Instabilities induced by Light in Liquid Crystal Cells with a Photo-Responsive Substrate

TL;DR

This paper investigates light-induced instabilities in nematic liquid crystal cells with photo-responsive substrates, analyzing how light wavelength, polarization, and layer thickness influence these effects through a photoinduced surface torque model.

Contribution

It introduces a model explaining light-induced instabilities in LC cells with photosensitive substrates, highlighting the role of photoinduced surface torque and exploring potential applications.

Findings

Instabilities depend on wavelength, polarization, and layer thickness.

A model based on photoinduced surface torque explains the effects.

Application possibilities of the phenomena are discussed.

Abstract

Instabilities are discussed which take place when a nematic liquid crystal (LC) layer, enclosed between a planar reference plate and a photosensitive substrate, is illuminated with polarized light from the reference side ({\it reverse} geometry). The dependence of the observed effects on the wavelength, polarization direction of the light, and on the thickness of the LC layer is explained by a model based on photoinduced surface torque. The application possibilities of the phenomena are also explored.