Two-dimensional non-spatial filtering based on holographic Bragg gratings

The filter made up of two gratings performs as a two-dimensional non-spatial filtering. This paper reports that the volume Bragg gratings are fabricated by interfering two collimated coherent laser beams in photopolymer. Diffraction efficiency of a single grating is up to 78% in Bragg's condition, then a two-dimensional non-spatial filter, which consists of two volume Bragg gratings and a half-wave plate, enables the laser beam filtered in two dimensions with the diffraction efficiency of 54%. The Bragg's condition and effect of polarisation on performances of the two-dimension filter are also discussed.     

Thermal neutron polarisation

The basic principle for the production of polarised thermal neutrons is discussed and the choice of various crystal monochromators surveyed. Brief mention of broad-spectrum polarisers is made. The application of polarised neutrons to the study of magnetisation density distributions in magnetic crystals, the dynamic concept of polarisation, principle and use of polarisation analysis, the neutron spin-echo technique are discussed.     

Ferroelectric liquid crystals with axially chiral 2,2′-spirobiindan-1,1′-dione cores

The axially chiral mesogens 5-alkoxy-5′-[(4-alkoxybenzoyl)oxy]-2,2′-spirobiindan-1,1′-dione (QL7-n) were synthesised as racemic mixtures and resolved as single enantiomers by preparative chiral phase HPLC. The shorter homologues (R)-QL7-8 and QL7-9 form enantiotropic N* and SmC* phases, whereas the longer homologues (R)-QL7-10 and QL7-12 form an enantiotropic SmC* phase only. Texture analysis showed that the helical pitch of the N* phase is below the wavelength range of visible light; a helical pitch of 187 nm was measured at T – T_NI = –5 K by selective reflection using enantiomerically enriched mixtures of (R)- and (S)-QL7-8 (0.35 ≤ ee ≤ 0.80). Spontaneous polarisations were measured as a function of temperature in the SmC* phase by the triangular wave method. P_S values at saturation range from 102 nC cm^–2 for (R)-QL7-8 to 120 nC cm^?2 for (R)-QL7-9, which are up to three times greater than the highest polarisation previously reported for an axially chiral SmC* mesogen. Optical tilt angles θ were measured as a function of temperature and showed a sharp rise consistent with first-order N*–SmC* or I–SmC* transitions, with values at saturation ranging from 42 to 44°.     

Optical properties of a mesogen by image analysis

An image analysis technique in conjunction with polarising optical microscopy (POM) is proposed for assessment of the thermo-optical properties of homogeneously aligned chiral ester liquid crystals of the type ((S)-(-)-2-methylbutyl 4′-(4″-n-alkanoyloxybenzoyloxy) biphenyl-4-carboxylates, where n?=?16 or 18. Chiral ester textures are recorded as a function of temperature using POM provided with a hot-stage and a high-resolution colour camera. Temperature-dependent optical parameters, or thermo-optical properties such as optical transmission, degree of polarisation, absorption coefficient and birefringence are computed for chiral esters by analysing the texture of samples using MATLAB software. This is a simple experimental technique for observing how the optical parameters of liquid crystals change with temperature.     

Mechanistic model for the dielectric spectrum of a simple dielectric material

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of a dielectric fluidic material composed of permanent molecular dipoles. The dielectric spectrum features two peaks at lower frequencies than the system phonon frequency. The primary peak is observed at all temperatures studied and shifts toward lower frequencies as the temperature decreases. During this shift, the secondary peak emerges with a higher peak frequency than the primary peak. The secondary peak amplitude increases as the temperature decreases. Both peaks are dependent on the wavevector; in the small wavevector regime, the primary peak is shifted to higher frequencies as the wavevector squared and the secondary peak amplitude increases as the wavevector increases, but shows no shift in frequency. From the polarisation balance equation, we propose a model for the dielectric spectrum. This captures the spectrum features, and we conjecture that the primary peak is due to dipole moment correlations (Debye-type) and the secondary peak is due to the correlation between the dipole moment and a microscopic local field.     

Critical behaviour of the order parameters at the SmC* to SmA phase transition in a ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture

Critical behaviour of the order parameters has been investigated in the ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture ZLI‐3654 in a 7.5 µm thick planar cell. The temperature dependence of the primary (tilt angle) and secondary (spontaneous polarisation) order parameters is considered. The critical exponent (β) has been evaluated from the fitting of the temperature dependence of the experimental data for both tilt angle and spontaneous polarisation. Experimental results are compared with the predictions of the de Gennes and Landau models.     

Propagation properties of electromagnetic fields in elliptic dielectric hollow fibres and their applications

We numerically calculate and analyse the electromagnetic fields, optical intensity distributions, polarization states and orbital angular momentum of some elliptic hollow modes in an elliptic dielectric hollow fiber (EDHF) by using Mathieu functions, and also calculate the optical potential of the blue-detuned _eHE₁₁ mode evanescent-light wave for ⁸⁵Rb atoms, including the position-dependent van der Waals potential, and discuss briefly some potential applications of our EDHF in atom and molecule optics, etc. Our study shows that the vector electric field distributions of the odd modes in the cross section of the EDHF are the same as that of the even modes and with different boundary ellipses by rotating an angle of π/2, and the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of single HE (EH) mode is exactly equal to zero, while that of dual-mode in the EDHF is fractional in h, and has a sinusoidal oscillation as z varies. The EDHF can be used to produce various elliptic hollow beams, even to generate and study various atomic vortices with a fractional charge and its fractional quantum Hall effect in atomic Bose--Einstein condensate, and so on.     

Electrochemical polarisation and galvanic couple behaviour of the primary phase of 55% Al–Zn coating investigated using band microelectrodes (BME) and band microelectrode arrays

Electrochemical polarisation experiments have shown that anodic dissolution processes on Al–40% Zn alloys are significantly enhanced in chloride compared to sulfate-based electrolytes. The aluminium content of the alloys allowed passive behaviour to be observed in sulfate electrolyte even in the presence of zinc-rich precipitates on the surface. Electrolyte pH affected cathodic processes, which was attributed to the rate of proton reduction and the passivity of the surface. Monitoring the OCP of the alloy band during polarisation of neighbouring zinc electrodes in band microelectrode (BME) arrays showed that generation of alkaline pH at the zinc electrodes affected the OCP of the alloy when the inter-electrode spacing was 10, 50, and 200 μm. Where elements of a BME array were close enough to interact via mass transport, the overall galvanic behaviour of the cell was found to be anodic or cathodic, whereas the alloy was consistently cathodic with respect to zinc in galvanic cells at larger separations. Dedicated to the 80th birthday of Keith B. Oldham.     

Highly tilted antiferroelectric (R) enantiomers useful for the formulation of eutectic mixtures

ABSTRACT

Novel chiral three-ring (R) enantiomers were synthesised using optically active (R)-(?)-2-octanol. Properties, such as the sequence of phases, the transition temperatures and enthalpies, were tested by a polarising optical microscope and differential scanning calorimeter. An antiferroelectric smectic phase (SmC_A*) with a direct transition from the antiferroelectric to the isotropic phase (SmC_A*-Iso) was observed for three esters with an achiral C₃F₇CH₂O(CH₂)₃O– terminal chain. Bi- and multicomponent mixtures with a broad temperature range of the antiferroelectric phase and good electro-optical properties were formulated. Helical pitch of pure esters and mixtures was measured by spectrophotometry method.