Low-Power Laser Induced Instabilities in Smectic A Liquid Crystals
- 1 March 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals
- Vol. 261 (1) , 259-270
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10587259508033473
Abstract
A low power He-Ne laser beam is shown to induce layer instabilities in a smectic A liquid crystal cell possessing initial homeotropic orientation. The effect occurs when the smectic A phase is doped with a photosensitive azo-compound. The most plausible mechanism for the instability is photo-transformation of the guest molecules (e.g. trans-cis isomerization), and a subsequent decrease in the smectic layer spacing.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Chevron Layer Structure and Parabolic Focal Conics in Smectic A Liquid CrystalsJapanese Journal of Applied Physics, 1989
- Studies on Induced Smectic Phases (VI). The Role of the Ratio of the Molecular Lengths in Binary Mixtures of SmectogensCrystal Research and Technology, 1986
- X-ray studies of transitions between nematic, smectic-, -, and - phasesPhysical Review A, 1986
- Orientational optical nonlinearity of liquid crystalsSoviet Physics Uspekhi, 1985
- Orientational optical nonlinearity of liquid crystalsUspekhi Fizicheskih Nauk, 1985
- Elastic light scattering by smectic A focal conic defectsJournal de Physique, 1982
- Light Scattering and Contrast in Thermally Addressed Liquid Crystal DisplaysMolecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, 1979
- The parabolic focal conic : a new smectic a defectJournal de Physique, 1977
- U.V. Imaging with Nematic ChlorostilbenesJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 1974
- Strain-induced instability of monodomain smectic A and cholesteric liquid crystalsApplied Physics Letters, 1973