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Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 29, 2018
Vortex retarders produced from photo-aligned liquid crystal polymers
Scott C McEldowney1, David M Shemo, Russell A Chipman
1JDSU, 2789 Northpoint Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, USA.
Optics Express
|June 12, 2008
Summary
We developed novel photo-aligned liquid crystal polymer vortex retarders for precise polarization control. These components demonstrate excellent performance in optical systems, enabling advanced applications with polarized optical vortices.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Vortex retarders are crucial optical components for manipulating polarized light.
- Existing methods for creating continuously variable retarders face limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel vortex retarders using photo-aligned liquid crystal polymers.
- To assess the performance of these retarders in optical systems using Mueller matrix formalism.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of vortex retarders from photo-aligned liquid crystal polymers.
- Measurement of polarization properties using Mueller matrix polarimetry.
- Analysis using point spread matrix (PSM) and optical transfer matrix (OTM).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated continuously variable fast axis in half-wave retarders.
- Measured PSM and OTM closely matched theoretical predictions.
- Evaluated the impact of aberrations and misalignment on performance.
Conclusions:
- Photo-aligned liquid crystal polymer vortex retarders offer excellent performance.
- These components are suitable for applications involving polarized optical vortices.
