Speckle contrast reduction of laser light using a chiral nematic liquid crystal diffuser | Zendy

David Hansford | Zendy; Julian Fells | Zendy; Steve J. Elston | Zendy; Stephen Morris | Zendy

AI Assistant Blog Pricing

Home ZAIA Blog

Open Access

Speckle contrast reduction of laser light using a chiral nematic liquid crystal diffuser

Author(s) -

David Hansford,

Julian Fells,

Steve J. Elston,

Stephen Morris

Publication year - 2016

Publication title -

applied physics letters

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182

H-Index - 442

eISSN - 1077-3118

pISSN - 0003-6951

DOI - 10.1063/1.4971997

Subject(s) - liquid crystal , speckle pattern , electrohydrodynamics , optics , materials science , diffuser (optics) , holography , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , laser , optoelectronics , electric field , physics , light source , quantum mechanics

High coherence in laser light causes spatially distributed interference called speckle. In applications such as holographic projection, this undesirable side effect degrades image clarity. The current methods of speckle reduction, such as a rotating ground-glass diffuser, require additional bulky moving parts. Here, we present an alternative technology based upon a compact, electrohydrodynamic chiral nematic liquid crystal device. A spatially random phase modulation of the incident light is achieved through the electrohydrodynamic instabilities that are induced by an alternating electric field. Using a chiral nematic liquid crystal device that is doped with an ionic compound, we find that the speckle contrast can be reduced by as much as 80%

The content you want is available to Zendy users.

Already have an account? Click here to sign in.

Having issues? You can contact us here

Accelerating Research