LIQUID CRYSTALS AND APPLICATIONS OF CHLOSTERIC LIQUID CRYSTAL IN LASER

Abstract

Liquid crystals are a state of matter intermediate between that of a crystalline solid and an isotropic liquid. They possess many of the mechanical properties of a liquid, e.g. - high fluidity, inability to support shear, formation, and coalescence of droplets. At the same time they are similar to crystals in that they exhibit anisotropy in their optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. We discuss some physical properties of nematic, cholesteric, and smectic liquid crystals (Specially focused on cholesteric) and some applications in laser due to Cholesteric Liquid Crystal’s resonant cavity which formed spontaneously and intrinsically, in the form of self-assembled chiral nematic helix.