Laser Beam Induces Reorientation in Nematic Liquid Crystals

Abstract

Nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) can be easily reoriented by the laser beam at the temperature closed to the nematic–isotropic phase transition (TNI). At the temperature closed to TNI, the propagating mode of laser beam and the optically induced phase transition were explored by using a microscopic conoscope technique. This investigation demonstrates the formation of soliton at particular beam propagation modes. The interaction between nematic liquid crystals and the laser beam with different polarizations showed the nonlinearity in optical alignment.