A New Method for Measuring the Azimuthal Anchoring Energy of a Nematic Liquid Crystal
- 1 March 1994
- journal article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Japanese Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 33 (3B), L434-436
- https://doi.org/10.1143/jjap.33.l434
Abstract
We have proposed a new optical method for measuring the twist angle of twisted nematic cells, and the method has been applied to obtain the azimuthal anchoring energy for a nematic liquid crystal. The method is based on a modulation in the polarization state of an incident probing laser beam to the sample cells, and the resulting transmitted intensity of the beam is theoretically analyzed through the 2×2 Jones matrix method. The obtained anchoring energy for the azimuthal distortion is about 1.5×10-5 J/m2 for a polyvinylalcohol alignment film; which is about two orders of magnitude lower than that for the corresponding polar anchoring energy.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Director orientation of a ferroelectric liquid crystal on substrates with rubbing treatment: The effect of surface anchoring strengthLiquid Crystals, 1989
- Surface Anchoring of Nematic Liquid CrystalsMolecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Incorporating Nonlinear Optics, 1988
- Almost Critical Behavior of the Anchoring Energy at the Interface between a Nematic Liquid Crystal and a SiO SubstratePhysical Review Letters, 1985
- Elastic and Optical Properties of Some 4′-n-Alkyl-4-CyanobiphenylsMolecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, 1976