Nonlinear Refractive Index Measurements of Isotropic Liquid Crystals.

Abstract

We have measured the nonlinear refractive index of a number of liquid crystalline materials in the isotropic phase. These materials show strong enhancement of the nonlinearity due to nematic like local ordering, and even materials which do not have a nematic-isotropic transition show this enhancement. We also studied mixtures of liquid crystals and solvents and find that these mixtures also have an enhanced nonlinearity due to local ordering. Absorption of the laser beam causes expansion which reduces the refractive index and can counteract the refractive index change due to reorientation. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA159519

Entities

People

  • A. M. Scott
  • F. C. Saunders
  • P. A. Madden

Organizations

  • Royal Signals and Radar Establishment

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Crystals
  • Energy
  • Equations
  • Intensity
  • Laser Beams
  • Laser Pulses
  • Lasers
  • Liquid Crystals
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Organic Materials
  • Phase
  • Phase Transformations
  • Refractive Index
  • Scattering
  • Transition Temperature

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy