Optical isotropy and iridescence in a smectic 'blue phase'

Article Abstract:

A liquid crystal smectic blue phase formed from a two-component mixture containing a chiral monomer and a 'twin' containing two repeat unit of the first molecule connected by a linear hydrocarbon spacer is reported. The new phase spontaneously exhibits an optically isotropic but uniformly iridescent color and automatically acquires spherical symmetry, so that the associated photonic bad gap maintains the same symmetry despite the local liquid crystalline order.

Author: Yamamoto, Jun, Yokoyama, Hiroshi, Nishiyama, Isa, Inoue, Miyoshi
Observations, Iridescence, Structure

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Routing of antisotropic spatial solitons and modulational instability in liquid crystals

Article Abstract:

The study reports the results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of voltage-controlled 'wake-off' and steering of self-localized light in nematic liquid crystals. It concluded that the propagation directions of individual spatial solutions can be tuned by several degrees, and an array of direction-tunable solitions can be generated by modulation instability.

Author: Peccianti, Marco, Conti, Claudio, Assanto, Gaetano, De Luca, Antonio, Umeton, Cesare
Solitons

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Liquid crystal ' blue phases' with a wide temperature range

Article Abstract:

The 'Blue phases' are highly fluid, self-assembled, three-dimensional cubic defect structures that exist over narrow temperature ranges in liquid crystal. Blue phases are considered to be examples of photonic crystals with a potential for many applications.

Author: Coles, Harry J., Pivnenko, Mikhail N.
Photonics

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Subjects list: Research, United States, Liquid crystals
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