Second harmonic generation in nematic liquid crystals

Peter Palffy-Muhoray; K.-M. Hsia; Tamas Kosa

doi:10.1117/12.271400

11 April 1997 Second harmonic generation in nematic liquid crystals

Peter Palffy-Muhoray, K.-M. Hsia, Tamas Kosa

Proceedings Volume 3015, Liquid Crystal Materials, Devices, and Applications V; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.271400
Event: Electronic Imaging '97, 1997, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Due to inversion symmetry, uniform nematic liquid crystals do not show second harmonic generation (SHG) in the bulk. The inversion symmetry may be broken by spatial variation of the director field. We have studied SHG in nematic cells with spatially periodic distortions of the director field. Cells were constructed with optically patterned alignment layers on the cell walls, and filled with the liquid crystal E7. Using 35 ps pulses from a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser at 1.06 microns, we observed bulk SHG, and measured the intensity and polarization of the SH signal as a function of angle, pump polarization and temperature. We propose a simple model for the symmetry breaking polarization and the resulting SHG, and consider phase matching in inhomogeneous periodic birefringent media.

Citation Download Citation

Peter Palffy-Muhoray, K.-M. Hsia, and Tamas Kosa "Second harmonic generation in nematic liquid crystals", Proc. SPIE 3015, Liquid Crystal Materials, Devices, and Applications V, (11 April 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.271400

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