Monte Carlo modeling of optical properties of twisted NLC systems: role of anchoring forces

Grzegorz Pawlik; Antoni C. Mitus; Francois Kajzar

doi:10.1117/12.683996

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15 September 2006 Monte Carlo modeling of optical properties of twisted NLC systems: role of anchoring forces

Grzegorz Pawlik, Antoni C. Mitus, Francois Kajzar

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Proceedings Volume 6332, Liquid Crystals X; 63320B (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.683996
Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics, 2006, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Statistical mechanics of an inhomogeneous NLC molecular alignment in NLC cells with complicated intermolecular and molecule-wall (anchoring) interactions can be easily studied using Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation method for Lebwohl-Lasher lattice system.¹ Those studies have elucidated some microscopic aspects of the role of anchoring forces for local and global molecular ordering, leading to novel features in the external electric field (E) - anchoring strength (α) phase diagram for refractive index or an unexpected maximum of diffraction efficiency for low values of anchoring strength α in planar NLC cells.² Quite recently, this approach was used for a study of transmission of light through a twisted NLC cell as a function of applied voltage and light wavelength, for some values of α.³ First results show interesting generalizations of known analytical results of Yeh and Gu.⁴ In this paper we address a question of the importance of fluctuations of local rubbing directions and of fluctuations of anchoring strength for optical properties of NLC based optical systems. Preliminary results for chosen systems are presented.

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Grzegorz Pawlik, Antoni C. Mitus, and Francois Kajzar "Monte Carlo modeling of optical properties of twisted NLC systems: role of anchoring forces", Proc. SPIE 6332, Liquid Crystals X, 63320B (15 September 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.683996

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