Open AccessInfluence of temperature on dynamics of birefringence switching in photochromic nematic phase
Author(s) -
Jarosław Myśliwiec,
Maciej Czajkowski,
Stanisław Bartkiewicz,
K. Żygadło,
Zbigniew Galewski,
B. Sahraoui
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.699
H-Index - 319
eISSN - 1089-7550
pISSN - 0021-8979
DOI - 10.1063/1.3665123
Subject(s) - birefringence , photochromism , liquid crystal , materials science , picosecond , kerr effect , phase (matter) , excitation , optics , phase transition , condensed matter physics , switching time , molecular physics , laser , optoelectronics , chemistry , nanotechnology , physics , organic chemistry , nonlinear system , quantum mechanics
We present results of dynamic and fast switching of birefringence in a photochromic liquid-crystalline system as a function of the sample temperature. The system consists of photochromic molecules of 4-heptyl-4-methoxyazobenzene showing a liquid-crystalline nematic state close to room temperature. An experiment of dynamic birefringence switching was done in optical Kerr-effect set-up, where for the sample excitation, a picosecond-pulsed laser was used. Measurements were done for different temperatures of the sample in the liquid-crystalline nematic phase. We have proposed a mathematical model of dynamic, fast, and fully reversible birefringence changes. Theoretical estimations and experimental results have shown very good agreement. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3665123
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