Equilibrium and Dynamic Properties of Liquid Crystals Confined in Complex Matrices

Abstract : We have studied both theoretically and experimentally the fundamental problems of light interaction with LC and corresponding forces and torque in LC. We are further developing the method of measurement of laser beams in the near field from the far field patterns that are distorted by propagation of the beam through LC. We have obtained important experimental results on the focusing of various beams into the nonlinear cell retrieval of that information from the nonlinear distortions.