Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Optics in smoothly varying anisotropic planar structures: Application to liquid-crystal twist cells

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

Optical transmittance and reflectance of continuously varying anisotropic planar media, such as nematic liquid crystals in Schadt–Helfrich twist cells or cholesterics between parallel rubbed surfaces, have previously been computed with a 4 × 4 matrix method by considering the medium as broken up into many thin parallel layers and treating each as if it had homogeneous anisotropic optical parameters. A matrix multiplication was done for each layer, and unless each layer was much less than one wavelength thick, several more multiplications were done within each layer. Here we show how to do numerical computations with equal accuracy using much thicker layers. We use a truncated power series to approximate the variation of optical parameters through each layer. We also show two ways to obtain fast convergence of numerical computations with layers of homogeneous anisotropic material that are several wavelengths thick. We use the method to get a better understanding of the optical properties of twist cells, particularly for oblique rays. The possibility of measuring elastic constants by comparing measured with computed transmittance of twist cells is suggested.

© 1973 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Circular dichroism and rotatory dispersion near absorption bands of cholesteric liquid crystals

G. Holzwarth and N. A. W. Holzwarth
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 63(3) 324-331 (1973)

Ellipsometry of anisotropic surfaces

D. J. De Smet
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 63(8) 958-964 (1973)

Structure, properties, and some applications of liquid crystals*

Glenn H. Brown
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 63(12) 1505-1514 (1973)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (6)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (33)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved