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Photoinduced critical opalescence and reversible all-optical switching in photosensitive liquid crystals

2003; Optica Publishing Group; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1364/josab.20.000538

1520-8540

Nelson V. Tabiryan, Svetlana V. Serak, V. A. Grozhik,

Plant Reproductive Biology

We present the results of a study of the critical opalescence that is observed as a result of reversible trans–cis photoisomerization in the vicinity of photoinduced isothermal phase transitions in azobenzene liquid crystals (azo LCs). The opalescence is caused by the generation of randomly oriented microdomains and microdroplets of isotropic phase in the illuminated area of the azo LC. Transformations between the strongly light-scattering nematic phase and the transparent isotropic phase of the azo LC are induced all-optically by combination of green (λ=532 nm) and violet (λ=409 nm) laser beams.