Ferrielectric liquid crystal with a subwavelength helix pitch as an electrooptical medium for phase spatial light modulators

By | 12.09.2024

E. P. Pozhidaev, S. P. Kotova, S. A. Samagin

  • P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
  • Samara Branch of P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: We study the possibility of using a ferrielectric liquid crystal as an electro-optical medium for phase spatial light modulators. Electro-optical characteristics of the ferrielectric liquid crystal are measured, and a 12-sector crystal-based spiral plate is simulated numerically. It is found that at a sub-kHz switching frequency of the phase shift by 2π, the liquid-crystal ferrielectric in question is a lower-voltage electro-optical medium of spatiotemporal light modulators compared to ferroelectric liquid crystals.

Keywords: ferrielectric liquid crystals, ferroelectric liquid crystals, phase modulation of light, quadratic electro-optical effect, axially symmetric optical vortices.

Received: 28.07.2022