUCED DIRECTOR REORIENTATION; 3.1. Early Experimental Observations; 3.2. Planar Reorientation in Nematics

3.3. Small Reorientation Approximation3.3.1. Homeotropic Cell; 3.3.2. Planar Cell; 3.3.3. Hybrid Cell; 3.4. Optical Freedericksz Transition; 3.5. Measurements of Optical Nonlinearities Due to Planar Reorientation; 3.5.1. Self-Focusing; 3.5.2. Self-Phase Modulation; 3.5.3. Pump-Probe Experiments; 3.5.4. Degenerate Wave Mixing; 3.6. Planar Reorientation Under Weak Anchoring Conditions; 3.6.1. Generalized Threshold for OFT; 3.6.2. Existence of Critical Thicknesses; 3.7. Nonlocal Effects; 3.8. Plane Wave with Elliptical Polarization; 3.9. Dynamics of Optical Reorientation; References

CHAPTER 4 THERMAL EFFECTS4.1. How Temperature Affects Light Propagation; 4.2. Thermal Indexing; 4.3. Relation Between Light Intensity and Temperature Rise; 4.4. Other Phenomena Leading to Nonlinear Behavior; 4.5. Effects of Thermal Indexing on Optical Reorientation; 4.6. Dynamic Response; 4.7. Optically-Induced Phase Transitions; 4.7.1. Dynamic Behavior of Optically-Induced Phase Transitions; References; CHAPTER 5 OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYMER DISPERSED LIQUID CRYSTALS; 5.1. Introduction; 5.2. Materials and Preparation; 5.3. Director Configuration in Nematic Droplets

5.4. Effects of Electric Field5.5. Optical Transmittivity; 5.6. Reorientation Dynamics; 5.7. The Effective Refractive Index of a Droplet; 5.8. Optical Phase Shift; 5.9. Temperature Effects; References; Other suggested readings on PDLC; Materials; Textures Phase Transitions and NMR Spectrosopy; Light Scattering; Electro-optics and Applications; CHAPTER 6 NONLINEAR OPTICAL EFFECTS IN POLYMER DISPERSED LIQUID CRYSTALS; 6.1. Introduction; 6.2. Optical Reorientation of Nematic Droplets; 6.3. Self-Transparency Due to Thermal Nonlinearities; 6.4. Optical Bistability; 6.5. Nonlinear Gratings

6.6. Second Harmonic Generation in PDLC

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9789812831866

981283186X