Liquid crystal devices for photonics applications is a "hot topic" of research. This book provides engineers, physicists, and designers with the most up-to-date descriptions of the dielectric, optical, and viscoelastic properties of LCs; photonics applications; and the knowledge to design better performing liquid crystal photonic and display devices (LCD). The book gives the knowledge needed to optimise LC cell geometry, select proper display configurations, and develop photonics LC applications. The book is intended for a wide range of engineers, scientists and managers, who are willing to understand the "hot" topics of LC applications in photonics and displays. Liquid crystal physical properties, geometry of liquid crystal cell and characteristics of electrooptical effects to choose and/or to develop liquid crystal photonics devices with optimal parameters are highlighted. Special attention was paid to photoalignment technology for LC photonics and emergent display devices. University researchers and students, who are specialised in the condensed matter physics and liquid crystal device developments will also find some useful information in this book.

Liquid Crystal Devices are crucial and ubiquitous components of an ever-increasing number of technologies. They are used in everything from cellular phones, eBook readers, GPS devices, computer monitors and automotive displays to projectors and TVs, to name but a few. This second edition continues to serve as an introductory guide to the fundamental properties of liquid crystals and their technical application, while explicating the recent advancements within LCD technology. This edition includes important new chapters on blue-phase display technology, advancements in LCD research significantly contributed to by the authors themselves. This title is of particular interest to engineers and researchers involved in display technology and graduate students involved in display technology research. Key features: Updated throughout to reflect the latest technical state-of-the-art in LCD research and development, including new chapters and material on topics such as the properties of blue-phase liquid crystal displays and 3D liquid crystal displays; Explains the link between the fundamental scientific principles behind liquid crystal technology and their application to photonic devices and displays, providing a thorough understanding of the physics, optics, electro-optics and material aspects of Liquid Crystal Devices; Revised material reflecting developments in LCD technology, including updates on optical modelling methods, transmissive LCDs and tunable liquid crystal photonic devices; Chapters conclude with detailed homework problems to further cement an understanding of the topic.

This book brings together the many concepts and discoveries in liquid crystal colloids contributed over the last twenty years and scattered across numerous articles and book chapters. It provides both a historical overview of the development of the field and a clear perspective on the future applications in photonics. The book covers all phenomena observed in liquid crystal colloids with an emphasis on experimental tools and applications of topology in condensed matter, as well as practical micro-photonics applications. It includes a number of spectacular manifestations of new topological phenomena not found or difficult to observe in other systems. Starting from the early works on nematic colloids, it explains the basics of topological defects in ordered media, charge and winding, and the elastic forces between colloidal particles in nematics. Following a detailed description of experimental methods, such as optical tweezing and particle tracking, the book eases the reader into the theoretical part, which deals with elastic deformation of nematic liquid crystals due to inclusions and surface alignment. This is discussed in the context of basic mean field Landau-de Gennes Q-tensor theory, with a brief explanation of the free-energy minimization numerical methods. There then follows an excursion into the topology of complex nematic colloidal structures, colloidal entanglement, knotting and linking. Nematic droplets, shells, handlebodies and chiral topological structures are addressed in separate chapters. The book concludes with an extensive chapter on the photonic properties of nematic dispersions, presenting the concept of integrated soft matter photonics and discussing the concepts of nematic and chiral nematic microlasers, surface-sensitive photonic devices and smectic microfibers. The text is complemented by a large bibliography, explanatory sketches and beautiful micrographs.

Devices based on liquid crystals have become the mainstay of display technology used in mobile devices, vehicles, computer systems, and almost any other opportunity for information display imaginable. The aim of this book is to provide the optics community a liquid crystals primer that focuses on the optical components made from these fascinating materials. The book provides a functional overview of liquid crystal devices, their history, and their applications so that readers are prepared for more advanced texts and can continue to grow their abilities in this field. While it is not meant to be a complete mathematical treatise on the basics and applications of liquid crystals, the book does fill in some of the technical gaps, in particular in the area of adaptive optics applications.

The first book of its kind to introduce the fundamentals, basic features and models, potential applications and novel phenomena and its important applications in liquid crystal technology. Recognized leader in the field Gaetano Assanto outlines the peculiar characteristics of nematicons and the promise they have for the future growth of this captivating new field.

This book provides a broad overview of photonic crystals and, as the title suggests, covers their principles and applications. It is written from a physics point of view with an emphasis on materials science. Equations are well explained and often completely avoided to increase the readability of the book. The book is divided into eight chapters, starting with a brief introduction. The second chapter deals with different dimensionalities of the photonic crystals and their properties. The third chapter is very interestingly written and provides a survey of the various synthesis methods used for production of photonic crystals, including chemical routes, lithography, and self-assembly of colloidal photonic crystals. Chapters 4–8 constitute the bulk of the book and provide examples of applications of these photonic crystals. Chapter 4 offers a good explanation of optical switching. Bandgap and defect mode switching are also brought into focus along with many other mechanisms—14 different switching mechanisms in all, including thermal, electro, and magneto switching. Frequency tuning of photonic crystal filters with special attention to nanosize photonic crystals is illustrated, providing a direct perspective on applications of these materials in integrated photonic circuits. The transition from chapter 5 to 6 dealing with photonic crystal lasers is smooth, especially after a clear description of frequency tuning. Here, one- to three-dimensional photonic lasers are explained along with laser oscillations produced by a variety of microcavity methods. Metallodielectric and liquid-crystal photonic lasers are equally well illustrated. Chapter 7 introduces logic devices based on photonic crystals. This chapter clearly explains, with the help of simple illustrations, how to obtain AND, OR, and XOR logic gates. Chapter 8 concludes the book by presenting possible applications, including gas, chemical, fluid, and cell sensing; their workings are very well described from a fundamental point of view. The diagrams and illustrations are appropriate and eye catching. There are ample references; thus readers are able to find more detailed information to satisfy their curiosity if the book does not suffice. Even though the introduction provides basics of these photonic crystals, I do get the impression that the bigger picture is missing. A nonexpert may not understand the direct application of such materials right from the beginning of the book. A flowchart or a diagram of these photonic crystals, illustrating applications in daily life at the beginning of the book, could attract a broader readership. In this regard, I believe that this book is most adapted to physicists with a materials science background or vice versa. However, one should take into consideration that the principles of photonic crystals cannot be explained without physics, and therefore the quality of this book remains intact and could very well serve as a textbook for future physicists.

The latest edition of the leading resource on the properties and applications of liquid crystals In the newly revised Third Edition of Liquid Crystals, Professor Iam Choon Khoo delivers a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals and applied aspects of optical physics, light scattering, electro-optics, and non-linear optics of liquid crystals. The book's opening chapters include coverage of the foundational physics and optical properties of liquid crystals and lead to more advanced content on the display, photonics and nonlinear optics applications of liquid crystals. New topics, including photonic crystals, metamaterials, ultrafast nonlinear optics, and fabrication methods for massive cholesteric and blue phase liquid crystals are discussed at length. Analytical methods and experimental observations of nonlinear light propagation through liquid crystalline and anisotropic materials and devices are also discussed. Liquid Crystals offers an insightful and unique treatment of the nonlinear optics of liquid crystals. New and expanded sections round out this new edition and add to the most up-to-date resource on this topic available today. The book also includes: A thorough introduction to liquid crystals, including their molecular structures, chemical compositions, order parameter, phase transition, and free energies Practical discussions of nematic, cholesteric, smectic, and ferroelectric liquid crystals, and explorations of linear and nonlinear light scattering in these phases. A detailed quantum mechanical treatment of the linear and nonlinear electronic optical response of liquid crystal molecules to optical fields. A self-contained discussion of the fundamentals of nonlinear optics/photonics and comprehensive review of all liquid crystalline materials-based nonlinear optical processes and applications. The latest edition of Liquid Crystals is an indispensable resource for graduate students, professors, research scientists and engineers in industrial or government laboratories. It's also an ideal reference for anyone seeking a one-stop textbook with complete coverage of the optical, electro-optical, and non-linear optical properties and processes of liquid crystals.