Abstract
We report on the observation of optical limiting using polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) thin films. These structures consist of a polymer host within which is a random distribution (in terms of spatial location and diameter) of spheroidal cavities containing liquid crystal molecules. In general, binary mixtures of dissimilar dielectric materials are referred to as heterogeneous mixtures and, in the nonlinear regime, have been demonstrated for use as saturable absorbers1 with various materials. More recently, such media have been proposed for use as optical limiters.2–4 In the latter case, the PDLC materials are selected so that the linear refractive index of the host (the polymer) matches that of the dispersant (the ordinary index of the liquid crystal).
© 1988 Optical Society of America
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