A. V. Shabanov

Transformation of director configuration upon changing boundary conditions in droplets of nematic liquid crystal

The transformation of the director configuration upon changing boundary conditions from planar to homeotropic for bipolar nematic droplets dispersed in a polymeric matrix was studied. The characteristic textural patterns are presented for droplets with different concentrations of homeotropic surfactants, and their orientational structure is identified. The scenario predicted earlier by G.E. Volovik and O.D. Lavrentovich (ZhETF 85, 1997 (1983)) for the transformation of orientational structure of nematic droplets from bipolar to radial, without the formation of additional disclinations, is revealed. It is shown that, by using the computational method of minimization of the director elastic-strain energy in the droplet bulk and by introducing the inhomogeneous boundary conditions, one can obtain orientational structures that are analogous to the observed ones.

Orientational structure transformations caused by the electric-field-induced ionic modification of the interface in nematic droplets

The films of a polymer-dispersed nematic liquid crystal doped with an ionic surfactant were studied. The surface-anchoring modification effect caused by the local increase in the concentration of surface-active ions was observed at the polymer-liquid crystal interface under the action of an electric field. The modification of the boundary conditions leads to the transformation of the orientational structure of the nematic droplets and, as a result, to an appreciable change in their texture patterns and light-scattering efficiency at the interfaces. The monopolar director configurations (normal and curved) arising in the process of orientational structure transformations are considered and their typical textures are demonstrated. The possibility that the monopolar structure can be formed is theoretically substantiated by the computer simulation of the director field in a nematic droplet with the boundary conditions corresponding to the experiment.

Inverse regime of ionic modification of surface anchoring in nematic droplets

It was found that the effect of the ionic modification of anchoring in liquid-crystal droplets can be implemented in the inverse regime. Droplets of 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl nematic doped with ionic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant were dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol and investigated. In the initial state, nematic droplets have a radial structure with homogeneous homeotropic anchoring typical of the surfactant used. In the presence of a dc electric field, the boundary conditions become tangential in the surface area left by the cations. That results in the transformation of an orientational structure following by various scenarios. For the new states of nematic droplets, the distribution of the director field was analyzed and the corresponding textural patterns were numerically calculated.

Thermooptical Switching in a One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal

The temperature dependence of the optical transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional multilayer photonic crystal structure with a central defect layer has been studied. The defect was represented by a nematic liquid crystal (5CB) layer with a homeotropic orientation. It is shows that the defect modes exhibit a 10-nm spectral shift due to a change in the refractive index of the liquid crystal in the course of heating-induced transition to the isotropic phase. A comparison of the experimental data to the results of heating-induced transition to the isotropic phase. A comparison of the experimental data to the results of numerical analysis shows the importance of allowance for the decay of defect modes.

Bipolar Nematic Droplets with Rigidly Fixed Poles in the Electric Field

Abstract We have studied theoretically the reorientation process induced by the electric field inside a bipolar nematic droplet with rigidly fixed poles. Computer simulation has revealed the threshold director reorientation only in that part of a droplet, where the LC director is orthogonal to the applied field, and the nonthreshold reorientation in the rest of the droplet volume. A formula has been proposed to estimate the threshold field. The data obtained have allowed us to calculate a PDLC film transmittance in the framework of the anomalous diffraction approach and to interpret the oscillating behavior of the volt-contrast curve observed experimentally.

Friedericksz Threshold Field in Bipolar Nematic Droplets with Strong Surface Anchoring

A numerical method has been developed for calculating the director configuration in ellipsoidal droplets of a nematic liquid crystal with strong tangential anchoring in a uniform magnetic field of an arbitrary orientation. A relation has been obtained for determining the Friedericksz threshold corresponding to the beginning of the reorientation of the central region of a droplet when the field is orthogonal to the biopolar axis. The effect of the breaking of the orthogonal condition on the threshold character of the orientation process is considered. The reorientation of the ensemble of bipolar droplets of the 5CB nematic liquid crystal dispersed in polyvinyl butyral has been studied by the magneto-optical method. Comparative analysis of calculation data and measured values of the threshold field has been performed.

Localized electromagnetic modes and the transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with lattice defects

The properties of localized electromagnetic modes in a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a structural defect layer were studied. The role of the defect was played by an anisotropic nematic liquid crystal layer. The frequency and the damping factor of defect modes were shown to substantially depend on the defect layer thickness and the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic. The transmission spectra of photonic crystals with one and two lattice defects were studied. Taking into account the special feature of nematic liquid crystals distinguishing them from usual crystals, namely, large permittivity anisotropy, it was shown that the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal could be controlled by varying the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic, for instance, under the action of an external electric field.

Reflection spectrum of a cholesteric liquid crystal with structural defects

An expression is obtained for the reflection coefficient of circularly polarized light normally incident on the film of a cholesteric liquid crystal with a variable helix pitch. It is shown that, in the case of a single defect (local change in the helix pitch), the spectrum of light reflection from a cholesteric acquires a dip corresponding to the defect mode. New qualitative features appear in the reflection spectrum of a cholesteric with two defects as the distance between them varies.

Control of the transmission spectrum of a photonic crystal with lattice defects

The transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with structural defects is investigated. An anisotropic layer of a nematic liquid crystal is considered as a defect. The possibility of effective external control of the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal by changing either the orientational state of the defect liquid crystal layer (for example, using an electric field) or the angle of incidence of light is shown. It is established that the spectral properties of the photonic crystal change radically with a change in the optical characteristics of the defect layer in the vicinity of the temperature phase transition of the nematic liquid crystal to the isotropic state.

Director Configurations within Nematic Droplets Doped by Lecithin

ABSTRACT The series of polymer dispersed liquid crystals films based on polyvinylbutyral-nematic 5CB composition doped by lecithin have been prepared. The characteristic textures of nematic droplets with various concentration of surfactant have been investigated and their orientational structures have been identified. It allowed to reveal the novel director configurations which are transient between bipolar and radial structures. Using the computational method to minimize elastic energy of director field distortions in the droplet bulk and applying the inhomogeneous boundary conditions, the orientational structures have been obtained and these are analogous to the observed ones.