Alexander V. Konkolovich

Angular structure of radiation scattered by monolayer of polydisperse droplets of nematic liquid crystal

We considered light scattering by a polydisperse ensemble of droplets of a nematic liquid crystal. To model light scattering by a monolayer of polymer-dispersed spherical droplets of a nematic liquid crystal with cylindrical symmetry of its internal structure, we proposed a semianalytical modeling method. The method is based on interference approximation of the theory of multiple wave scattering, anomalous diffraction approximation, and effective-medium approximation. The method takes into account cooperative optical effects in concentrated, partially ordered layers and can be used to analyze the small-angle structure of the intensity of scattered radiation in relation to the concentration, size, polydispersity of liquid crystal droplets, orientation of their optical axes, and refractive indices of the liquid crystal and polymer. The obtained relations can be applied to solving direct and inverse problems of light scattering in composite liquid crystal materials using data of polarization measurements. We present graphical results of solving the direct problem for components of the polarization vector of scattered wave. These results illustrate the formation of an angular structure for monolayers with a high concentration of polydisperse droplets of the liquid crystal in the range of small scattering angles (0 < θs ≤ 8°).

A method for calculating the light extinction coefficients of a polymer layer with small nematic liquid-crystal droplets

A method is proposed for analyzing radiation extinction coefficients of polymer films containing small nematic liquid-crystal droplets with cylindrical symmetry. This method is based on the Rayleigh-Gans approximation and the effective scattering matrix. The orientational ordering of both liquid-crystal molecules in droplets and the droplets in a layer is described by multilevel order parameters. The extinction of radiation in polymer films is analyzed for the cases of oblique and normal incidence of light. Simple and convenient expressions are derived for calculating and estimating the extinction coefficients for the case of normal incidence of light on a layer containing spherical droplets. The error of the method is estimated.

Polarization and phase of light transmitted through polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal film

— A method for calculating the transmission coefficient, phase shift, and characteristics of the polarization state of light, transmitted through a PDLC film with nanosized nematic droplets, is considered. Functional dependences of these values on the morphological characteristics of a film are obtained and graphically illustrated. Good agreement between the theoretical and available experimental data is established.

Coherent transmittance quenching effect in thin films of polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals

The conditions for vanishing of the coherent component of radiation transmitted through a monolayer of polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid-crystal droplets are found. The influence of polydispersity and disorientation of axes of semispherical droplets on the conditions of interference quenching is studied. It is shown that these factors cause a change in the average size and concentration of droplets for which the quenching effect is realized. Data on the contrast ratio and the modulation depth of a monolayer, determined from the coherent component of transmitted radiation, are presented. It is shown that these characteristics can be considerably improved under quenching conditions for a film of polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid-crystal droplets.

Using the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin method to analyze the transmission and reflection of light by a layer of liquid-crystal drops dispersed in a polymeric matrix

This paper discusses the transmission and reflection of light by a layer of spherical drops of a nematic liquid crystal dispersed in a polymeric binding matrix. An optical model has been developed for analyzing the coherent transmittance and reflectance of light under normal illumination with unpolarized light, based on a generalization of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation to the vector case. Analytical expressions are obtained for the amplitude-matrix elements when light is scattered strictly forward and backward for liquid-crystal drops with homogeneous configuration of the director. For nematic drops with a more complex director configuration, the effective-medium approximation is used to describe the scattering-matrix elements. The coherent transmittance and reflectance of light by monolayer films are analyzed for various orientations of the optical axes of the drops.

Coherent transmission and angular structure of light scattering by monolayer films of polymer dispersed liquid crystals with inhomogeneous boundary conditions

We consider monolayer polymer films with oriented droplets of a nematic liquid crystal (LC). Relations for the coherent transmission coefficients of a layer of oriented ellipsoidal droplets and for the intensity of light scattered by monolayers of spherical and spheroidal droplets have been obtained. The amplitude-phase screen model and the interference approximation of the theory of multiple wave scattering have been used. To describe light scattering by an individual ellipsoidal droplet with inhomogeneous surface binding, we have developed an anomalous diffraction approximation. For monolayers of spherical LC droplets, the coherent scattering coefficients and the angular scattering structure have been analyzed. The internal structure of nematic droplets have been calculated by the relaxation method based on the solution of the minimization problem of the free energy volume density. We have studied basic regular features of light scattering by a monolayer with homogeneous and inhomogeneous boundary conditions at the LC-polymer interface. We show that, for films that contain droplets with inhomogeneous boundary conditions of the tangentially normal type, the angular structure of the scattered light is asymmetric with respect to the polar scattering angle.

Transient light scattering in helix ferroelectric liquid crystal cells

The static model to describe coherent (regular) transmittance in helix ferroelectric liquid crystal cells under the transient light scattering mode is proposed. It can be used to develop three-dimensional volumetric and two-dimensional liquid crystal displays. The dependence of coherent transmittance on cell parameters and the amplitude of the applied electric field is analysed. Conditions for increasing scattering efficiency and contrast ratio enhancement through an interference quenching effect of the coherent transmittance are indicated.

Reconstruction of the order parameter of oriented liquid crystal droplets

An optical method is proposed to reconstruct the order parameter for liquid crystal droplets with rigidly fixed poles. The method is based on measurements of the coherent transmission coefficient of a oneatom layer (monolayer) of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal droplets and on comparison with the results of the solution of the direct problem. In solving the direct problem for determining the coherent transmission coefficient of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal monolayer, the anomalous diffraction approximation and the approximation of the effective refractive indices for liquid crystal droplets were used. The capabilities of the method are illustrated by the reconstruction of one component of the diagonal tensor of the droplet order parameter.

Phase Modulation of Light by a Composite Film with Fine Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Droplets: Theoretical Treatment

To describe phase and intensity modulation of the plane wave transmitted through a polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal (PDFLC) film with nanosized liquid crystal (LC) droplets the model based on the Foldy-Twersky and anisotropic dipole approximations is proposed. The dependence of phase shift and transmittance of films with fine droplets on their properties has been elucidated. The films with polarization-independent phase shift at switching of cylindrically symmetric structure of bistable smectic LC droplet director are investigated.

Electrooptical response of surface droplets of liquid crystal

Abstract The peculiarities of the electrooptical response for nematic surface droplets of liquid crystal are considered. The possibility of a dramatic increase for the contrast ratio on the base of the coherent transmittance quenching effect is shown.