Abstract

The Poincaré sphere representation, a geometrical method for solving problems involving the propagation of polarized light through birefringent and optically active media, is applied to several electrooptic liquid crystal problems. The emphasis is on the twisted nematic case, for which the quiescent state solution was given by Mauguin in 1911. The Poincaré construction shows that the normal modes for the undeformed twisted nematic layer are slightly elliptically polarized and suggests convenient experiments for measuring the ellipticity. For the field-activated state, a construction is indicated as an alternative to matrix-multiplication methods.

© 1977 Optical Society of America

Viewing angle of liquid-crystal displays: representation on the Poincaré sphere

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Parameter optimization for a reflective bistable twisted nematic display by use of the Poincaré sphere method

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Poincaré sphere representation of birefringent networks

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Transmission of Light through Birefringent and Optically Active Media: the Poincaré Sphere

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