Control of topological defects in microstructured liquid crystal cells
Control of topological defects in microstructured liquid crystal cells
We study how the propagation of light inside recently developed micro-structured cells, can be actively tuned by polarising the nanoscale defects in the nematic liquid crystals they contain. Our ‘planar-spherical’ cells are formed by assembling a planar and a gold-coated hemispherical micro-mirror. Optical reflection images of the back-reflected polarised light show a remarkable change of symmetry as a function of the voltage applied to the cell.
Theoretical models of the alignment of the liquid crystal within the cell indicate that the constraints imposed on the liquid crystal by the cell geometry and by the applied electric field induces the formation of defects. Their motion under the effect of the applied electric field is responsible for the change of symmetry of the back-reflected light. Furthermore, experimental measurements of the relaxation time of the back-reflected intensity indicate that the motion of the defect in our micro-structured cells is much faster than in equivalent planar cells.
2201-2209
Prakash, G.Vijaya
8f38f2ed-0655-49e3-af62-667c1b8f9cfc
Kaczmarek, M.
408ec59b-8dba-41c1-89d0-af846d1bf327
Dyadyusha, A.
2d1d75d4-60f0-4437-8771-0d0b9a3c7931
Baumberg, J.J.
78e1ea7e-8c70-404c-bf84-59aafe75cd07
D'Alessandro, G.
bad097e1-9506-4b6e-aa56-3e67a526e83b
21 March 2005
Prakash, G.Vijaya
8f38f2ed-0655-49e3-af62-667c1b8f9cfc
Kaczmarek, M.
408ec59b-8dba-41c1-89d0-af846d1bf327
Dyadyusha, A.
2d1d75d4-60f0-4437-8771-0d0b9a3c7931
Baumberg, J.J.
78e1ea7e-8c70-404c-bf84-59aafe75cd07
D'Alessandro, G.
bad097e1-9506-4b6e-aa56-3e67a526e83b
Prakash, G.Vijaya, Kaczmarek, M., Dyadyusha, A., Baumberg, J.J. and D'Alessandro, G.
(2005)
Control of topological defects in microstructured liquid crystal cells.
Optics Express, 13 (6), .
(doi:10.1364/OPEX.13.002201).
Abstract
We study how the propagation of light inside recently developed micro-structured cells, can be actively tuned by polarising the nanoscale defects in the nematic liquid crystals they contain. Our ‘planar-spherical’ cells are formed by assembling a planar and a gold-coated hemispherical micro-mirror. Optical reflection images of the back-reflected polarised light show a remarkable change of symmetry as a function of the voltage applied to the cell.
Theoretical models of the alignment of the liquid crystal within the cell indicate that the constraints imposed on the liquid crystal by the cell geometry and by the applied electric field induces the formation of defects. Their motion under the effect of the applied electric field is responsible for the change of symmetry of the back-reflected light. Furthermore, experimental measurements of the relaxation time of the back-reflected intensity indicate that the motion of the defect in our micro-structured cells is much faster than in equivalent planar cells.
Text
28684-01.pdf
- Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
More information
Published date: 21 March 2005
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 28684
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/28684
ISSN: 1094-4087
PURE UUID: 14746db4-51c5-4d97-af5a-188a71ef69d7
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 05 May 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:48
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
G.Vijaya Prakash
Author:
A. Dyadyusha
Author:
J.J. Baumberg
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
Loading...
View more statistics