Optical modes of multilayered photonic structure containing nematic layer with abnormal electroconvective rolls

TL;DR

This paper investigates the optical modes in a multilayered photonic structure with a twisted nematic liquid crystal defect layer, focusing on the effects of abnormal electroconvective rolls and non-adiabatic light propagation.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of optical modes influenced by abnormal electroconvective flows in nematic layers, combining experimental and numerical methods to reveal unique mode behaviors.

Findings

Modes decay with increasing voltage due to diffraction loss

Short-wave shift of modes caused by non-adiabatic geometric phase

Experimental and numerical confirmation of phase delay effects

Abstract

Optical modes of a multilayered photonic structure with the twisted nematic liquid crystal as a defect layer have been investigated. The electroconvective flow in the nematic makes a spatially periodic structure in the form of abnormal rolls. Non-adiabatic propagation of polarized light in the defect layer causes unique features of the optical modes corresponding to the ordinary $o$-waves. The decay of these modes has been demonstrated with increasing voltage due to the effect of cross-polarization diffraction loss. The modes short-wave shift resulting from the contribution of the non-adiabatic geometric phase to the total phase delay of the wave during a round-trip propagation through the photonic structure has been found both experimentally and numerically