Nonlinear Optical Properties of Liquid Crystals and Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals

by Simoni, Francesco

• ISBN13: 9789810217518
• ISBN10: 981021751X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-10-01
• Publisher: WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUB CO INC

Table of Contents

Preface	ix	(2)
Introduction	xi
Chapter 1. Physical Properties of Thermotropics	1	(37)
1.1. Structure and Classification of Liquid Crystals	1	(3)
1.2. The Order Parameters	4	(3)
1.3. The Continuum Theory	7	(4)
1.4. Boundary Conditions	11	(3)
1.5. Optical Properties	14	(24)
1.5.1. Light propagation in single crystals of anisotropic media	15	(3)
1.5.2. Light propagation in distorted liquid crystals	18	(3)
1.5.3. Light propagation in inhomogeneous anisotropic stratified media	21	(3)
1.5.4. Geometrical Optical Approximation for linear polarization and planar director deformation	24	(4)
1.5.5. Geometrical Optical Approximation and Stokes parameters representation	28	(3)
1.5.6. Light propagation through a twisted liquid crystal	33	(5)
Chapter 2. Basic Nonlinear Optics	38	(30)
2.1. Linear and Nonlinear Optics	38	(2)
2.2. Nonlinear Susceptibilities	40	(3)
2.3. Light Propagation in a Nonlinear Medium	43	(4)
2.4. Self-Induced Effects	47	(8)
2.4.1. Self-focusing	49	(4)
2.4.2. Self-phase modulation	53	(2)
2.5. Degenerate Wave Mixing	55	(8)
2.6. Second Harmonic Generation	63	(5)
Chapter 3. Light-Induced Director Reorientation	68	(75)
3.1. Early Experimental Observations	68	(5)
3.2. Planar Reorientation in Nematics	73	(10)
3.3. Small Reorientation Approximation	83	(8)
3.3.1. Homeotropic cell	83	(5)
3.3.2. Planar cell	88	(2)
3.3.3. Hybrid cell	90	(1)
3.4. Optical Freedericksz Transition	91	(8)
3.5. Measurements of Optical Nonlinearities Due to Planar Reorientation	99	(12)
3.5.1. Self-focusing	99	(3)
3.5.2. Self-phase modulation	102	(4)
3.5.3. Pump-probe experiments	106	(3)
3.5.4. Degenerate wave mixing	109	(2)
3.6. Planar Reorientation Under Weak Anchoring Conditions	111	(11)
3.6.1. Generalized threshold for OFT	113	(5)
3.6.2. Existence of critical thicknesses	118	(4)
3.7. Nonlocal Effects	122	(3)
3.8. Plane Wave with Elliptical Polarization	125	(11)
3.9. Dynamics of Optical Reorientation	136	(7)
Chapter 4. Thermal Effects	143	(33)
4.1. How Temperature Affects Light Propagation	143	(1)
4.2. Thermal Indexing	144	(5)
4.3. Relation Between Light Intensity and Temperature Rise	149	(5)
4.4. Other Phenomena Leading to Nonlinear Behavior	154	(3)
4.5. Effects of Thermal Indexing on Optical Reorientation	157	(4)
4.6. Dynamic Response	161	(3)
4.7. Optically-Induced Phase Transitions	164	(12)
4.7.1. Dynamic behavior of optically-induced phase transitions	173	(3)
Chapter 5. Optical Properties of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals	176	(41)
5.1. Introduction	176	(1)
5.2. Materials and Preparation	177	(3)
5.3. Director Configuration in Nematic Droplets	180	(3)
5.4. Effects of Electric Field	183	(7)
5.5. Optical Transmittivity	190	(5)
5.6. Reorientation Dynamics	195	(4)
5.7. The Effective Refractive Index of a Droplet	199	(5)
5.8. Optical Phase Shift	204	(8)
5.9. Temperature Effects	212	(5)
Chapter 6. Nonlinear Optical Effects in Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals	217	(36)
6.1. Introduction	217	(1)
6.2. Optical Reorientation of Nematic Droplets	217	(6)
6.3. Self-Transparency Due to Thermal Nonlinearities	223	(8)
6.4. Optical Bistability	231	(8)
6.5. Nonlinear Gratings	239	(8)
6.6. Second Harmonic Generation in PDLC	247	(6)
6.6.1. SHG at interfaces	248	(2)
6.6.2. SHG by a dispersion of nematic droplets	250	(3)
Appendix I. Relationship Between the Molecular and the Macroscopic Parameters	253	(3)
Appendix II. Properties of the Pointing Vector During the Optically Induced Reorientation	256	(2)
Appendix III. General Form of the Elastic Free Energy Density of a Nematic Liquid Crystal	258