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Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals

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Published on: August 15, 2018

Scale-dependent anisotropic polarizability in mesoscopic structures.

David Haefner¹, Sergey Sukhov, Aristide Dogariu

¹CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-2700, USA. dhaefner@creol.ucf.edu

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|April 7, 2010

Summary

Optical properties of inhomogeneous materials are scale-dependent at mesoscopic scales. Local polarizabilities reveal a specific interaction length scale, offering insights into material morphology and structure.

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Area of Science:

Physics
Materials Science
Optics

Background:

Optical properties of inhomogeneous materials typically exhibit scale dependence.
Understanding these properties at different length scales is crucial for material characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the scale-dependent optical properties of inhomogeneous materials at mesoscopic scales.
To identify a characteristic interaction length scale related to local anisotropy.
To correlate this length scale with the material's morphology.

Main Methods:

Analysis of local anisotropic polarizabilities at mesoscopic scales.
Investigation of the dependence on interaction volume, limited by excitation field or material dimensions.
Characterization of disordered media based on morphology.

Main Results:

Local anisotropic polarizabilities are dependent on the interaction volume at mesoscopic scales.
A specific interaction length scale exists, corresponding to maximum local anisotropy.
This length scale provides a means to differentiate morphologically similar disordered materials.

Conclusions:

Mesoscopic probing reveals scale-dependent optical behavior in inhomogeneous materials.
The identified interaction length scale offers a new parameter for characterizing material structure and morphology.
This approach enhances the ability to distinguish between complex material systems.