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Physical Review A

Magnetic-field-enhanced and -suppressed intrinsic optical bistability in nematic liquid crystals

Hiap Liew Ong

Published May 1, 1985• 32 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is shown that the optical-field-induced first-order molecular reorientation and intrinsic optical bistability in a nemiatic liquid crystal can always be enhanced or suppressed by a low magneitc field (typically <1 kG) and hence can be seen in all existing nematics at a low optical power (typically <1 kW/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$).

DOI
10.1103/physreva.31.3450

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It is shown that the optical-field-induced first-order molecular reorientation and intrinsic optical bistability in a nemiatic liquid crystal can always be enhanced or suppressed by a low magneitc field (typically <1 kG) and hence can be seen in all existing nematics at a low optical power (typically <1 kW/cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2).
Abstract Molecular reorientation and laser heating induced by an optical field can yield significant changes in the refractive indices in a nematic liquid crystal. A c.w. laser beam is intense enough to induce a phase retardation much larger than 2pi in a nematic film less than 100 pm thick. Optical bistability in such a film sandwiched between mirrors can be readily observed. Coupling between the two mechanisms for induced refractive indices can lead to interesting results in the bistable operation.
The properties of intrinsic optical bistability in nematic liquid crystals were studied. This kind of optical bistability is without resonant optical cavity and electric feedback. We find that the nematic ROTN-200 film can exhibit bistability when applying a constant ac electric field (≊560 kHz) that is greater than a tricritical voltage VTc=2.614 V. The bistable interval is measured and the hysteresis loop is characterized at each different voltage. The splay and bent elastic constants k11 and k33 are obtained to calculate the numerical result. It is found that the experimental results are in good agreement with theory. The experimental setup with which we can easily observe the bistable phenomena is illustrated. Under the consideration of the finite size of the laser beam, the thermal effect and finite beam size effect are discussed. In addition, some new interesting phenomena about the diffraction ring structure of nematic liquid crystal are reported.