Abstract

Nematic liquid crystals are composed of rodshaped molecules which form a uniaxial crystal when aligned either homogeneously or homeotropically by anchoring interactions with treated substrates. These strongly coupled molecules may be reoriented by an external field, such as a magnetic, electric, or optical field, when the field strength exceeds a threshold. Above this threshold, the liquid crystal is deformed from its initial stable state to a final unstable equilibrium state. This field-induced transition is known as the Freederickz transition.

© 1985 Optical Society of America